Week 49: College Reading and Writing: Ada Limón and Caren Teves
Week 49: College Reading and Writing: Ada Limón and Caren Teves
Ada Limón and Caren Teves: Annotating, Summarizing, Analyzing,
Imitating
to annotate: to make notes on something
to help you understand it better
to summarize: to put something in your
own words
to analyze: to consider a question on the
text, providing supporting examples from the text
to imitate: to create an original piece
of writing based on something you have read
We are doing the thirty-first poem and
response in the book today, starting on page 109.
Exercise: Read and annotate
1. Read the poem and response out loud
and underline any words you need to look up
2. Write any questions you have in the
margins or in your notebook
3. Put tricky parts into your own words
in notes in the margins or in your notebook
Exercise: Questions for comprehension of the poem
1. The speaker addresses the “reader,”
what is the effect (Limón 109)?
2. Who is the “she” in this poem, what
does “she” do (Limón 109-110)?
3. “Don’t die” is repeated; why is it
important (Limón 109)?
Exercise: Summarize the poem
Write a paragraph summarizing the poem
with quotations, in-text citation, and a Work Cited Page.
Example too-short summary, incorporating quotation and
in-text citation:
Brenda Hillman’s poem “The
Family Sells the Family Gun” tells the story of siblings getting rid of their
father’s gun after “his ashes...were lying” (87). The speaker questions what it
means to own and get rid of a gun in America, saying, “[w]e couldn’t take it to
the cops even in my handbag” (Hillman 88).
Work Cited Page (for today’s poem)
Limón, Ada. “The Leash.” Bullets Into Bells: Poets and Citizens
Respond to Gun Violence. Ed. Brian Clements et al. Beacon Press, 2017.
Exercise: Questions for Comprehension of the response
- Who is the
speaker and why it important?
- What is the importance of naming in this
response?
- What does this response ask us to do?
Exercise: Summarize the response
Write a paragraph summarizing the response
with quotations, in-text citation, and a Work Cited Page.
Exercise: Analysis
Question for analysis: There are
similarities and differences to how Limón and Teves write about the use of
automatic weapons and bodies (109-110, 111). Closely examine the two texts and
write an analysis where you explore what each author is asking the reader to
understand about the relationship between humans and automatic weapons.
Exercise: Imitation
Write a poem where you directly address
the reader. Is there something you want to say to a group of people? It could
be telling your family you love them, Congress that prayers are not enough, or
a company that you know they are ripping you off. Use elements from Limón’s
poem that you admire to make your own poem stronger.
Homework:
- Summary of Poem
- Summary of Response
- Analysis of Poem and Response
- Imitation of Poem
About this class:
Your notebooks belong to you; you can
write first drafts in them, and make notes for yourselves. To turn in homework, revise your work in a
blue book or sheets of paper you can get from your instructor. In this class,
you are welcome to submit homework for a grade. If it’s not strong enough to
earn an A, I’ll give you some comments to help you revise it, and let you do it
over again. You have as many chances as you want to complete and perfect the
work in this class, and you are welcome to do more than one week’s worksheet
for homework at a time; ask me for sheets you’ve missed. Students who complete
15 weeks of graded assignments and a longer paper can qualify for college
credit. When you get close to completing 15 weeks, I’ll help you get started on
your longer paper.
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