Unit 6 - Poem - The Comet
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B. Read the following lines and answer the questions
1. O’er the yellow pebbles dancing,
Through the flowers and foliage glancing
a) How does the river flow?
👉 The river flows playfully, sparkling and dancing over the pebbles, lightly touching the flowers and leaves.
b) What is meant by ‘foliage’?
👉 Foliage means a cluster of leaves, flowers, and branches.
2. River, river! Swelling river!
On you rush through rough and smooth;
a) Why does the poet mention the river to be swelling?
👉 The river is called swelling because it grows larger, stronger, and more forceful as it flows.
b) What are the surfaces the river flows through?
👉 The river flows through both rough and smooth surfaces.
3. Over rocks, by rose-banks, sweeping
Like impetuous youth.
a) Where does the rose grow?
👉 The rose grows along the riverbanks.
b) Which stage of man is compared here?
👉 The stage of youth is compared here.
4. Broad and deep, and still as time;
Seeming still, yet still in motion.
a) What is broad and deep?
👉 The river is broad and deep.
b) Is the time still?
👉 No, time is not still. Like the river, it keeps moving forward.
5. Tending onward to the ocean,
Just like mortal prime.
a) Where is the river flowing to?
👉 The river is flowing to the ocean.
b) What does the poet mean by ‘mortal prime’?
👉 ‘Mortal prime’ means the peak or prime stage of human life.
C. Read the following lines and answer the questions
1. Bright you sparkle on your way; /
O’er the yellow pebbles dancing,
Through the flowers and foliage glancing,
Like a child at play.
👉 Rhyming words: way – play; dancing – glancing
2. Mention the rhyme scheme of the poem.
👉 The rhyme scheme is abccb in each stanza.
3. Through the flowers and foliage glancing, / Like a child at play.
👉 Figure of speech: Simile (river is compared to a child at play).
Other examples:
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“Like impetuous youth” (compares river to youth)
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“Just like mortal prime” (compares river to maturity)
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“Like eternity” (compares river to endless life).
4. Seeming still, yet still in motion
a) Words in alliteration: still – still
b) Other examples of alliteration:
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“River, river!”
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“Sea that sail”
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“Broad and deep”
5. Pick out the examples for epithet from the poem.
👉 Examples: Little river, Swelling river, Brimming river, Headlong river
6. Pick out the examples for imagery from the poem.
👉 Examples:
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“O’er the yellow pebbles dancing” (sight & movement)
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“Through the flowers and foliage glancing” (sight & touch)
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“Louder, faster, brawling, leaping” (sound & movement)
D. Paragraph Questions
1. How does the poet bring about the comparison of life with the river?
👉 In the poem The River, the poet Caroline Ann Bowles beautifully compares the stages of human life with the journey of a river. In its early stage, the river is small, bright, and playful like a child. As it grows, it becomes strong, noisy, and rushing like a youth full of energy. Later, it becomes calm, broad, and deep, resembling the maturity of a person in the prime of life. Finally, the river flows headlong into the vast sea, symbolizing the human soul’s journey into eternity after death. Thus, the river reflects the different phases of life from childhood to eternity.
2. Describe how the poem clearly describes the features, functions and destructive power of the river.
👉 The poem The River describes the river as a symbol of life and nature’s force. In its beginning, the river sparkles and dances gently over pebbles, showing its beauty. As it flows, it becomes louder, faster, and forceful, rushing through rocks and sweeping away everything in its path, which shows its power. Later, it becomes broad, deep, and steady, signifying maturity and stability. Finally, the river dashes into the sea with unstoppable force, proving its mighty and destructive power. Through these descriptions, the poet highlights both the charm and the strength of the river.
E. Summary Completion
In the poem The River, the poet compares the flow of the river with different stages of human life. The first stanza explains how the sparkling river goes dancing over the yellow pebbles and glancing through the flowers and leaves. These acts of the river is compared to a curious and innocent child at play. The second stanza compares the river to a reckless youth who goes through rough and smooth patches of life. Like a youth, here the river becomes louder, faster and sweeping everything all along the way. In the third stanza, the river becomes like a hard working man who is at the prime phase of the life. Here the deep and broad river seems motionless but it keeps moving towards the sea like a matured man who silently marches towards the goal. In the last stanza the long journey of the river reaches the endless sea like a human life attains eternity.
Lesson Plan: Unit 6 Poem - The Comet
Poem Title: The Comet Author: Norman Littleford
1. Learning Objectives: By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
- Understand and appreciate the poetic description of a comet's characteristics, movement, and potential impact.
- Identify and define new vocabulary related to the poem, such as "rampaging," "spectacle," "comet," "trail," and "quake".
- Analyze literary devices used in the poem, including similes (e.g., "Faster than a cheetah") and imagery.
- Summarize the main ideas and themes presented in the poem, including the scientific theory about comets and the origin of life.
- Connect the poem's content to scientific information about comets from additional sources.
2. Learning Outcomes: Students will be able to:
- Describe a comet using descriptive language and scientific facts, as presented in the poem and suppleme
- ntary materials.
- Discuss the potential significance of comets, both as a natural spectacle and in the context of scientific theories about the origin of life on Earth.
- Express their understanding of the poem's content through written summaries and answers to comprehension questions.
- Engage in imaginative tasks such as role-playing an interview with an astronaut or writing a letter to an alien, applying knowledge gained about space and celestial bodies.
3. Introduction: The teacher will initiate the lesson with a warm-up activity and questions to engage students:
- Warm-up Crossword Puzzle: "Fill in the crossword puzzle using the clues given below." focusing on celestial bodies and concepts like "Earth's only natural satellite" (Moon), "Morning star" (Venus), "The Blue planet" (Earth), "Largest planet in the solar system" (Jupiter), "Smallest planet in the Solar system" (Mercury), "Our Galaxy" (Milky Way), "Seventh planet from the sun" (Uranus), "Farthest planet in the Solar system" (Neptune), and "The Red planet" (Mars).
- Discussion Questions:
- "What are comets? Have you ever seen one or seen pictures of them?"
- "What do you know about objects that travel in space?"
- "How do you think a comet would look if it passed close to Earth?"
4. Reading and Understanding: The teacher will lead students through the poem, ensuring comprehension of each stanza and new vocabulary.
- Poem Reading: Students will read "The Comet" by Norman Littleford aloud.
- Vocabulary Introduction: The teacher will introduce and explain words from the glossary:
- rampaging (v) - going through an area making a lot of noise and causing damage
- spectacle (n) - an unusual or unexpected event or situation that attracts attention, interest
- comet (n) - an icy small Solar body, which when passing close to the Sun, warms and begins to release gases that are seen on rare occasions from the earth as a bright line in the sky
- trail (n) - a path often made or used for a particular purpose
- quake (v) - a sudden violent movement of the earth's surface, sometimes causing great damage (short form of earthquake)
- Stanza-by-Stanza Discussion: After reading each stanza, the teacher will ask guiding questions to ensure students grasp the descriptions and meanings.
5. Mind Map: Students will create a mind map or visual representation of the poem's key elements. This could be:
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- Central Theme: "The Comet"
- Branches:
- Description: "Rampaging through the heavens," "Faster than a cheetah," "Tail that's miles long," "Bigger than a mountain," "Powerful and strong".
- Phenomena: "Outer ice is melting," "Causing vapor," "Leaves a trail".
- Effects on Earth: "Atmosphere will shake," "Shockwave reaching to the ground," "Causing the land to quake".
- Scientific Theory: "Chemicals in the dust... Could have started life on the earth Which resulted in mankind".
- Poet's Perspective: "I cannot say if this is true," "No better spectacle".
- Author: Norman Littleford, American poet, focus on life and nature.
6. Consolidation and Presentation: The teacher will provide a summary of the poem, reinforcing the main points.
- Summary: "The poet describes a moving comet which speeds through the heavens and never takes a break by day or night. When a comet is in full flight, it gives a spectacular scene which can never be compared to anything else for a lifetime. The comet is compared to a cheetah for its speed and a mountain as it is powerful and strong. The outer ice melts which causes a vapor from the force and leaves behind a trail as it travels on its way. If it comes very close to the atmosphere, it causes a shake which in turn produces a shock wave that reach the Earth’s surface. According to the scientists, the comets leave behind chemicals in the form of dust which resulted in the emerging of life on earth and mankind came into existence. But the poet is not sure whether this principle is true or not but he knows for sure that whatever the truth may be, the sight of the comet in full flight is spectacular".
7. Reinforcement: The teacher will provide additional information to deepen students' understanding.
- About the Author: Norman Littleford (1889-1947) was an American poet whose works focused on life and nature. His poems are known for being simple yet deep in thought, encouraging readers to explore ideas beyond the surface.
- Scientific Context (Listening Passage): Comets are believed to be remnants of materials that created the Sun and planets, essentially "leftovers." They are too small to be planets, varying in size from a few feet to a mile or more. Comets are mostly made of ice and are very old. As they travel close to the Sun, some ice melts into gas, causing bits of dust and debris to trail behind, which is seen as a bright, quickly-moving light in the night sky. Comets orbit at the very edge of the galaxy, past Pluto.
8. Evaluation: The teacher will ask three questions to assess student understanding:
- a) Lower Order Thinking Question (LOT): "What are comets mostly made of, according to the listening passage?".
- b) Middle Order Thinking Question (MOT): "Why does the poet compare the comet to a cheetah and a mountain?".
- c) Higher Order Thinking Question (HOT): "The poet states, 'I cannot say if this is true I do not have the right, But I know no better spectacle Than a comet in full flight.' What does this reveal about the poet's perspective on scientific theories versus natural beauty?".
9. Remedial Teaching: For slow learners, the teacher will implement the following strategies:
- Simplified Explanations: Break down complex stanzas or vocabulary into simpler terms.
- Visual Aids: Use pictures or videos of comets to help visualize the poem's descriptions.
- Paired Reading: Have students read the poem in pairs, taking turns and helping each other with pronunciation and comprehension.
- Focused Vocabulary Practice: Provide flashcards for new words from the glossary and conduct quick recall exercises.
- Graphic Organizers: Use simple charts to map the comet's characteristics and effects.
10. Writing: Students will choose one of the following writing tasks:
- Poem Appreciation: "When you read the poem aloud, you can feel/hear a rhythm. What according to you gives rhythm to the poem- the rhyme or the words in a line? Support your answer with examples from the poem".
- Narrative Description: "Narrate how the poet describes the comet".
11. Follow Up: The teacher will assign homework or an activity to reinforce learning:
- Creative Writing/Role-play:
- "Imagine you are interviewing an astronaut about his/her experiences in space. Select a partner to be an astronaut and present the interview as a role-play in front of the class".
- OR "Imagine that you and your friend get a chance to visit another planet. There, you befriend an alien who takes you around the planet. After reaching the earth, write a letter thanking him for all the help he did".
- Research Activity: "Research and find out about famous comets in history (e.g., Halley's Comet) and their significance."
- Crossword Challenge: Complete the "Warm up" crossword puzzle on solar system bodies as a take-home assignment.
