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.
Students write their second drafts as homework.
Students share and discuss the final drafts of their poems and create original covers for Fist Stick Knife Gun or drawings illustrating the poignant events in the book. A bulletin board of the covers, illustrations, poems, essays, and reflections is displayed in the school hallway. After their recitations, the class discusses the connections between the poems and Fist Stick Knife Gun . Questions for Chapters One through Ten 1. Explain this incident and your thoughts about what he learned from it.