WARM UP:
o Grab the handouts and a marker.
Look up the following words, you’ll need to know them
for today
oMessianic
oLimned
oflagellant
oGo to kahoot.it and get ready for a Then vs. Than
grammar quiz! (The top scorers today gets a small prize
WOO HOO!)
CHRIS ABANI
Imprisoned three times by the Nigerian government, Chris Abani turned
his experience into poems that Harold Pinter called "the most naked,
harrowing expression of prison life and political torture imaginable.“
Chris Abani's first novel, published when he was 16, was Masters of
the Board, a political thriller about a foiled Nigerian coup. The story
was convincing enough that the Nigerian government threw him in jail
for inciting a coincidentally timed real-life coup. Imprisoned and
tortured twice more, he channeled the experience into searing poetry.
WRITER’S NOTEBOOK RESPONSE
Chris Abani says, “But what I've come to learn is that the world is never saved in
grand messianic gestures, but in the simple accumulation of gentle, soft, almost
invisible acts of compassion, everyday acts of compassion.”
Do you agree with this statement? Why or why not? Give an example from your own
life of history to support your stance.
“WAR WIDOW” FIRST READING
*
!
?
Use a star for significant
information, devices, and
strategies you notice.
Use an exclamation point
to indicate what you feel
strongly about.
Use a question mark next
for parts that are
confusing or next to any
information that you’d like
to explore further.
SHARED INQUIRY DISCUSSION
o Share with your partner what you marked in the poem.
oThen share with your whole group.
oThen each table will share one * noticing, ? Question and ! Thing they felt strongly
about.
WAR WIDOW SECOND READING
F
I
Figurative language. Look
Imagery. What are the
for similes, metaphors,
main images of the poem?
personification, etc…
What can you infer based
on these images?
D
Diction. What do you
notice about the word
choice in the poem?
TP CASTT POETRY ANALYSIS
oIn your groups, compare your shared inquiry notes.
oThen fill in your TP CASTT graphic organizer.
o Be prepared to share with the class.
READING COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS
o Silently and on your own, answer the reading comprehension questions. Mark your
answers on the sleeve with your marker or or on scratch paper.
oWhen you’re finished go to kahoot.it
oWe will putting our answers into a kahoot quiz. And yes, there are more prizes and
glory to be had!
SHORT ANSWER EXIT TICKET
oWhat is one theme in the poem? Support your
answer with evidence from the text. (APE format)
oYou can answer on an index card or use our
padlet.
http://padlet.com/breearolfe/firstperiod
http://padlet.com/breearolfe/thirdperiod
http://padlet.com/breearolfe/5thperiod
http://padlet.com/breearolfe/8thperiod