While originally created to accompany The Cay, this poetry lesson could be used on it's own, especially if you are working on dialect. Class members conduct a close reading of "When Malindy Sings" by Paul Laurence Dunbar and listen to an audio recording to get a better idea of what the dialects sounds like. After determining the main idea, partners translate stanzas and summarize the poem. Once pupils are clear on the meaning, pose the provided questions and hold a discussion.

Concepts

central ideas, main ideas, the cay, theodore taylor, poetry, summarizing

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Additional Tags

the cay, dialect, central idea, summarize, poetry, when malindy sings, paul laurence dunbar, english language arts

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Pros

• A strong lesson for close reading that involves determining the main idea, summarizing, collaborative work, and discussion

Cons

• Some procedures could be explained in more detail

Common Core

RL.6.1 RL.6.2 RL.6.4 RL.6.5 RL.6.6 RL.6.7 RL.6.10 W.6.10 SL.6.1.a SL.6.1.c SL.6.1.d L.6.1.a L.6.1.e L.6.5.a L.6.5.c