An Inter-Disciplinary Mini Unit

Level: High School

Purpose: To analyze poetry and political speeches for similar imagery, connotation, theme, tone, and persuasive value.

Overview: These lessons focus on the two poems used to introduce presidential inaugural addresses in American history and the addresses which were introduced. Through discovery methods, students will be able to apply knowledge of literary terms to poetry and prose.

Lesson One: Students will analyze the poem "On the Pulse of the Morning" by Maya Angelou. They will focus on connotation, theme, tone, and imagery. Specific imagery includes nature and religion. (Language Arts, Social Studies)

Lesson Two: Students will analyze the inaugural address of President Clinton from 1993. They will focus on connotation, theme, tone, and imagery. Specific imagery includes nature and religion.

(Language Arts, Social Studies)

Lesson Three: Students will compare and contrast the poem by Angelou with the address by Clinton. They will focus on elements from lessons one and two, and will extend into evaluating persuasive value, purpose, and effectiveness. (Language Arts, Social Studies)

Lesson Four: Students will analyze another pair of inaugural literary pieces, "The Gift Outright" by Robert Frost which introduced the 1961 inaugural address of President Kennedy. Students will look for common ideas in both works. They will also compare the Frost/Kennedy pairing with the Angelou/Clinton pairing to evaluate for effectiveness within historical context. (Language Arts, Social Studies)

Lesson One

Objective:

Students will analyze the poem "On the Pulse of Morning" by Maya Angelou. They will focus on connotation, theme, tone, and imagery. Specific imagery includes nature and religion.

Materials:

copy of "On the Pulse of Morning" from Educational Structures

Procedure:

1. Have students read the poem "On the Pulse of Morning."

2. Hold a class discussion focusing on the following:

connotation

theme

tone

imagery: nature and religion

multiculturalism

Lesson Two

Objective:

Students will analyze the inaugural address of President Clinton from 1993. They will focus on connotation, theme, tone, and imagery. Specific imagery includes nature and religion.

Materials:

copy of Clinton’s 1993 Inaugural address

Procedure:

1. Have the students read the inaugural address.

2. Hold a class discussion focusing on the following:

connotation

theme

tone

imagery: nature and religion

multiculturalism

Lesson Three

Objective:

Students will compare and contrast the poem by Angelou with the address by Clinton. They will focus on elements from lessons one and two, and will extend into evaluating persuasive value, purpose, and effectiveness.

1. Have the students discuss the works from lessons one and two and evaluate the persuasive value, purpose, and effectiveness of each.

2. Have the students write an essay comparing and contrasting these two works.

Lesson Four

Objective:

Students will analyze another pair of inaugural literary pieces, "The Gift Outright" by Robert Frost which introduced the 1961 inaugural address of President Kennedy. Students will look for common ideas in both works. They will also compare the Frost/Kennedy pairing with the Angelou/Clinton pairing to evaluate for effectiveness within historical context.

Materials:

copies of all works from Educational Structures

work from lessons one, two, and three

Procedure:

1. Have the students read the poem, "The Gift Outright" by Robert Frost and the inaugural address by John F. Kennedy.

2. Have the students participate in a discussion comparing these two works as they did in lessons one and two.

3. Engage the students in a discussion about the pairing from the 1960’s and that from the 1990’s. Try to address the following:

historical context

evaluation of effectiveness

The students should be able to explicate Maya Angelou’s poem.

The students should be able to explicate Clinton’s inaugural speech.

The students should be able to write a comparison paper.

The students should be able to explain the similarities between the works by Frost and Kennedy and those by Angelou and Clinton.