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Prairie Poetry
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Grade 9 Language Arts/Fine Arts Activity
Lesson Introduction
A sense of place can be powerfully evoked by literature, by stories and by poetry. Carl Sandburg was an American poet whose work often evokes the character of the Midwest. Born in 1878 in Galesburg, Illinois, Sandburg worked as a laborer and put himself through college before moving to Chicago in 1913. His well-known poem "Chicago," which appeared in the magazine Poetry in 1914. Carl Sandburg used the unrhymed free verse to express the dynamism of industrial Chicago as well as the pastoral beauty of the prairies.
While reading Carl Sandburg's poem "Prairie," have students take note of the ways in which word choice, rhythm, language and narrative voice, as well as point of view in a poem can be used to evoke a time and place. After reading and studying Sandburg's poem, have students use their insights to create a poem of their own. In their poem, have students use narrative voice and point of view to evoke the prairie or an outdoor environment they have experienced.
| Illinois State Goal |
Standard |
Learning Benchmarks |
| 2 |
A |
4c. Describe relationship between the author's style, literary form and intended effect on the reader.
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| 2 |
A |
4d. Describe the influence of the author's language structure and word choice to convey the author's viewpoint.
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| 3 |
B |
4a. Produce documents that exhibit a range of writing techniques appropriate to purpose and audience, with clarity of focus, logic of organization, appropriate elaboration and support and overall coherence.
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Lesson Objectives
Students will:
- analyze poetry by Carl Sandburg, evaluating his use of language and style to create a literary document of the prairie.
- students will create their own poem evoking the prarie, choosing a specific narrator and point of view.
Time Allotment
1 class period of 45-60 minutes
Materials
PROCEDURE
Tap Prior Knowledge
1. Ask students if they have ever read any story or seen a film that strongly evoked a certain place, even an imaginary place and made them feel as though they were standing there, living there, experiencing the same thing as the characters in the story or film. How did the film or story accomplish this? Was place evoked through descriptions of landscape, the way the characters spoke, the background sounds or music? Have students give specific examples and discuss them.
Share with Neighbor
2. Divide students into groups of four or five students. Have them describe a place they know very well for the other students. Have them include sounds, smells, details of landscape or people, what the people talk about, what their concerns are, have them create a sense of place in their description, but have them just describe it to each other, not write it down. Ask them afterwards to describe what was easy about describing their place and what was difficult. If they were to return to their place to gather more descriptive information what would they look for? What information would they want to gather if any?
Hands-on Activity
3. In this activity, students will write their own descriptive poem. If the class has been able to visit the prairie, have students write about the prairie, if not, have them describe a place they know well, if possible a natural, not an urban place. If resources allow, take students to a park, nature reserve or lakefront and use their observation skills to identify and record the sounds that would distinguish it from any other place. What makes it unique, what makes it worth recording?
4. Have them use their recorded observations, as well as memory, imagination and vocabulary to create a sense of place in their poem. Have students use unrhymed, free verse to evoke the place and its inhabitants. Have students share their poems with the class. If possible, have the students create a book of "Place Poems" either with a deskto publishing program or by photocopying the handwritten poems. Students may choose to illustrate their book of poems, share them with students and parents, publish them on the Internet or place a copy in the school library.
Relate Activity and Concept
4. Carl Sandburg built his poems around his personal experience of the world. He worked as a day laborer, served in the military during the Spanish-American War and worked as a journalist. Ask students to describe how their personal experiences of place influenced the poems they wrote. Ask students to discuss their reactions to the poetry assignment. Did it heighten their awareness of the world around them? In what way?
Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of the lesson, the students will be able to:
- discuss aspects of Carl Sandburg's poem, "Prairie."
- write their own poetry based on personal observation.
Internet Connections
Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site
The Academy of American Poets - Poetry Exhibits - Carl Sandburg
Carl Sandburg State Historic Site
Sandburg Bibliography Page
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