Unit Overview
Poetry is a literary genre that can be used to artistically express an author’s intended message and evoke an emotional connection that both inspires and activates a community. The 6-8 curriculum is centered around the poetry of Mari Evans, an author and activist who spent the majority of her adult life in Indianapolis, IN. Evans discovered her voice through discovering the voice of Langston Hughes. She was inspired by the genuine clarity of his creative expression focused on black culture. Students will begin the unit learning about Evans and exploring the essential question: How does culture influence the voice of a poet? Devoted to elevating the social consciousness of the black experience (to which she wrote, produced and directed a local television series of the same name), Evans’ poetry concisely illuminates significant nuances of the black community. In Part 2 of this unit, students will use themes from poetry to take a look at their community and learn to identify how poets and even artists share their beliefs and values through their work. Students will answer the essential question: How can poetry highlight a community’s strengths, challenges and ambitions? Part 3 of this unit gives students an opportunity to think critically about how words can be empowering and they will examine the essential question: How can one’s sense of self be developed through poetry/art? Finally, as students conclude the unit considering the intersectionality of voice, culture, community, empowerment and written expression, they will be encouraged to choose one of the essential questions and make a deep connection to its meaning. They will then have the opportunity to write a poem and share it in an open mic format.
Essential Questions
- How does culture influence the voice of a poet?
- How can poetry highlight a community’s strengths, challenges and ambitions?
- How can one’s sense of self be developed through poetry/art?
Lesson Map
In My Father’s Passage, Evans begins by sharing a personal story of her father and how he was the most influential person in her life. She goes on to give a descriptive account of her journey as a writer as she stumbled upon poetry.She later expresses her motivation for writing as a connection to her culture. Evans’ use of imagery to describe who she is and how she writes is evidenced in her description of her father, “An oak of a man…” and “who hear the music and can catch a beat.”
In “My Father’s Passage”, Evans begins by sharing a personal story of her father and how he was the most influential person in her life. She goes on to give a descriptive account of her journey as a writer as she stumbled upon poetry. She later expresses her motivation for writing as a connection to her culture. Evans’ use of imagery to describe who she is and how she writes is evidenced in her description of her father, “An oak of a man…” and “who hear the music and can catch a beat.”
In “Mari Evans, Poet and Activist,” author Kisha Tandy shares details about where Evans was born, her education and her most important work. She also informs the reader that Evans was a TV producer and was on staff at multiple universities. Finally, as the author concludes with Evans’ work as an activist and the many awards she received, she shares that Evans struggled to gain the financial success she would desire because she was a Black writer.
In “Status Symbol, I am a Black Woman”, Evans takes the reader through the journey of the African American who was enslaved upon arrival of Affirmative Action. While a status symbol typically represents an admirable social or professional position, Evans used the common use of a public restroom to signify African Americans’ symbol of success during this time period. Evans uses text structure with short lines and ellipsis to cause the reader to pause and pay attention to each proud moment as she offers a derisive culmination of status as a result of the historic struggles.
In Alarm Clock, Evans uses the comparison of being startled by her alarm clock to a moment when she abruptly realized she was not welcomed at a drug store counter. Using lines like, “and I woke up…quick…like I did this morning,” Evans helps the reader understand how it might have felt to wander aimlessly into a place only to find she was unwelcome during the time of segregation.
The task that students will fulfill through this lesson is…
- In the first few lessons of this unit, students learned about the poet Mari Evans and the social issues that helped to shape her voice as an influential speaker of her time. They identified literary devices and analyzed how their usage can elevate a speaker’s voice. Students will use a mind-map graphic organizer to describe elements of their culture. They will then choose a figurative comparison to use as an extended metaphor in a poem about their culture.
In “Speak the Truth to the People”, Evans provides a road map to a liberated mind by suggesting African Americans change the focus from protesting against the oppressive system to the edification of self. Evans’ use of literary devices such as repetition, capitalization and bold text, highlights what she values most and believes to be the tools for advancement.
In “Speak the Truth to the People”, Evans provides a road map to a liberated mind by suggesting African Americans change the focus from protesting against the oppressive system to the edification of self. Evans’ use of literary devices such as repetition, capitalization and bold text highlights what she values most and believes to be the tools for advancement.
In “Let Us Be That Something”, Evans explains that the next generation not only needs to be able to look to their elders as role models, but also as mentors who can provide direction. She notes that while the youth are often introduced to religion for guidance, it is not enough. Evans illustrates this imperative through the use of metaphors, hyperbole and personification. One example of this is when she states, “they need a map and a guide to the interior.”
The task that students will fulfill through this lesson is…
- Throughout this part of the unit, students have read poetry that highlighted some of the strengths, challenges and ambitions of Mari Evans’ community. Through Evans poetry, students were encouraged to seek a clear perspective of the issues in their community and to commit to be a positive contributor to society. Students will work in groups analyzing narrative art that all highlight strengths, challenges and ambitions within the Indianapolis community. They will then work together to write a poem that expresses their perception of the work as revealed through their discussion.
In “Let Me Tell You How To Meet The Day”, Evans guides the reader through an uplifting, self-analyzing approach to life. She offers each day as a “life to be explored” and “a Self to be identified/clarified/outlined, free form.” Her prescription to living life is to be unrestricted to allow room for growth. It is positive and hopeful.
In “Who Can Be Born Black”, Evans explains her self-awareness results in Black Pride. This pride is something she must share with others. The poem illustrates the power of Black people once they come together to share in this confidence when she says, “to explode/in the majesty of our oneness.”
In the poem “Hair,” Elizabeth Acevedo expresses her pride in her culture using hair as an extended metaphor. She uses the symbolism of hair texture to define the cultural juxtaposition of heritage and assimilation in lines like, “And by “fix,” she means straighten. She means whiten.” Throughout the poem Acevedo highlights the conflicting views of the evidence of being Afro-Latina in lines like “You call them wild curls. I call them breathing.” The poem concludes affirming her curly hair, in fact, is a “reclamation” of pride in being both Dominican and African American and it is a pride she will pass on to her lineage.
The task that students will fulfill through this lesson is…
- Students have had an opportunity to experience poetry where the speakers have used words of empowerment to express pride in themselves and their culture, despite not always being affirmed externally. For today’s task, students will create an artistic image examining themselves through their own lens as well as the lens of others. Additionally, they will use the poetry of this unit and their affirmations to create work that expresses empowerment, writing a synopsis titled “Empowerment: The Real Me.”
The task that students will fulfill through this lesson is…
- The unit project is a poem the students will create that is rooted in one of our essential questions. To ensure students have an opportunity to make a deep connection with our unit focus, their writing will be developed in stages, beginning with a reflection. For today’s task, students will choose an essential question focus and write a reflection based on that topic. They will summarize their thoughts and reveal the central idea that was developed within their writing.
The task that students will fulfill through this lesson is…
- As students begin to write their own poetry, they will first research Alyssa Gaines, the current National Youth Poet Laureate. Gaines is an 18-year-old Harvard student from the east side of Indianapolis. Students will learn of the role of the Youth Poet Laureate and how this appointment helps to elevate poetry as a vehicle for change. For today’s task, students will complete research on the current National Youth Poet Laureate, Alyssa Gaines, and provide a group report to the class.