Bee!+I'm+Expecting+You!

Bee! I'm Expecting You!
[|Bee.doc]

Day 1

 * Introduce the poem. "This is a poem by a very famous poet named Emily Dickinson. The poem is from one animal talking to another. When we read it, see if you can figure out who is talking, and who he is talking to."
 * Echo read the poem. Teacher reads a line or two, group echos. Give positive feedback / make a few suggestions for improvement.
 * First stanza: "you were due" -- what does that mean? (it means you were supposed to get here -- you were due to arrive)
 * Second stanza:
 * settled (comfortable and at home)
 * clover -- a kind of thick grass with purple flowers on it that bees like
 * Third stanza:
 * reply -- answer
 * Who is talking? (A Fly) How do you know?
 * Who is he talking to (A bee) How do you know?
 * Is he talking to his face? Are they talking on the phone? How are they communicating? (by letter) How do you know? (Yours, Fly is the signature)
 * In pairs, students time each other reading the poem and record their initial time on the graph.

Day 2

 * 1) Today practice the poem with a partner. Have students model reading it with expression. Talk about changing your voice. Have them give each other some feedback.
 * This poem is kind of conversational, so it should sound like two people chatting
 * 1) Go over each part of the poem in more detail. Paraphrase each part in "talking language." Re-write a few of the stanzas in prose on chart paper.
 * 2) Comprehension: What is the fly telling the bee? What does he want the bee to know?
 * 3) Partners time each other and record their Tuesday time on the sheet.

Day 3

 * 1) Focus on the punctuation. Have them find punctuation marks, and model what each kind of punctuation might mean. Tell them they can experiment with it, and try different ways of reading the punctuation. Especially look at the dashes (Emily Dickinson uses lots of these) -- what do you think you should do there?
 * 2) What time of year do you think this poem is taking place? What is your evidence?
 * 3) Students practice alone or with a partner, as they choose, trying out different ways of reading it and paying close attention to punctuation.
 * 4) They time each other and record the time.

Day 4

 * 1) Today they will get to perform the poem for each other. Give them some time to practice.
 * 2) Comprehension: How is the fly trying to talk the bee into coming back? (the clover is warm and thick, all his friends are there...)
 * 3) People who want to can perform for the group. Time them as they do. If some don't perform, be sure they get timed by a partner and record their times.
 * 4) Other options for performing: have pairs or groups of 3 read each stanza, and go around the circle, reading the poem chorally in small groups.