1. Welcome! January 26th, 2017 Thursday
Do Now
Find your seats! If you don’t remember where you sit, ask me.
Write the date at the top of a new page in your journal.
Once the bell rings, begin the freewrite.
Prompt: Do you know the meaning of your name and why your parents chose it? Do you think it suits you?

2. Exploring Structure
Read the poem “Hanging Fire” by Audrey Lord. In your journal, respond to the following questions in at least 3 sentences each.
What do we know about the speaker of the poem? What is his/her life like? How do you know?
What lines are repeated throughout the poem? Why do you think Lord decided to repeat those lines in particular? What does this tell us about the speaker’s life?
What do you think the speaker’s tone is? What mood is this supposed to create for the reader? How do you know?

3. Class Discussion
What do we know about the speaker of the poem? What is his/her life like? How do you know?
What lines are repeated throughout the poem? Why do you think Lord decided to repeat those lines in particular? What does this tell us about the speaker’s life?
What do you think the speaker’s tone is? What mood is this supposed to create for the reader? How do you know?
Discuss: Do you think this is an accurate portrayal of an average 14 year old’s life?

4. Poetry Challenge: Adopt a Structure
4. Writing is all about borrowing ideas, structures, and concepts from other authors and making them your own. Today, I challenge you to steal structural elements of Audrey Lord’s “Hanging Fire” and make a poem of your own. Your poem needs:
To begin with “I am _______.” The blank should be however old you are.
Three stanzas (at least five lines each)
Each stanza should end with a repeated line (or lines) – this line should be something powerful and central to the meaning of your poem
Note: the speaker doesn’t have to be you! You can write about an imaginary person the same age as you.

5. Extra Credit
If you manage to finish your poem and you would like some extra credit, trade with a partner and give them feedback on your paper.
5. What works in their piece? What do you like?
6. What is one thing you want to know more about?
7. What is one thing that confuses you or that you think they could change?