Goldilocks Strategy Created by Carol Jago

Biography Carol Jago, President 2010-2011 National Council of Teachers of English Author Trainer Researcher Public Speaker High School English Teacher

Biography ~ continued Her books With Rigor for All: Teaching the Classics to Contemporary Students and Beyond Standards: Excellence in the High School English Classroom, and Cohesive Writing: Why Concept Is Not Enough are published by Heinemann. Her book, Classics in the Classroom: Designing Accessible Literature Lessons (Heinemann 2004), was published with an accompanying video. Papers, Papers, Papers: An English Teacher’s Survival Guide was published by Heinemann in August, 2005.

Goldilocks Strategy – which one is just right? Read the three poems. Using the questions and categories on your worksheet, determine which poem should be labeled too easy, just right, and too hard.

The Goldilocks Strategy Too Easy Do you understand the poem? Do you know almost every word? Does the poem have simplistic diction? Can you read it smoothly? Do you know something about the topic? Just Right Do you understand most of the poem? Are there just a few words that you don't know? When you read, are some places smooth and some choppy? Do you know something about the topic? Too Hard Are there more than 5 words on a page you don't know? Are you confused about the meaning of the poem or parts of the poem? When you read, does it sound pretty choppy? Do you fully understand the topic?

April Rain Song BY LANGSTON HUGHES Let the rain kiss you. Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops. Let the rain sing you a lullaby. The rain makes still pools on the sidewalk. The rain makes running pools in the gutter. The rain plays a little sleep-song on our roof at night— And I love the rain.

A Child of Spring By: Ellen Robena Field I know a little maiden, She is very fair and sweet, As she trips among the grasses That kiss her dainty feet; Her arms are full of flowers, The snow-drops, pure and white, Timid blue-eyed violets, And daffodillies bright. She loves dear Mother Nature, And wanders by her side; She beckons to the birdlings That flock from far and wide. She wakes the baby brooklets, Soft breezes hear her call; She tells the little children The sweetest tales of all. Her brow is sometimes clouded, And she sighs with gentle grace, Till the sunbeams, daring lovers, Kiss the teardrops from her face. Well we know this dainty maiden, For April is her name; And we welcome her with gladness, As the springtime comes again.

An April Day By: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow When the warm sun, that brings Seed-time and harvest, has returned again, 'Tis sweet to visit the still wood, where springs The first flower of the plain. I love the season well, When forest glades are teeming with bright forms, Nor dark and many-folded clouds foretell The coming-on of storms. From the earth's loosened mould The sapling draws its sustenance, and thrives; Though stricken to the heart with winter's cold, The drooping tree revives. The softly-warbled song Comes from the pleasant woods, and colored wings Glance quick in the bright sun, that moves along The forest openings. When the bright sunset fills The silver woods with light, the green slope throws Its shadows in the hollows of the hills, And wide the upland glows. And when the eve is born, In the blue lake the sky, o'er-reaching far, Is hollowed out, and the moon dips her horn, And twinkles many a star. Inverted in the tide, Stand the gray rocks, and trembling shadows throw, And the fair trees look over, side by side, And see themselves below. Sweet April!--many a thought Is wedded unto thee, as hearts are wed; Nor shall they fail, till, to its autumn brought, Life's golden fruit is shed.

Discussion: How are the poems alike and different? On your own: Write a well-developed response explaining how the three poems are alike and different. Cite textual evidence.

Goldilocks Strategy – which one is just right? Task: For this assignment, your group will read many poems searching for one that is too hard, too easy, and just right. Directions: Begin by using books provided for you in the media center. As you read through the poetry, find one poem to fit into each category. Use the questions in the table below to guide your group through the process.

On your own: The next step is to write a reflective essay on the poem that you chose that was “just right.” Explain why this poem is just right for you. Be thorough. Cite textual evidence. Explain the significance of the poem to you. Does it mean something to you? Is there a strong connection that you feel? Use your other two poems as support.

Extension Jago suggest using poetry journal to have students continue to read, analyze, and interact with poems. The Goldilocks strategy can be used as a spring board to questions/prompts for reflection. This strategy can be used with other types of text. Using the prompts from the strategy, students will be able to identify complex text and use other strategies to understand text.

The Rationale The Goldilocks Strategy helps readers make sense of texts. Monitoring comprehension Thinking about thinking ~ metacognition Providing explicit instruction Answering questions/generating questions Providing cooperative learning opportunities Promoting student engagement