A Wreath For Emmett Till by Marilyn Nelson & Philippe Lardy, ill. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2005.

Nelson writes fifteen sonnets in Petrarchan rhyme scheme to honor the 50th anniversary of the death of Emmett Till, a fourteen-year-old African

American boy lynched in Mississippi.

    - ISBN 978-0618397525 (hardcover)

    - Media: Tempera on cardboard

    - Rating: 4Q/4P

    - Curricular Connections: Grades 7-10, Poetry, Language Arts, History/Social Studies, Black History Month

 

DPower 8/1/09

 

A Wreath for Emmett Till by Marilyn Nelson and Philippe Lardy, ill.  Boston:  Houghton Mifflin Company, 2005.  ISBN 978-0618-39752-5

          A collection of sonnets written as a “heroic crown” in honor of the slain boy Emmett Till whose horrific murder sparked the Civil Rights movement.  Nelson uses trees, plants and flowers as symbols throughout her hauntingly beautiful sonnets.

 

 

          Media:  Tempura

          Q5/P4

          6-12^th

 

 

          Literary Devices:  There is a sense of Repetition in the illustrations.  Several pages include repetition of images with slight changes, such as a grouping of containers that are reminiscent of coffins. 

Curricular Connection:  Level 6-12^th; Language Arts, History, Civics.

 

 

LESSON PLAN V:

 

 

LEVEL AND RESOURCES

7-10^th Grade

Two hours/periods

A Wreath for Emmett Till by Marilyn Nelson (copies of several sonnets from the book).

 

 

OBJECTIVES

Ø      Students will gain knowledge of the Civil Rights Movement

Ø      Students will be able to describe the characteristics of a sonnet

Ø      Students will gain experience in public speaking

Ø      Students will be able to write a rudimentary sonnet

 

BACKGROUND

Provide Students with a background of the Civil Rights Movement and prepare them for reading the sometimes graphic and disturbing poetry in A Wreath for Emmett Till.

 

ASSIGNMENT BEFORE READING:

The night before give each student one of the following terms to research and prepare to discuss:  Civil Rights movement, Lynching, Emmett Till.

 

 

IN CLASS

Hand out copies of sonnets and have students read silently in class.  When finished, Instructor reads aloud.

 

DISCUSSION

What is the overall message of the poem?  Is there any hope or only despair?

How does this poem affect you?  How does it make you feel?

What is the symbolism behind the flowers and plants in the illustrations and the poetry?

What is the most important thing you have learned from reading this poem?

 

 

HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT

Create a sonnet about a topic important to you.  Try to include some significant issue the world or people face today.

D. Balestreri added to PB 7/25/09

 

 

A wreath for Emmett Till by Marilyn Nelson and Philippe Lardy, ill. New York: Graphia Books, 2009.

ISBN: 978-0-61839-752-5

Annotation: A unique meditation on the brutal murder of Emmett Till, and the broader issues of racism in this country, told in the form of sonnets.

Age Range: 8-10 grades

Media used by illustrator: tempera on cardboard

Personal Rating: 5Q/4P

Curricular Connections: would work well in a middle school history class focusing on civil right issues.

 

Literary Device: Rhyme - The book is written in rhyming sonnets.

 

ateater/07-21-09

 

Nelson, M. (2005). A Wreath for Emmett Till, Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. (TOP TEN)

ISBN: 978-0547076362

The juxtaposition of an elegant crown of sonnets and a horrific historical event make this beautifully illustrated book haunting and wonderfully unique.

Media: Tempera on Cardboard

Subjects: Racism, Lynching, Injustice, Dreams, Anger, Loss, Hope

Ages: Grades 9-12

Curricular Connections: History, Social Science, Black History Month, U.S. Justice System (Trials),  Language Arts (Poetry): Lynching, Hate Crimes, Sonnets (Crown of Sonnets).

Rating 5Q/5P

Literary Device: Allusion (I'd let you live through a happy boyhood/let your gifts bloom into a livelihood/on a planet that didn't bear Cain's curse).

 

Lesson Plan:

 

Grade: 8

Subject(s): History/Language Arts/Creative Writing

Length of Lesson: 2 Weeks

1. Topic-

Emmett Till, Sonnets

2. Content-

Emmett Till, Social Justice, Hate Crimes, Sonnets, Crown Sonnets

3. Goals: Aims/Outcomes-

a. Demonstrate an understanding of events surrounding Emmett Till's death.

b. Be able to relate these concepts to broader issues such as hate crimes, racism and social justice.

c. Demonstrate an understanding of the structure of sonnets and crown sonnets.

d. Critically analyze the use of sonnet structure to express commentary on a historical event.

3a. ELA Content Standards for Grade 8:

 Determine and articulate the relationship between the purposes and characteristics of different forms of poetry (e.g., ballad, lyric, couplet, epic, elegy, ode, sonnet).

4. Objectives-

Students will be able to critically analyze the translation of a historical even into poetry. They will be able to analyze the elements of a sonnet as they relate to the content of the sonnet. The students will be asked to write an essay on the line in the introduction of "A Wreath for Emmett Till" discussing the author’s experience with sonnet form.

5. Materials and Aids-

a) "A Wreath for Emmett Till" by Marilyn Nelson

b) The Penguin Book of the Sonnet: 500 Years of a Classic Tradition in English by Phillis Levin

c) Databases such as SIRS Researcher and EBSCO Client (to retrieve full-text periodical articles)

d) Reference works such as Annals of American History or the Encyclopedia of African-American History

e) The Lynching of Emmett Till: A Documentary Narrative (The American South Series)

f) NPR Audio: "Listen: Hear Marilyn Nelson Read her Poem: A Wreath for Emmett Till" (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4818586)

6.  Procedures/Methods-

A. Introduction-

1. Before starting, students should have an understanding of Jim Crow laws, Brown vs. Board of Education and hate crimes.

2. Students should be able to analyze and critique elements of poetry such as meter, rhyme, and repetition.

3.  Students should have an ability to critically analyze literature in an essay.

B. Development-

1. The story of Emmett Till. Read and discuss The Lynching of Emmett Till: A Documentary Narrative (The American South Series). How does this relate to previously studied issues (Jim Crow, etc).

2.  Read and Review The Penguin Book of the Sonnet: 500 Years of a Classic Tradition in English by Phillis Levin .

3. Discuss Petrarch and read example of Petrarchian Sonnet.

C. Practice-

1. Read "A Wreath for Emmett Till."

2. Listen to Marilyn Nelson's reading of the book.

3 .Discuss reactions to "A Wreath for Emmett Till.”

a.  How do you feel the book portrayed the event?

b.  What did Nelson’s book convey that the Documentary Narrative did not?

c.  What did the Documentary Narrative convey that the Nelson book did not?

d.  How was the experience hearing the audio different from reading the book?

e.  Were you surprised to learn that this is a sonnet? Why or why not?

D. Independent Practice-

1. Consider a historical event that impacted you (e.x. 9/11, the war in Iraq, Obama becoming president). The incident can be either positive or negative in your mind, but it must have impacted you strongly. If you cannot think of a historical event, consider a personal event of significance to you. The birth or death of a family member, changing schools, etc.

2. For homework, using "A Wreath for Emmett Till" as an example, write a sonnet based on this event. You do not have to write a crown of sonnets, but you should closely follow the structure of a sonnet as found in your sonnet textbook.

3. In class: discuss the experience of writing the sonnet. How difficult was it to adhere to the form? What is the focus of the sonnet: factual events or emotional reactions to that event? How does the content of the sonnet differ from how you would describe the experience to a friend?

E. Accommodations (Differentiated Instruction)-

1. Allow students to write about a fictional event, if they seem upset or disturbed by writing about their own life.

2. Remind students they do not have to read their sonnets in class, sharing for the personal sonnet portion of the class is optional for this assignment.

3. Be aware that some students might be especially upset by the subject matter. Contact the school counselor and let the students know they are allowed to leave class to speak with the counselor, should they desire.

F. Checking for understanding-

1. Re-read the introduction to "A Wreath for Emmett Till," "How I Came to Write this Poem”. When she says, "the strict form became a kind of insulation," what do you think she means? Use your own experience writing a sonnet to compare or contrast your experience with hers.

G. Closure-

1.  Emmett Till today: How do you think the U.S. landscape has changed since the events of 1955? What kinds of intolerance and hate crimes exist today? Can you think of any literature/art that is a response to injustice? What function/purpose do you think this literature/art serves?

7.  Assessment

1. How clearly did the student grasp the events surrounding Emmett Till's death? This is based on teacher notes from discussion. (20%)

2. How closely did the student adhere to sonnet form in the first assignment? (0-5). (25%)

3.  What level of critical thought is displayed in the essay? How well did the student evaluate Nelson's statement (0-5); how critically did they analyze their own process (0-5) and how developed is the comparing/contrasting section of the paper (0-10)? (50%)

Participation for mandatory discussion sections. (5%)

Content standards retrieved July 15, 2009 from www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss/documents/elacontentstnds.pdf

 

 

km 6/25/09