Think-alouds are a great tool to help students unpeel the meaning of a poem. The first step in the process is for teachers to model by reading and unpacking a poem aloud.
The second step? Have students emulate the process – only not alone.
Instead, have students think aloud in groups. We think of group work as a classroom staple, but it also can be done through technology, where groups can be formed online using features on the many Learning Management System platforms (LMSs) available to educators.
Be sure the first poems students do on their own are easier so they can enjoy early success. Then gradually work your way up to more difficult fare. Done in groups, these think-alouds are an enjoyable process for students. Just don’t tell them they’re analyzing poetry and having fun.
But first, your model think-aloud. Before reading a poem (twice) and then “thinking out loud,” ask students to notice your thinking process so you can write some of their observations down on the board or on large easel paper. This will be reinforced after you read both poem and do your think-aloud, when you’ll take the opportunity to remind everyone by saying, “What did you notice me doing? How did it help you to better understand the poem?”
As a model for your demonstration, I’ve selected an Emily Dickinson poem and a script for you to read. If you wish to customize the think-aloud to stress skills you’ve focused on in your class, that’s fine!
“Hope” is the thing with feathers
Emily Dickinson
“Hope” is the thing with feathers—
That perches in the soul—
And sings the tune without the words—
And never stops—at all—
And sweetest—in the Gale—is heard—
And sore must be the storm—
That could abash the little Bird
That kept so many warm—
I’ve heard it in the chillest land—
And on the strangest Sea—
Yet, never, in Extremity,
It asked a crumb—of Me.
TEACHER READ-ALOUD SCRIPT
Note: Remember, every good think-aloud starts with the facts — what you observe. Inferences ride caboose on the train of observation, I like to say. Show them by observing, then questioning, then moving toward inferences.
Teacher: “I notice that the author places the word ‘Hope’ in quotation marks. Then she says it has feathers, like a bird, making a metaphor right away. How is hope like a metaphor? Next she uses two action verbs — ‘perches’ and ‘sings’ to extend the metaphor. So, hope perches in the soul, an abstract part of all of us, and sings without ever stopping. Emily Dickinson separates a lot of her words with dashes. I wonder why? When I read it, I paused at the dashes. Could it be a way of emphasizing? In past readings, what other methods have we noticed writers use to emphasize words?
“The second stanza gives us the third and fourth lines in a row starting with the word ‘And.’ This keeps the poem moving quickly. I notice ‘Gale’ is capitalized. I’m not 100% sure what ‘Gale’ means, but it’s followed with ‘the storm’ so the context connects the two as similar in meeting. After looking the word up online, I saw that Merriam-Webster’s dictionary site defines it as “a strong current of air; a wind from 32 to 63 miles per hour (about 51 to 102 kilometers per hour),” so my inference seems about right.
“It’s interesting, then, how Dickinson places the bird’s sweetest song in the context of the worst part of a storm. I wouldn’t expect that contrast. Perhaps she is making a statement about the nature of ‘hope’? I notice she capitalizes ‘Bird’ in the second stanza just as she capitalized ‘Hope’ in the first. Those are the two things being compared in the extended metaphor.
“In the last stanza, she talks about where she has heard this bird of hope, ‘in the chillest land –/and on the strangest Sea.’ Again, two opposites: land and sea. Hope is always placed in the context of extremes here. I know the most important part of a poem often comes near or at the end. Here Dickinson uses capitalization again when she says that ‘never — in Extremity’ does the bird ask for a ‘crumb — of Me.’ Capital letters highlight the thought of extremes in life and of her, the poet, though the voice of this first-person speaker, who does not have to feed this particular bird, it seems, even though it sings for her in the most extreme of situations.
“What did you notice me doing here? How did it help you to better understand the poem?”
(Pause for classroom discussion and write down some observations for them to emulate when they tackle their own poem as a group. Once everyone has had their say, continue…)
“Now, could you generate a few questions of your own about Dickinson’s poem? What questions remain? What’s still a little confusing in your mind? What answers do you still need before you are confident in stating the author’s purpose in a thesis statement?”
(Done alone or in groups, this will take time. It can also be given as homework before you reconvene the class the next day for a seminar-like exchange on their questions and answers. Below are some tips on the question phase of the lesson.)
Next day (or, if you continue on the same day), set a timer (I use www.online-stopwatch.com) and ask students to write down as many questions about Dickinson’s poem as they can think of (alone or collaboratively). The timer always adds some urgency to your request! You want them to generate as many questions as possible about the poem and about possible connections between hope and adversity. Be sure they understand (via review or teaching) the difference between open-ended questions and closed ones. Assure them that all questions are good ones and not to worry about the quality of their material in the questioning phase. If they don’t come up with these, add the following: “Why did Emily Dickinson write this poem?” “What was her purpose?”
Once they have all of these questions, students are ready to discuss possible answers on a higher plane — in a seminar-like discussion designed to help them reach conclusions on their own.
No matter what discussion format you choose — small groups as stated here, pairs, fish bowl, Socratic Seminars, online discussion threads, etc. — have students use words like “Could you clarify what you mean by…,” “Could you elaborate on…,” “I’d like to add to that point…,” “I understand that thinking, but I’d still challenge the idea that… because…,” “So what I hear you saying is…,” “Where in the poem does it say that?” and, toward the end of discussion, “Let’s sum up here. Can we all agree that…?”
Once this lesson is complete and groups have each collaborated on thesis statements on a possible literary analysis (have them write on the board and then judge which is the best and why), provide students with a list of poems you have prepared in advance. The purpose? Students in groups (or alone, if you feel they are ready) shall use your model and create a think-aloud for their own poems. As previously stated, this can be written out like the Teacher Script above, then read aloud in front of the class. Having a script gives students confidence, especially if it is a collaborative effort and a volunteer from the group does the reading, saying “We thought…,” etc.
I find that ending this method with thesis statements, then judging them, helps sharpen their skills as a preparation for an eventual paper analyzing poems. Moving from groups to solo work will be like removing the training wheels. In a poetry unit, I’ve sometimes done this practice method five or more times before moving to deeper instruction on essay writing as a whole. Initial literary analysis papers are on the short side. Again, small steps build confidence!
What poems do you assign? Any list you create will probably include poems in your curriculum already, but you can add to this list by searching your favorite poets online or allowing some degree of student choice, especially if you want each group or student to have their own poem.
Some of my favorite poets to use with students include Billy Collins, Naomi Shihab Nye, Robert Frost, Dorianne Laux, Joyce Sutphen, Elizabeth Bishop, May Swenson, Ted Kooser, Jane Kenyon, Donald Hall, Gary Snyder, Lucille Clifton, Joy Harjo, Jane Hirshfield, Walt Whitman, E. E. Cummings, and William Carlos Williams. The website poets.org has a section called “Poems for Teens” divided by theme, so you can find these and other poets there.