Writing Assignment Narrative: Analysis of Nature
By Sydney Welch
In our 10th grade class, we are in the middle of a poetry genre study. A genre study is an
intensive and extensive study in which students will read different forms of poetry, analyze the
characteristics of these forms, and eventually write their own poetry. Within class we have
already covered different forms of poetry (pastoral, sonnet, and haiku) through themes such as
coming of age, family, and animals. We have discussed form, white space, and rhyme scheme.
Our current topic is nature, focusing specifically on the representation of trees in poetry. The
focus on trees will be studied in three poems: “The Copper Beech” by Marie Howe, “Planting a
Dogwood” by Roy Scheele, and “A Poison Tree” by William Blake. Students will use one of the
three poems and a poem on the topic of trees that they select themselves to write a
comparison/contrast essay. Upon completion of all drafts of the essay, students will write their
own tree themed poem.
To prepare for this writing assignment, the class has already reviewed the basics of
poetry. Students have response journals and are aware of the procedures connected to the
journals. Starting with “The Copper Beech,” I will read the poem out loud to the students. Upon
completion of the reading, the students and I will take a few minutes to write our initial
reactions, feeling, and ideas. I will then read the poem aloud a second time, this time using
guided reading, speaking my thought process out loud for students to understand. After this, I
will give students more time to add to their initial response. I will share my response and ask for
student volunteers to do the same. After we have shared responses, I will read the poem for a
third and final time. This time students will be given the following writing prompts to focus
their journaling: How does the speaker interact with the tree?; What type of picture is formed
from this poem?
This process will be repeated for the other two poems. The goal for “The Copper
Beech” is to understand the physical relationship between the speaker and the tree; the goal for
“Planting a Dogwood” is to understand the internal duality of tree and roots; and the goal for “A
Poison Tree” is to see the metaphorical representation of the tree with the speaker’s emotions
and hatred. When the students have an understanding of the three poems, each student will be
responsible for finding another poem on the theme of trees. Students can fine examples of tree
themed poetry on the Internet at: http://www.spiritoftrees.org/poetry/tree_poems.html.
To prepare for the essay writing, students will be given the assignment sheet as seen here:
TASK:
Using one of the following poems: The Copper Beech by Marie Howe, Planting a
Dogwood by Roy Scheele or A Poison Tree by William Blake; and a poem of your own
choice write a comparison / contrast essay.
PURPOSE AND AUDIENCE:
Address the essay to an audience of your peers who have not read the poems.
FORMAT:
LENGTH: 1 ½ to 2 pages double spaced, 12pt Times New Roman font
TIME SCHEDULE:
Draft 1 due:
In Class Peer Edit:
Draft 2 due:
Learn Color Coding of Essay In Class:
Teacher Review Essay:
Final Draft Due:
EVALUATION:
See attached peer editing questions and grading rubric.
I will model how to write a comparison/contrast analysis essay (see attached essay). We
will review what is necessary within this form of essay, including providing textual sources,
citations, and format. The writing process will consist of multiple drafts, peer editing, as well as
teacher editing.
After completion of the first draft of the essay, students will have a class to peer edit a
classmate’s essay. Before the peer editing takes place, students will self assess their essays by
answering the following questions on a separate sheet: Did I open with a strong hook or lead in
line? If not, how might I change it?; Does the essay consist of well thought out ideas, supported
by the examples from the text? If not, where can examples be added; and is there a strong
conclusion where I bring all my ideas together?
The peer editing sheet is attached to this summary. Students will then write a second
draft of their essay, using the ideas of their peer reviewer, as well as their own from the selfassessment questions. With this draft students will continue the self-assessment by color coding
their own essay as described below.
Students will use a color-coding test on the second draft of their essays, which is after the
initial peer editing. For this mini lesson, I will give students red, blue, and green colored pencils.
Students will have my sample essay, as well as their own essay in front of them. Starting with
the sample essay, together as a class, we will underline all the plot summary with the red pencil.
Then we will underline the commentary in blue and the supporting detail in green.
Next, students will look at their own essays and complete the same procedure. This will
help students realize where they need to add more detail or less plot summary. Students will
rework their essay removing unnecessary plot summary and adding commentary based on their
individual color coding. Once complete, this draft will be handed in to the teacher for
commenting and editing. Upon return, students will write a final draft of the essay for grade,
which will be graded with the attached rubric (based on the NYS Regents grading rubric).
After the completion of all drafts of the essay, students will write their own tree poem,
which will eventually be presented to the class and published in an anthology of class poetry.
This assignment covers three NYS ELA standards: Standard 2: students will read, write,
listen, and speak for literary response and expression through the classroom journals, sharing of
ideas and hearing the poems read in class; Standard 3: students will read, write, listen and speak
for critical analysis and evaluation through the writing of the essay and analysis of the poems;
and Standard 4: students will read, write, listen and speak for social interaction through class
discussions and peer editing.
Tree Poems:
“The Copper Beech”
by Marie Howe
Immense, entirely itself,
it wore that yard like a dress,
with limbs low enough for me to enter it
and climb the crooked ladder to where
I could lean against the trunk and practice being alone.
One day, I heard the sound before I saw it, rain fell darkening the sidewalk.
Sitting close to the center, not very high in the branches,
I heard it hitting the high leaves, and I was happy,
watching it happen without it happening to me
“Planting a Dogwood”
by Roy Scheele
Tree, we take leave of you; you’re on your own.
Put down your taproot with its probing hairs
that sluice the darkness and create unseen
the tree that mirrors you below the ground.
For when we plant a tree, two trees take root:
the one that lifts its leaves into the air,
and the inverted one that cleaves the soil
to find the runnel’s sweet, dull silver trace
and spreads not up but down, each drop a leaf
in the eternal blackness of that sky.
The leaves you show uncurl like tiny fists
and bear small button blossoms, greenish white,
that quicken you. Now put your roots down deep;
draw light from shadow, break in on earth’s sleep.
“A Poison Tree”
by William Blake
I was angry with my friend.
I told my wrath, my wrath did end.
I was angry with my foe.
I told it not, my wrath did grow;
And I water'd it in fears,
Night and morning with my tears;
And I sunned it with smiles,
And with soft deceitful wiles;
And it grew both day and night
Till it bore an apple bright,
And my foe beheld it shine,
And he knew that it was mine,
And into my garden stole
When the night had veil'd the pole.
In the morning glad I see
My foe outstretched beneath the tree.
Peer Review Questions:
1. Does the essay start with a strong opening line? If not, what might you suggest to the
writer?
2. Does the writer mention title and author of both poems to be used in the opening
paragraph?
3. Does the author provide comparison of the similarities of the two poems? Is this done
with the use of quotes and examples from the text?
4. Does the author provide contrast of differences of the two poems? Is this done with use
of quotes and examples?
5. Does the writer discuss literary elements? If so, which ones?
6. Does the paper use proper conventions (punctuation, spelling, grammar). Go through the
paper and provide suggestions.
7. Does the essay make sense? Do you get lost at any point? If so where? Is it confusing at
any point? If so where?
8. Is the essay in proper format (introduction paragraph, at least three body paragraphs,
conclusion paragraph)? If not, what is it missing?
9. Did the writer use one of the class given poems and one he or she selected. Please give
titles.
10. What was the best line in the essay? Please write it out here.
Comparison Contrast Essay Rubric:
Quality
Level 6
Level 5
Level 4
Meaning:
how the essay
shows
understanding,
interpretation
and analysis
of the task and
poems
Development:
how ideas are
developed
through the
use of specific
and relevant
evidence from
the poems
Organization:
how the essay
exhibits
direction,
shape and
coherence
Language
Use:
How the essay
shows an
awareness of
audience and
purpose
through
sentence
structure,
variety and
word choice
Conventions:
how the essay
reveals
conventional
spelling,
punctuation,
paragraphing,
capitalization,
grammar and
usage
- reveals an
in-depth
analysis of
both poems
-makes
insightful
connections
between the
task and the
ideas of the
poems
-ideas are
clearly and
fully
developed,
making use of
a wide range
of relevant
and specific
details from
both poems
-maintains
clear and
appropriate
focus
-logical and
coherent
structure;
effective use
of appropriate
literary
devices and
transitions
-sophisticated
style using
precise
language with
awareness of
audience,
voice and
purpose
-vary
structure and
length of
sentences for
effect
-demonstrates
control of
conventions
Level 3
Level 2
Level 1
- reveals a
thorough
understanding
of both poems
- makes clear
and explicit
connections
between the
task and the
ideas of both
poems
-ideas are
clearly and
consistently
developed.
Uses relevant
and specific
details from
both poems
-reveals a
basic
understanding
of both poems
-makes
implicit
connections
between the
task and the
ideas of both
poems
-ideas are
inconsistently
developed,
using relevant
details from
both poems
-reveals a
basic
understanding
of poems
-makes a few
superficial
connections
between the
task and the
ideas of the
poems
-ideas are
developed
simply, using
some details
from one poem
-reveals a
vague or
inaccurate
understanding
of the poems
-mentions the
poems, but
makes unclear
connections to
the task
-reveals no
evidence of
understanding
the poems
-makes no
connection
between the
poems and the
task
-ideas are
largely
undeveloped,
vague,
sketchy,
irrelevant or
repetitive
-ideas are
minimal, with
no evidence
or
development
-maintains a
clear and
appropriate
focus
-logical
sequence of
ideas through
use of
appropriate
literary
devices and
transitions
-uses fluent
and engaging
language with
some
awareness of
audience and
purpose
-shows
consistent use
of sentences
that vary in
length and
structure
-demonstrates
control of
conventions
with a few
minor errors
that have no
effect on
comprehension
-maintains a
clear and
appropriate
focus
-basic
structure, may
be some
inconsistencies
or irrelevant
information
-failed to
maintain an
appropriate
focus
-uneven
organization
-lack of
appropriate
focus
-minimal
organization
-shows no
focus or
organization
-uses
appropriate
language, with
some
awareness of
audience and
purpose
-occasionally
varies length
and structure
of sentence
-basic
vocabulary
and language
from poems
-sentences are
unvaried in
length and
structure
-uses language
that is
imprecise or
unsuitable for
the audience or
purpose
-sentences lack
variety or may
be constructed
incorrectly
-uses
language that
is incoherent
or
inappropriate
-violates basic
rules of
sentence
structure
-demonstrates
partial control,
some errors
that do now
hinder
comprehension
-demonstrates
partial control,
some errors
that
occasionally
hinder
comprehension
-demonstrates
lack of control,
many errors
that make
comprehension
difficult
-may be
illegible due
to errors
Model Comparison Contrast Essay:
Trees are a very popular topic for all forms of writing, especially poetry. Two poems that
embody representations of trees are “The Copper Beech” by Marie Howe and “Fern-Leafed
Beech” by Moyra Caldecott. Howe’s poem shows the physical connection between the speaker
and a tree, while connecting the tree to nature. Caldecott’s poem shows the emotional support a
tree can offer and uses personification of the tree to show its physical presence.
Both poems use personification (giving human traits to inanimate objects) of the tree. In
“The Copper Beech,” the lines “Immense, entirely itself / it wore that yard like a dress” (Howe
1-2) lead the reader to believe that the tree is wearing the yard like a dress. These lines also use a
metaphor to paint the picture that the dark green lawn is like a dress to the large beech tree. The
second form of personification appears in “Fern-Leafed Beech”: “This tree listened / when my
husband died” (Caldecott 1-2). This implies that the tree has ears to listen to the sorrows of the
character in the poem. The use of personification gives the reader a closer connection and
understanding of the importance of trees by providing examples of interactions with trees the
reader might be more likely to relate too.
A second similarity between both poems is the connection that the speaker of the poem
has with the tree. In “Fern-Leafed Beech,” the speaker says, “I leaned my head / against its trunk
/ and cried” (Caldecott 3-5). The speaker has a bond with the tree, but more specifically she
feels safe when she is with the tree. In “The Copper Beech,” the speaker says, “I could lean
against the trunk and practice being alone” (Howe 5). Here the speaker is also safe and can be
alone when with the tree. Nothing or no one else is needed during this time.
There are also contrasts between the two poems. The first difference is that in “The
Copper Beech,” Howe connects the tree with the overall picture of nature: “Sitting close to the
center, not very high in the branches, / I heard it hitting the high leaves, and I was happy” (7-8).
Here the tree is connected to the interaction with weather, but more specifically rain. This
connection is something that doesn’t happen in “Fern-Leafed Beech”; however, within this poem
there is an emotional connection between tree and character that isn’t present within the other
poem: “No words passed, / but I took its strength” (Caldecott 6-7). The speaker is drawing
strength from the sturdiness of the tree.
One final difference between the two poems is the actual interaction the speaker has with
the tree. “I leaned my head / against its trunk” (Caldecott 3-4) here the speaker is almost
embracing the tree or using it to hold herself up. While in “The Copper Beech,” “with limbs low
enough for me to enter it / and climb the crooked ladder to where” (Howe 3-4), the speaker is
climbing into the branches to hide from the world.
Overall “The Copper Beech” by Marie Howe and “Fern-Leafed Beech” by Moyra
Caldecott depict the representation of trees in poetry through personification, theme, and
interaction of person and nature. Each poem addresses the idea of trees physical and emotional
ways.
Tree Poem Used in Essay:
“Fern-Leafed Beech”
By Moyra Caldecott
This tree listened
when my husband died.
I leaned my head
against its trunk
and cried.
No words passed,
but I took its strength
and knew
that life at last
secretly transforms
until what is seen
becomes unseen,
and what has been
is still to be.