Somebody+Has+To

[|Somebody Has To.doc]

Day 1:

 * 1) Introductory questions: What kinds of things do people polish? Why do you have to polish things? Find out what they know about polishing.
 * 2) Echo read the poem once through.
 * 3) The second time through, stop to talk through and infer what words mean.
 * 4) dull: they should remember what it means.
 * 5) starlings: __infer__ what it means (a kind of bird – you don’t have to know exactly what kind, you just can infer that it’s a kind of bird. What is your evidence? Eagles, gulls)
 * 6) tarnished and worn: try to __infer__ what they mean from the context. What clues did you use?
 * 7) polishing jars: when people polish some things, like silverware, they use a kind of creamy thing in a jar that they rub into the silver with a rag and then they wipe it off and polish it until it shines. So a polishing jar is a jar of polish. (it’s kind of like shoe polish)
 * 8) Pairs time each other and record initial times.

Day 2:

 * 1) What kind of a poem is this? What is the mood of the poem? Is it realistic? Or fantasy? Serious? or silly? Ask how they know.
 * 2) Comprehension: What __questions__ could you ask the poet? They should come up with interesting and rich questions about this poem.
 * 3) So what kind of expression could you use when you read it? Ask for volunteers to read some lines out loud. Model it yourself and have them echo: kind of a dreamy, sometimes silly tone.
 * 4) Have them give each other some feedback.
 * 5) Pairs read and time themselves.

Day 3:

 * 1) Comprehension: __Infer__ who might be talking in this poem. Who is the narrator? There is no right answer to this question – just ask for what they think and what their evidence is or why they think it.
 * 2) Paraphrase the poem in talking language.
 * 3) Talk about the punctuation a little: the commas, the periods, the line breaks without punctuation. Ask for suggestions of how to read those parts.
 * 4) Students practice alone or with a partner, as they choose, trying out different ways of reading it and where to pause.

Day 4:

 * 1) Today they will get to perform the poem for each other. Give them some time to practice.
 * 2) Comprehension: What do you think about when you read the line "they say they want new ones we cannot afford?" Why are they polishing the stars instead of getting new ones?
 * 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.