Download Forever is composed of Nows.10.14.14

Seminar Plan for:
‘Forever – Is Composed of Nows –’
Emily Dickinson
Ideas, Values: Time, Imagination, Eternity, Present
Pre-seminar
 Pre-write assignment (to consider the key ideas in the post-content writing task):
What is time? Make a list of points or sketch images to convey (in your conference
journal).
 Background:
Share that Emily Dickinson lived in the same house her whole life and traveled very
little. Amherst, MA 1830-1886. She kept her poetry relatively private and enjoyed
studying nature. She was considered a mystic: able to perceive the spiritual in
common and subtle parts of life.
 Inspectional read: Distribute the text and ask participants to note structure:
Letter each stanza (a-c).
>Read aloud.
>What do you notice?
 Vocabulary: Discuss and define Anno Dominies (corrected: Anno Domini).
Latin: the year of the Lord; God’s years.
 Analytical read: Read the poem again to yourself. In your journal, create a page
titled Forever is composed of Now’s. Write at two or three phrases that you
either like or are intrigued by from the poem. (Review what a phrase is – subject
and predicate. Make a note (or sketch) to capture your interpretation of the phrases
(what you infer/ read between the lines or what it makes you think about).
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Process (Review seminar objectives and guidelines. Prepare participants to participate in
seminar discussion—self assess and set goal[s].):
 Define a seminar as a collaborative, intellectual dialogue facilitated with open-ended
questions about a text.
 The goal of seminar is to increase understanding of ideas and values through
dialogue; to increase understanding of the text, self, and others.
 Describe the role of the facilitator (ask open-ended questions, listen, map, and
think).
 Describe the role of participants (think, speak, listen, refer to text, treat each other
with respect).
 Have participants read and select a personal participation goal.
 Have participants write a brief self-assessment of their communication habits and
then note their personal goal for this seminar ( from the Speaking and Listening
Rubric features) in their Journal.
 Note the group participation goal for this seminar and discuss with participants: to
build on others’ ideas
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Seminar
Opening Question (Identify main ideas from the text.):
What one capitalized word in the text best represents the poem’s meaning? (rr)
Why? (spontaneous- remind us of word you chose)
Core Questions (Focus/analyze textual details.):
What does “this” refer to (in stanza B)?
What is the relationship between “this” and “these?”
What is the significance of the word “exhale?”
What assumptions are challenged by this poem?
Closing Question (Personalize and apply the textual ideas.):
Why is it so difficult to live in the present?
What lesson(s) might you talk away from this discussion?
Post-seminar
Process (Assess individual and group participation in seminar discussion. Refer to
recent past as well as future seminar discussions.):
 Discuss the seminar process by asking participants to reflect aloud on what
happened during the seminar.
 Assess how well the social and intellectual goals of seminar were achieved? First
discuss with the entire group their relative success in terms of the Group Goal: to be
precise in our use of language.
 Now ask participants to self-assess in writing their independent success in achieving
individual goals, describing in details the factors or strategies that contributed to
their success or failure.
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Content (Extend application of textual and discussion ideas; continuation of preseminar.):
 Transition to Writing: Have participants take notes to brainstorm ideas that
they heard, read, or thought during seminar related to the ideas and values (and
the pre-write if applicable).
 Analysis of Writing Task: Have participants read slide/poster with the
following writing task and discuss what it requires in as much detail as needed.
Task 12: [Insert optional question] After reading ________ (literature or informational
texts), write ________ (an essay, report, or substitute) in which you define________
(term or concept) and explain ________ (content). Support your discussion with
evidence from the text(s). (Informational or Explanatory/Definition)
What is time? After reading and discussing Dickinson’s “Forever—Is composed of Nows-“
write a letter to your boss/principal/ supervisor in which you define time and explain the
need for a different approach to the use of time. Consider your pre-seminar writing, ideas
from the text, and discussion points from seminar to support your proposal
(LDC Task # 12)
 Brainstorming Content: Have participants go back to their brainstorming
ideas from the seminar and now add any ideas they heard, read, or thought that
seem specifically related to the writing task.
 Structuring the Composition: Allot a few minutes for all to sketch an
outline for their writing. Draft an outline for their writing and refine their
thinking.
 Writing the First Draft: Challenge all to draft their _________ (essay or
other composition) by listing key points. Refer to the original text in order to
illustrate key points.
 Revising: Have participants work in pairs to read their first drafts aloud to each
other with emphasis on reader as creator and editor. Listener says back one
point they heard clearly and asks one question for clarification. Switch roles.
(Emphasize the addition of sufficient evidence to demonstrate/prove each key
point.) Give time for full revisions resulting in a second draft.
 Editing: Once the second draft if complete, have participants work in groups
of three-four and this time take turns reading each other’s second drafts slowly
and silently, marking any spelling or grammar errors they find. (Have
dictionaries and grammar handbooks available for reference.) Take this
opportunity to clarify/reteach any specific grammar strategies you have
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identified your students needing. Give time for full revisions resulting in a third
and final draft.
 Publishing the Final Copy: Publish (either virtually or on paper) the final
copies of the resulting compositions in a collection to be shared via one or more
media with an authentic audience.
If using this text and plan in a unit, select an appropriate time to share that: Dickinson used
punctuation to disrupt conventional linguistic relations and express inexpressible
psychological states. The dash “reaches out and holds at bay.” To fragment language and to
cause unrelated words to rush together. (Kamilla Denman, Modern American Poetry). To
indicate interruption of abrupt shift in thought. As a parenthetical device for emphasis. To
keep a note of uncertainty. Fluid and indicate incompletion, a way of being uncertain (like
Keats’s negative capability). (Donna Campbell, Washington State University)
‘Forever – Is Composed of Nows –’ (690)
Forever – is composed of Nows –
‘Tis not a different time –
Except for Infiniteness –
And Latitude of Home –
From this – experienced Here –
Remove the Dates – to These –
Let Months dissolve in further Months –
And Years – exhale in Years –
Without Debate – or Pause –
Or Celebrated Days –
No different Our Years would be
From Anno Dominies –
By Emily Dickinson
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