form of the poem scrape at the assistance to window, feel the confirmed, turn the students. hammer on the to the poem's Finally, give thumb, smell the message by students a week locker room, taste asking students the fried termites, to draft and see the just-born what stands out complete their bird. Which has more to them about the papers before is impact: “Ralph poem. Ask them turning them in or mean” “Ralph likes to stomp little what they for evaluation kittens to death with remember, feel, TW: This his size 14-D question, and see boots?" Details activity can be a when they read are everything. They good start to provoke the and hear the any new class. empathic reaction. poem. Stress that It allows the there are no students to wrong answers. A Second Exercise: reflect on some This exercise will get personal event TW: Ask students to show in their lives. rather than tell a students to share They also learn story. personal about narrative experiences, and descriptive emotions, and Exercise in writing. Finally, beliefs that “Showing Rather since the than When Telling” influenced their students have Writing a Narrative reaction. Ask so much SW: Read the students if the background narrative about
form of the poem confirmed, turn to the poem's message by asking students what stands out to them about the poem. Ask them what they remember, feel, question, and see when they read and hear the poem. Stress that there are no wrong answers. TW: Ask students to share personal experiences, emotions, and beliefs that influenced their reaction. Ask students if the scrape at the window, feel the hammer on the thumb, smell the locker room, taste the fried termites, see the just-born bird. Which has more impact: “Ralph is mean” or “Ralph likes to stomp little kittens to death with his size 14-D boots?" Details are everything. They provoke the empathic reaction. A Second Exercise: This exercise will get students to show rather than tell a story. Exercise in “Showing Rather than Telling” When Writing a Narrative SW: Read the narrative about assistance to the students. Finally, give students a week to draft and complete their papers before turning them in for evaluation TW: This activity can be a good start to any new class. It allows the students to reflect on some personal event in their lives. They also learn about narrative and descriptive writing. Finally, since the students have so much background