YM2

=Poem Exegesis=
 * Yaxha Mancillas**

//Abstract//
This project is designed for a 10th grade english unit on Poetry. For this project, students will partake in a exegesis of a poem where they will collaboratively deconstruct a poem and define difficult terminology in order to fully analyze and comprehend meaning of the particular literary work.

The poem the students analyze will change during this on-going unit. Students will have an opportunity to comment on the poems and define them collaboratively. Students will also create, write and publish their own creative works on the wiki site.

//Learners & Context//
Students are high school students at Polinsky Children's Center. Polinsky Children's Center is a emergency shelter for abused, orphaned and delinquent children. The majority of children at Polinsky come from parents who have been recently incarcerated. Polinsky is the first place for children entering the "system". It is a holding place where children are kept until the court decides a permanent placement for them. The students attend the English class for an hour each day, where they have access to computers.

The students come from a variety of backgrounds and experiences. Most of them have little or no prior knowledge of the subject. Most find themselves in a period of crisis and may have behavioral and learning difficulties. It is difficult to determine what learning each child has had before or will have after this lesson.

//Learning Goals//
Near Term Goals
 * Students will be able to define new vocabulary words, by writing them down and editing them, on the wiki site.
 * Students will be able to verbally express what the poem means to them by contributing in a collaborative discussion during class and on the wiki.
 * Students will be able to conceptuallize the meaning of the poem and create a visual representation of that abstraction.
 * With the use of the Wiki, students will be able to create and publish their own poems, in order to express their views.
 * Using online and other given resources, the students will be able to conduct research, in order to find the definition of a word in a particular context.

Long Term Outcomes
 * The students will be able to deconstruct a literary work by identifying and defining difficult terminology in a particular context in order to able to fully analyze and comprehend the meaning of the work.
 * Students will be able to gain the skills necessary to critically analyze any literary work and be able to convey their understanding to others in a concrete form.
 * Students will be able to define how words have multiple meanings by learning how words can be used to create meaning.

//Required Resources//
This project will be on-going and will require about 15-40 minutes each day. Time allotted for ongoing discussion in class depends on the extent of the analysis, and the need of the students at each interval of the project.

Computers are required for this program as well as some books about the author, dictionaries and encyclopedias. While the project can be done utilizing online sources only, it is beneficial for the students to have a wide range of options. Students who do not stay at Polinsky can participate online from any computer if they wish. Art supplies will also be required or these can be electronic. A digital camera to photograph non-electronic works will also be required.

//Tools and Models//
The specific collaborative tool this project will use is WikiSpaces. The model of ecollaboration this project patterns itself on is an Exegesis.

//Process//

 * 1) Students are introduced to what poetry is- a brief history and description of its form and uses.
 * 2) Students are read the poem. The teacher then asks students to point out any words that they do not understand on the white board/projector/etc. The teacher will then underline these words.
 * 3) Students are shown the Wiki Site. The teacher shows the students what they can do with the site. Students are given the opportunity to create a page with their own name on it- and asked to write a short blurb about themselves. Scaffolding needs to be provided here in order that students are able to know how to use the site.
 * 4) Students are given a brief history on the author and given books about the author that they can browse or borrow.
 * 5) Students are asked to get into small groups. Each group is given one of the "unknown" words and asked to define it. Scaffolding needs to occur here as students need to know how, and where, they can find the words they are looking for using both online and non-electronic resources.
 * 6) The groups will exchange words so that each group has a turn to define and edit the words on the wiki.
 * 7) The students will engage in an in class discussion of what the poem means and they can continue the discussion online on the wiki. Scaffolding on how to use the wiki discussion board will be necessary
 * 8) The students are asked to create a visual representation of what the poem means to them and upload it to the wiki. Scaffolding will be necessary to explain the different tools available and how the teacher can digitally photograph their work and upload it for them if necessary.
 * 9) The students are asked to create their own poems they will post on their individual sites.
 * 10) The students are encouraged to comment on each others work and collaborate on the site by making changes as they go along.
 * 11) The students will collaboratively define what they believe the author wishes to convey with the poem and post it on the wiki.

//Rationale//
The project uses ecollaboration for this experience because high school students are currently highly interested in computers and social experiences such as MySpace and IM. Using computers will capture the students interest as they will have the opportunity to have and edit their own page. Also the use of computers allows students who leave Polinsky will be able to contribute to the site from any computer.

Ecollaboration is important because computers are increasingly becoming sources of information both in academia, private and public domains. Students need to be given an opportunity to learn how to expand their technical skills in a group setting because they will need to know how to do so in the future.

[|__**Vygotsky's**__] social theory on learning, further emphasizes the importance of collaboration during learning. His theory is that scaffolding and social experience are vital during the individuals construction of meaning. A student adds to their schema of knowledge from others and is able to achieve higher levels of thinking with the help of others. What Vygotsky refers to as his theory on the [|Zone of Proximal Development], emphasizes the importance of this type of collaborative experience in order that the child can achieve higher levels of thinking with the helps of peers and the teacher.

//Evaluation//
The success of this lesson will be measured by how students respond and collaborate on the wiki. Also, success will be measured by how well the students are able to engage in critical thinking and if they can verbally and visually express what they believe the poem means.

Showing the students how to use the wiki and conduct simple research of terms are valuable skills that the students will be given and if students are able to learn these skills it will make the lesson worth repeating.

//Reflection//
The creative and collaborative aspects of the project are the ones that are the most promising. Methods of getting the students motivated and engaged- these are the ones that will require further development and revision post-project completion.

I draw a lot on my previous experience at Polinsky when creating this lesson. Showing an interest in //who// these kids are-has proven successful in the past for reaching these kids. Many of them feel that they have no voice, no power, that they are meaningless. A lot of them simply receive no kindness or validation at all, some only want to be //noticed//, and that's why they engage in negative behavior. It is the one that garners the most attention.

This ecollaborative experience seeks to motivate students to learn by asking them to question how //they// perceive meaning of a work and find a way to express this through words or concepts.

Getting students interested and past the initial resistance they have to teachers (authority), and of learning is the largest obstacle for me to overcome.