Week 111: College Reading and Writing Herrera and Risher

Week 111: College Reading and Writing

Herrera and Risher: 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 twenty-fourth poem and response in the book today, starting on page 81. 

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.     What do you think is significant about the spaces between words in poem?

2.     What do you think the speaker means “we do not know/ you have a poem to offer”?

3.     What does the speaker mean “give your life to it”?

Exercise: Questions for Comprehension of the response

1. Why do you think the poem is so affecting for Risher?
2. What does Risher not want us to forget?
3. What kinds of details does Risher focus on in her response?

Homework Assignment: Summarize the Poem

Write a 7-9 sentence paragraph summarizing the poem with quotations, in-text citation, and a Work Cited Page.

example too-short summary, incorporating quotation and in-text citation:

Juan Felipe Herrera’s poem “Poem by Poem” starts with an epigraph honoring the victims of a church shooting. It then talks about ending violence “every day after / every other day” (Herrera 81). The poem asks us to “give our life to”  a poem we have to offer and that it be “made of action” (Herrera 81).

Work Cited Page (for today’s poem)

Herrera, Juan Felipe. “Poem by Poem.” Bullets Into Bells: Poets and Citizens Respond to Gun Violence. Ed. Brian Clements et al. Beacon Press, 2017.

Homework Assignment: Summarize the Response

Write a 7-9 sentence paragraph summarizing the response with quotations, in-text citation, and a Work Cited Page.

Homework Assignment: Analysis

Question for analysis: In her response, Risher writes, “These souls died together, yet they have their own story. Please don’t forget that – individuals each one” (83). Risher then goes on to identify four of the victims whom she knew personally, citing qualities about their character. How is this sentiment of memorializing reflected inside of the poem? How can poetry be used to memorialize? How can language and description be important for change? Use both the poem and the response to support your 7-9 sentence answer.

Homework Assignment: Imitation

Write a poem where you list the people you love. Include details that you love about them.

Homework:

1. Summary of Poem
2. Summary of Response
3. Analysis of Poem and Response
4. Imitation of Poem

About this class:

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.