I won't disturb the slumber of feelings that have died. Don't talk of love, But I've heard the words before It's sleeping in my memory. I have no need of friendship friendship causes pain. I've built walls, A fortress deep and mighty, That none may penetrate. I Am A Rock By Paul Simon (Performed by Simon & Garfunkel) A winter's day In a deep and dark December I am alone, Gazing from my window to the streets below On a freshly fallen silent shroud of snow. Can you try to create a narrative that reveals your state of mind? Student work Writing mini-lessons might focus on rhythm, rhyme, pattern, or use of figurative language
He alludes to it (“friendship causes pain”). He does not, however, clearly tell you what happens. Then he begins to go back in time and show you why he feels that way. He uses the winter (maybe as a metaphor) for the state of mind he is in. Look at how Paul Simon creates the narrative. Are you empowered? Depressed? Smart? Overwhelmed? Student Work with Teacher Help Mini-Lesson: Creating narrative If you do not find an item you like, brainstorm. Find an item that speaks to you and would make a good chorus. How do you feel? Now, skim through your writing and do some goldmining. How does “I Am A Rock” portray its speaker’s state of mind and point of view? Mini-Lesson: Creating chorus Let’s go back to our Do Now responses. Use the following questions to move towards the Aim: What is the state of mind of the speaker? How do you know? What images or metaphors does the speaker use? What do these images evoke or reveal? Does the song tell a story? How does it tell that story? What happens in each Discussion: What did you notice about the song? Discuss annotations. This time we will annotate another person’s poem.
Show model of “The Road Less Taken” Collaborative Annotation Practice: Play “I Am A Rock” and ask students to annotate. Though we are listening to a song, a song is essentially poetry set to music. The idea is to have a written conversation with the poem. When we read poetry, it’s a good idea to mark a few things: patterns or interesting vocabulary questions visual or sensory imagery. Why do these objects connect to you? What do they reveal about your state of mind right now? Mini-Lesson: Annotation/Explication Annotation is the process of marking up a text. “I Am A Rock” - Self Metaphor Lesson SWBAT: understand Simon and Garfunkel’s use of metaphor to evoke self understand narrative of song create a metaphor for self use pattern of song to create a self metaphor song/poem Aim: How does “I Am A Rock” portray its speaker’s state of mind and point of view? Do Now: Create a list of objects that represent you right now.