Rutherford County Schools – Grade 8 ELA Individual Learning Module

Grade Course8 ELA

Unit FocusStudents will analyze the structure of two poems with a common theme. Students will write an essay that compares and contrasts how the structure and style of each poem contribute to the theme and meaning.

Standard(s)8.RL.KID.28.RL.CS.5

8.W.2

Resource(s)Texts:

"I Wondered Lonely as A Cloud” (also called “Daffodil”) by William Wordsworth “World Below the Brine” by Walt Whitman

Task(s)Resources for analyzing artworkhttps://philamuseum.org/doc_downloads/education/lessonPlans/Do%20we%20control%20Nature%20or%20does%20Nature%20control%20us.pdf

Resources for “I Wondered Lonely as A Cloud”/ “Daffodils”https://jlwalls.weebly.com/uploads/7/5/8/1/7581624/i_wandered_lonely_as_a_cloud.pdfhttps://www.commonlit.org/en/texts/i-wandered-lonely-as-a-cloud

Resources for “World Below the Brine”https://www.commonlit.org/en/texts/world-below-the-brine

“What is Anthropocene and why does it matter?”https://www.tweentribune.com/article/teen/what-anthropocene-and-why-does-it-matter/

Expected OutcomesWrite an expository essay that compares and contrasts how the style and structure of each poem contributes to the theme.

Additional Instructional Resourceshttps://learnzillion.com/resources/75741-daffodils/

https://prezi.com/gdjik-_af7o3/walt-whitman/

https://study.com/academy/lesson/how-structure-affects-the-style-of-a-text.html

I-ReadyAll Rutherford County 6-8 grade students now have access to I-Ready ELA lessons. These lessons can be accessed via Clever. All available lessons have been assigned.

PBS Lessonshttps://www.tn.gov/education/pbsteaching.html

Rutherford County Schools – Grade 8 ELA Individual Learning Module

Day 1

Do we control nature or does nature control us?

Think of stories that you have read that center on a conflict between man and nature. This is a common theme in literature.

1. Do you feel like this is an important theme for life today? Why or why not?

Examine the painting below and answer the questions that follow:

A Huntsman and Dogs

Winslow Homer, American, 1836 - 1910

2. Is this young man triumphant? In what way? Triumphant over what?

3. Is there evidence of exploitation of nature here?

4. Do we control nature, or does nature control us? (Note the significance of such details as the tree stumps, the boy’s facial expression and posture, and even the way he holds his gun.)

Now examine this painting by Winslow Homer, also of a hunter: Winter Coast.

Rutherford County Schools – Grade 8 ELA Individual Learning Module

5. How do the two Homer paintings compare?

6. Is the man in Winter Coast triumphant? Does he control his environment or is he at the mercy of it? (Note such details as the relative size of the man in the setting and the ominous clouds.)

7. CONSIDER: If Winslow Homer were alive today, how might he paint the scene of a lone hunter? How would it be similar and how would it be different from these two examples?

Rutherford County Schools – Grade 8 ELA Individual Learning Module

Day 2

I wandered lonely as a cloudThat floats on high o'er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd,A host, of golden daffodils;

Beside the lake, beneath the trees,Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shineAnd twinkle on the milky way,

They stretched in never-ending lineAlong the margin of a bay:

Ten thousand saw I at a glance,Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but theyOut-did the sparkling waves in glee:

A poet could not but be gay,In such a jocund company:

I gazed—and gazed—but little thoughtWhat wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lieIn vacant or in pensive mood,

They flash upon that inward eyeWhich is the bliss of solitude;

And then my heart with pleasure fills,And dances with the daffodils.

1. Identify the simile(s), metaphor(s) and personification(s).

2. using a dictionary define what each one of the BOLD words mean in the poem. a) That floats on high o'er vales and hills b) Along the margin of the bayc) Tossing their heads in sprightly danced) In such a jocund companye) What wealth the show to me had broughtf) For oftg) In vacant or in pensive moodh) Which is the bliss of solitude

Rutherford County Schools – Grade 8 ELA Individual Learning Module

3. Use the analysis of the poem page 2 to help you with the next two sections) By using contextual clues (re-reading each line and trying to figure out what the words mean in the poem) explain what each one of the following lines mean. Concentrate on the underlined words for accuracy of analysis.

I. I wandered lonely as a cloud That floats on high o'er vales and hills,

II. When all at once I saw a crowd, A host of golden daffodils;

III. Continuous as the stars that shine And twinkle on the Milkyway,

IV. They stretched in never-ending line Along the margin of the bay:

V. The waves beside them danced; but they Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:

VI. I gazed - and gazed - but little thought What wealth the show to me had brought:

VII. For oft, when on my couch I lie In vacant or in pensive mood,

VIII. They flash upon that inward eye Which is the bliss of solitude;

IX. And then my heart with pleasure fills, And dances with the daffodils.

4. Translate I Wandered Lonely As a Cloud. As you rewrite the poem, you do not have to translate each word, but concentrate on creating a well-thought translation that expresses, in prose (regular, non-poem form) form, what the poet tried to tell his readers. Use all of the information that you have learned from questions above.

Discuss the scene or setting of the poem. This is background information that helps the reader make connections with the poet's mind. List the specific details about the setting mentioned in stanza's 1 and 2. (Example: clouds floating over vales and hills.) Stanza 3 explains how the poet felt, what he did, and how the scene affected him. How did poet feel? What did poet do? How did the scene affect him? Stanza 4 delves into the reason the poet is writing about daffodils and lakes, vales and hills. Analyze the connection the author is trying to make with you, the reader. Especially look at the verbs he uses to create this feeling. Where does he lie? What flashes upon his eye? What does he do, then, in his inward eye?

Rutherford County Schools – Grade 8 ELA Individual Learning Module

Day 3

The world below the brine,Forests at the bottom of the sea, the branches and leaves,

Sea-lettuce, vast lichens, strange flowers and seeds, the thick tangle, openings, and pink turf,Different colors, pale gray and green, purple, white, and gold, the play of light through the water,

Dumb swimmers there among the rocks, coral, gluten, grass, rushes, and the aliment of the swimmers,Sluggish existences grazing there suspended, or slowly crawling close to the bottom,The sperm-whale at the surface blowing air and spray, or disporting with his flukes,

The leaden-eyed shark, the walrus, the turtle, the hairy sea-leopard, and the sting-ray,Passions there, wars, pursuits, tribes, sight in those ocean-depths, breathing that thick-breathing air, as so many do,

The change thence to the sight here, and to the subtle air breathed by beings like us who walk this sphere,The change onward from ours to that of beings who walk other spheres.

Text-Dependent Questions Directions: For the following questions, choose the best answer or respond in complete sentences.

1. PART A: Which of the following identifies the theme of the poem?

A. The diversity of the natural world is magnificent. B. It is hard to imagine what other worlds would look like. C. The creatures of the sea are combative. D. The world under the sea is nothing compared to the world on land.

2. PART B: Which detail from the poem best supports the answer to Part A?

A. “The world below the brine” (Line 1) B. “Sea-lettuce, vast lichens, strange flowers and seeds” (Line 3) C. “Dumb swimmers there among the rocks” (Line 7) D. “The sperm-whale at the surface, blowing air and spray” (Line 11)

3. PART A: Which of the following best describes how the author views the sea animals?

A. fearfully B. with a sense of wonder C. with indifference D. with jealousy

Rutherford County Schools – Grade 8 ELA Individual Learning Module

4. PART B: Which quote from the text best supports the answer to Part A?

A. “Dumb swimmers there among the rocks — coral, gluten, grass, rushes — / and the aliment of the swimmers” (Lines 7-8) B. “Sluggish existences grazing there, suspended, or slowly crawling / close to the bottom” (Lines 9-10) C. “Passions there — wars, pursuits, tribes — sight in those ocean-depths — / breathing that thick-breathing air, as so many do” (Lines 15-16) D. “The change thence to the sight here, and to the subtle air breathed by beings / like us, who walk this sphere” (Lines 17-18)

5. How does the structure of the poem contribute to the development of its meaning?

6. How does nature affect you? What parts of nature do you find the most impressive or beautiful? What about the world under the sea holds the attention of the speaker?

7. In the context of the poem, who is in control: man or nature? How does the speaker view the connection between the world underwater and the world on land? What is the speaker’s perspective on other worlds?

8. Choose one of the poems that you read and draw a scene that represents what the author intended to portray. (Consider the artwork that you analyzed on Monday. Think of how man and nature were portrayed. How do the poets portray man and nature in these poems? How can you show that in your own artwork?)

Rutherford County Schools – Grade 8 ELA Individual Learning Module

Day 4

What is the Anthropocene and why does it matter?By Smithsonian Digital Studio Smithsonian.com

June 01, 2016Earth has been around for about 4.6 billion years. The planet has been through all kinds of changes during that time, from white-hot oceans of magma to a frozen coating of glaciers to diverse ecosystems filled with life. Geologists can read the planet's history by looking at distinct signatures in its rock layers. The scientists mark each chapter with a meaningful title: Cambrian, Jurassic, Holocene, Pleistocene, just to name a few.

Today, scientists argue that we have started a new chapter in the story of Earth. It is the Anthropocene. And for the first time in the planet's history, one species is its primary author. The animation below explains what scientists mean when they talk about the Anthropocene and why our actions in this "age of humans" matter for everyone's future. You may not know precisely what the eras of the Earth are. Just what is the Anthropocene? It is viewed as the period during which human activity has been the dominant influence on climate and the environment. As for the other eras, the Cambrian was the first geological period of the Paleozoic Era. It occurred 541 to 485.4 million years ago and is noted for its profound change in life on Earth with the introduction of more diverse life forms. 

The Jurassic period occurred 201.3 to 145.5 million years ago. The Jurassic era makes up the middle period of the Mesozoic Era and often is known as the Age of Reptiles. The Pleistocene era lasted about 2,588,000 to 11,700 years ago. The end of this era corresponds to the end of the last glacial period.

The Holocene era began after the Pleistocene era. That was around 11,700 years before A.D. 2000 and continues to the present. It is part of the Quaternary period. It includes the growth and impact of humans across the globe.

1. How do geologists pick the names for the Earth’s history?

2. Why is the Anthropocene referred to as the Age of Humans?A. It’s when humans were first introduced on Earth.B. It’s when the first human remains were found on EarthC. Because humans will be the primary authors of this era.D. Because humans will be the first species to live in more than one era.

3. Do we control nature or does nature control us? Defend your answer.

Rutherford County Schools – Grade 8 ELA Individual Learning Module

Day 5

Write an expository essay that compares and contrasts how the style and structure of the two poems that you read this week contributes to the theme.

** Start asking questions: What is the main difference that you see? Is it the authors tone, point of view, the way he speaks, structure, use of figurative language, etc?

What are some similarities that you see?

Writing the Introductory Paragraph

Now that you have analyzed some poetic techniques, put it all together in your introductory paragraph. Here is a template to use when you are comparing/contrasting two poems:

Poets often write about things that are of great interest to them; for poet William Wordsworth, the daffodils held particular interest and gave him great joy, whereas Walt Whitman chose to write about the sea. (good lead-in with only

the essential context necessary to inform thesis) Both poems reflect on the subject of _________________ (what the poems have in common). Despite these similarities, their (point of view, tone, structure, use of figurative language, etc.)____________________are quite different. Whereas in the first poem, Wordsworth (projects, uses, develops,

creates)________________________in order to_______________________ in the second poem Whitman (projects, uses, develops, creates)______________________to ______________________________.

Organizing your essay

1. Introduction

2. All Comparisons (Poems 1 and 2). This section may consist of one or multiple paragraphs, and should go through all similarities you find in the two topics on which you are writing

3. All Contrasts (Poems 1 and 2). This section, again which may consist of one or multiple paragraphs, and should go through all differences you find in the two poems on which you are writing.

4. Conclusion. Wrap up your analysis. Restate the thesis in a new way. Answer the question: so what?