ENG521A

Date: November 1st 2016

Topic: Poetry, symbolism, and a 2016 poem.

GCO 5: Interpret, select, and combine information using a variety of strategies, resources, and
technologies.

GCO 6: Respond personally to a range of texts.

SCO 5: examine the impact of literary devices within literature, media, and various forms of
representing (allusion, irony, and symbolism)

You will need to use the Chrome books or computer lab for the Emoji
activity. If allowed students can use their phones.

Objective:

Students will have a better understanding of what symbolism is and how they can use it
in their own writing.

Students will read 1958 by Gwendolyn MacEwen and work with the teacher to analyze
the poem.

As an assignment, students will use symbolism as well as other literary and poetic
devices to create their own 2016 poem.

Introduction:

Review A quick review on what symbols are and symbolism is. This is a set of slides I
created. It discusses different types of symbols and their meanings.

Hook Emoji Symbolist Poetry and Jimmy Kimmel video Beyonces Lemonade
Controversy with Emojis.

Process
Discuss the video
Show the video
Discuss how emojis are used to express more than just their literal meanings
Show them the emoji story you created for Emily Dickinsons Time and Eternity
Part Four, have the students guess which stanza you made your story from, have
them guess why you used certain symbols.
Activities:

Create your own Emoji story: After showing the students an Emoji story for Emily
Dickinsons Time and Eternity Part Four poem, the students will create their own poem
choosing one of the 3 provided. They can use their phones to create the Emoji story, or
they can use the handout provided. Then working in pairs the students will try to guess
each others Emoji poems.

After going over more information on symbolism the poem 1958 by Gwendolyn
MacEwen will be read and analyzed.

Formative Assessments:

Successful completion of Emoji story will show the students understand the use of
symbolism
Analysis of the 1958 poem will show students understand how different literary and
poetic devices work and what they are.
Note this activity became a summative one due to its time consuming nature.

Summative Assessments:
2016 poem

Exit slip:

There was no Exit slip.

Reflection:

First of all, I need to think of how to use exit slips and incorporate them. I ended up ending the
class by reading announcements, which was a waste of time. The Emoji story went well and the
students really seemed to enjoy the activity. The 2016 poem is assigned for homework and it due
on Nov. 10th. Also the emoji assignment was intended to be formative but because it ended up
being more time consuming that I had originally anticipated it was assigned for homework. I
think in the future I will just assign more class time work on the emoji story rather than assigning
it for homework.