Lesson Includes Common Core Aligned textbased questions Use of the Writing Strategy “Mentor Texts” Writing Strategy: Sentence Frames Students write their own version Differentiation and Extension Tips “Grandma’s Cupboard” By: Jonathan Williamson (1) Some of Grandma’s furniture lives at our house now. My favorite is a tall wooden cupboard. (5) It is golden oak, soft and worn, and it is very, very old. It takes me back to Grandma’s. I open its glass doors, (10) and it smells like her living room a thousand miles away, with someone else living in it now. Now, at my own house, in my own (15) living room, I open the old cupboard doors, I take a deep breath, and WHOOSH! I am back in Grandma’s (20) house once more. The cupboard says, “Welcome back! Good to see you!” 1. What is one of the dominant poetic devices used in the poem? __________________________________________ __________________________________________ __________________________________________ __________________________________________ 2. In stanza 2, what words could replace “worn” and “old” that would change the author’s tone? __________________________________________ __________________________________________ __________________________________________ 3. What tone does the phrase “a thousand miles away with someone else living in it now” imply? What does it convey about the speaker’s feelings (tone)? __________________________________________ __________________________________________ __________________________________________ __________________________________________ 4. What shift or change happens in line 14? __________________________________________ __________________________________________ __________________________________________ __________________________________________ 5. What is the overall tone of the poem? (how does the author feel about the subject he is writing about?) The overall tone of the poem “Grandma’s Cupboard” by Jonathan Williamson is _________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________ 6. What sensory details (imagery) are used in this poem? Cite the lines by quoting them below. __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ Write Your Own! Assignment: Write your own version of this poem using the frame below. You must include three examples of the poetic device imagery. You must also show a clear tone (how you feel about the topic) through the diction (word choice), connotation (feelings of words), and imagery you choose to use. Step 1: Pick a person and object you have strong feelings (good or bad) about Step 2: Decide on a clear tone (what feelings do you want show about this person and object?) Step 3: Show the tone through diction, connotation and imagery Step 4: Draw a picture of the object Some of my ____________________________ ______________________________________ My favorite is __________________________ ______________________________________. It is _______________, and _______________, And it is very ___________________________. It takes me back to _______________________ _______________________________________ And it smells like _________________________ _______________________________________ _______________________________________ Now, __________________________________ _______________________________________ _______________________________________ _______________________________________ __________________________________it says _______________________________________ Answer Key 1. The dominant poetic devices are personification (lines 2 and 21) and imagery (lines 5-7, 1011, 17, 22) 2. If the word “old” was changed to “ancient” that would shift the tone to a more formal, less personal tone. The word “old” is similar to how we describe people, thus personifying the cupboard. If the word “worn” was changed to “worn-out”, “run-down”, “used” all would create a less favorable and less admiring tone. It would change the feeling the author is conveying about the cupboard. “Worn” implies it has been used again and again, perhaps through many good times and memories, whereas “used” or “run-down” has an implication that the item has been abused and not fondly taken care of. 3. This line implies the author feels like a stranger or distant from his grandmothers house; like he misses it, but it is long gone. It almost seems to convey a sense of resentment that he cannot be close to it, and that someone else has come in and taken it over. 4. The shift that happens in line 14 is that the author moves from reminiscing about the past, to speaking in the present day. There is also a shift in tone because it moves from a feeling of admiration and nostalgia to appreciation for the relic left over to be a reminder of his grandmother. There is a tone of moving forward from the past conveyed. 5. The overall tone of the poem is reminiscent (answers may vary; other accurate answers include nostalgic, fondness, admiration, loss, appreciation). 6. Line 5-7 “It is golden oak, soft and worn, and it is very, very old.” (sight) Lines 10-11 “And it smells like her living room” (smell) Line 17 “I take a deep breath,” (touch) Line 22 ‘Welcome Back! Good to see you’ (sound) Differentiation Ideas: Students could draw the picture first allowing them to visualize first and then find the words that go with the image Help students decide on a feeling they have toward the object, then provide them tone words (see attached list) Scaffold Questions Who gave you the object? How do you feel about that person? How do you feel about the object? Tone Words Sad Regretful Longing/missing Feeling a sense of loss Remembrance (could also be a happy emotion) Happy Admiration Appreciation Humor Comforted Safe Extension Ideas: Students cite evidence to “prove” the tone they chose. Students can explain the examples in question 2 by explaining the sensory detail that is appealed to and how it creates imagery and thus the overall tone.