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"Mother to Son"
Pillar: Positive Social Environments
Division II and III
Grade Levels: 6- 9
Core Curriculum Connections: English Language Arts
I. Rationale: Students are given the opportunity to talk freely about life and it's challenges as they write
meaningful metaphors, creating comparisons between life and other things. This lesson could be used as part of a unit on poetry and figurative language. It is designed to teach students the concept of a metaphor within the context of poetry. Metaphors about life are used in this lesson when a mother gives advice to her son. She tells him she has not had an easy life. She compares her life to a staircase. She says it has been difficult to climb the stairs. The stairs have been rough with splinters and no carpet. However, she keeps climbing. By her example, she persuades her son not to give up. Students will demonstrate their understanding of metaphors by creating an original metaphor poem. The value of persistence and the realization that life can be challenging and difficult at times is reinforced when students examine the struggles and obstacles that they face in their own lives. This lesson targets the ELA curriculum outcomes for Grade 6, but this activity could be adapted to include language objectives for grades 7-9.
II. Activity Outcomes:
The students will: recognize that all people face challenges and obstacles throughout their lives. understand that these struggles and difficulties help to shape their identity and influence their perspective on the world. reflect upon obstacles that they have overcome and develop an appreciation for their own unique set of life circumstances. begin to see the value of these trials and tribulations and understand that they can grow and benefit from them.
III. Curriculum Outcomes: English Language Arts
Grade 6
GENERAL OUTCOME 1
Students will listen, speak, read, write, view and represent to explore thoughts, ideas, feelings and experiences 1.1 Discover and Explore Express ideas and develop understanding read, write, represent and talk to explore and explain connections between prior knowledge and new information in oral, print and other media texts engage in exploratory communication to share personal responses and develop own interpretations 1.2 Clarify and Extend
Consider others’ ideas select from others’ ideas and observations to expand personal understanding Combine ideas use talk, notes, personal writing and representing, together with texts and the ideas of others, to clarify and shape understanding GENERAL OUTCOME 2 Students will listen, speak, read, write, view and represent to comprehend and respond personally and critically to oral, print and other media texts. 2.1 Use Strategies and Cues Use prior knowledge combine personal experiences and the knowledge and skills gained through previous experiences with oral, print and other media texts to understand new ideas and information 2.2 Respond to Texts Experience various texts explain own point of view about oral, print and other media texts make connections between own life and characters and ideas in oral, print and other media texts discuss common topics or themes in a variety of oral, print and other media texts Construct meaning from texts observe and discuss aspects of human nature revealed in oral, print and other media texts, and relate them to those encountered in the community identify or infer reasons for a character’s actions or feelings Appreciate the artistry of texts explain how metaphor, personification and synecdoche are used to create mood and mental images 2.3 Understand Forms, Elements and Techniques Experiment with language alter words, forms and sentence patterns to create new versions of texts for a variety of purposes; explain how imagery and figurative language, such as personification and alliteration, clarify and enhance meaning 2.4 Create Original Text Generate ideas choose life themes encountered in reading, listening and viewing activities and in own experiences for creating oral, print and other media texts Elaborate on the expression of ideas use literary devices, such as imagery and figurative language, to create particular effects GENERAL OUTCOME 4 Students will listen, speak, read, write, view and represent to enhance the clarity and artistry of communication 4.1 Enhance and Improve Appraise own and others’ work Expand knowledge of language choose words that capture a particular aspect of meaning and that are appropriate for context, audience and purpose GENERAL OUTCOME 5 Students will listen, speak, read, write, view and represent to respect, support and collaborate with others. 5.1 Respect Others and Strengthen Community Appreciate diversity compare personal challenges and situations encountered in daily life with those experienced by people or characters in other times, places and cultures as portrayed in oral, print and other media texts share and discuss ideas and experiences that contribute to different responses to oral, print and other media texts
to her son? What feelings are conveyed in the contrast between the crystal stair and the set of other images that, as the mother tells us, really characterize life? As you discuss the poem, record any additional items on the board for your definition of voice in poetry.
How does Hughes create a voice for this character, the "Mother" of the title? In terms of words or phrases, how does the poem reflect the speech of this character? Do you think the mother in the title is necessarily Hughes's mother, or someone else's mother, or perhaps even more than one mother?
As a class, discuss how the difficulties and struggles we face in life can help to shape who we are and how we look at the world. Does anyone have an example of how their perspective was shaped by their struggles? Now return to the poem. Do the mother's words suggest that her perspective on trouble and struggle may differ from her son's? What lines suggest that her own perspective has been directly altered by struggle?
Ask students to respond to the following prompt in their journals: What obstacles have you overcome in life? What struggles have you faced? As they write about these obstacles, have them also give some thought to what they have learned from their struggles.
