Lesson+Comparison

The main difference between the two lessons is the amount of scaffolding provided at the two grades and the level of interpretation that is expected. Scaffolding is the temporary tutoring of a novice by an expert until the necessary skill is mastered. More support is offered when a task is new; less as student mastery increases to an independent level. (Blue Book, pg. 523) So the level of inquiry for the sixth grade is somewhere between controlled and guided d ue to the fact that students will create a prescribed final product, however, they will have some choice in the poem they select (list provided by teacher), and to some degree, some choice as to which devices they decide to discuss in their presentation. The eighth grade project is more of a modeled inquiry because student will have more choice- in the poem selection (line requirement only) and also in the product.

Because the sixth grade has had less exposure to poetry and its devices, we will spend more time defining and identifying the following elements in individual poems: rhyme and rhythm, imagery, the literary devices of simile, metaphor and personification, and the sound devices of repetition, alliteration, and onomatopoeia. We will also practice paraphrasing stanzas - which will be a skill that they haven't had a lot of practice with. All of this will occur BEFORE the analysis project. Students will then be expected to identify these in a poem of their choice from a list that is provided. As far as interpretation, I will expect students to be able to paraphrase the poem and identify the tone and theme of the poem. Students will be provided with worksheets on which to keep track of the various devices.

Since the eighth grade have had more experience with poetry and its devices, there will only be a review of the sound and literary devices. More time will be spent on poetry forms and their structure –rhythm and rhyme scheme. The eighth graders will be expected not only to paraphrase and identify the form and the devices (all the above and more) found in the poem but also to evaluate how these elements added to the meaning of the poem - which is a higher level thinking skill than that required of the sixth graders. In addition, the poems that the eighth graders will use in their explication will be much more complex than those used by the sixth graders.

Finally, the technology involved in the end product for the eighth graders - wiki or video- is more challenging than the technology involved for the sixth graders - PowerPoint or Publisher brochure. All of our sixth graders will have had some previous classroom exposure to both PowerPoint and Publisher, but the eighth graders involved will not have had any previous classroom experience with creating either wikis or videos.

The roles of the librarian and technology director is different at each level as well. At the sixth grade level, the librarian is providing resources, but at the eighth grade level, she will also be helping students identify poems that will meet the criteria of the project assignment. The technology director will have more of a support role at the sixth grade level, whereas at the eighth grade, he will be teaching students how to create and edit the wikis or videos.