We discuss Chapters Eleven through Fifteen. We discuss Chapter Seven of Black Boy. Students read and take notes on Chapters Sixteen through Twenty-Five. I present the questions about these chapters as a test and allow students to use their notes as they write short essays in response to the questions. Students prepare journal reflections on selected excerpts from Fist Stick Knife Gun .
Students share the quotes they've selected for journal entries and discuss their reflections.
Students write notes on these poems as they connect them with the ideas and incidents in Fist Stick Knife Gun. We spend two days analyzing and discussing the poems in small and large groups. Students pick out some of the most poignant scenes or ideas in Fist Stick Knife Gun on which to base an original poem. As homework, they write the first drafts of their original poems. First drafts are shared in class, and students give each other positive feedback regarding the best aspects of the poems.