PICTURE the POET. Photo: Benjamin Zephaniah by Donald MacLellan Donald MacLellan

Transcription

1 PICTURE the POET KS4 Lesson Plan Photo: Benjamin Zephaniah by Donald MacLellan Donald MacLellan

2 I De Rap Guy I am de rapping Rasta I rap de lyrics fasta Dan a Ford Cortina Or a double ghetto blasta, When royals are listening They proclaim me as a king I am way out an travelling Not a puppet on a string. I am de rapping rasta De lyrical masta Day say I am good to go So I go wid de flow, If yu really want to know Yu should book me for a show I will take you high an low Like an eagle or a roe. What I spread is unity Or to put it simply I want racial harmony In de world community I am big an I am bad So bad I will meek yu glad An you ll have to tell ya Dad Bout de rapper yu just had. I rap on de move Wid a little tongue an groove Wid ability to soothe Warmongers may not approve, I can put yu in your place Wid a little drum and bass I am proud of every race I out ran de steeplechase. De Rap Guy I am de rapping rasta Flesh and bone not plaster My ideas are very green And I keep me rapping clean, Let me take yu on a tour I know what I m rapping for. I can rap from coast to coast And I don t like to brag or boast. BENJAMIN ZEPHANIAH Copyright Material: I De Rap Guy from FUNKY CHICKENS by Benjamin Zephaniah (Viking, 1996, Puffin Books, 1997). Text copyright Benjamin Zephaniah, National Literacy Trust and National Portrait Gallery All written materials, literature, drawings, photographic images, icons, artworks and other graphical images in this document are copyright works belonging to the National Portrait Gallery and National Literacy Trust. Such copyright material may not be used and any unauthorised publication, copying, hiring, lending or reproduction is strictly prohibited and constitutes a breach of copyright. 2 PICTURE THE POET KS4 LESSON PLAN

3 Lesson plan Key Objective: Literacy outcomes: SPEAKING Verbally evaluate the work of themselves and others Be able to participate in discussions READING Demonstrate an ability to recognise poetic forms and structures WRITING Communicate meaning, adapting style where necessary Present their ideas in an organised, coherent way Resources: To create a self portrait poem that communicates identity. (60 minutes) Lesson Description: This hour-long lesson uses the poem I De Rap Guy by Benjamin Zephaniah as a springboard into creating poems based on self-identity. Pupils will look at the way that Benjamin uses language to create a verbal image of his identity through poetic language. This may be through metaphor, rhythm, dialect or rhyme. Pupils can also explore visual literacy through the portrait of Benjamin and how the artist has produced an image that represents both the poet as a person and his creative output. Pupils will then investigate ways they can explore their own identity and create their own portrait poem. Teacher Notes on delivery: These will be deeply personal poems, with pupils relaying information from their own internal thoughts within the poetry. There may also be issues with pupils being reflective and sometimes critical of their own body image. Teachers will need to be mindful that this has the potential to unlock a range of emotions and experiences amongst pupils, some of which may become distressing to share in a wider group. When it comes to sharing the poetry, care should be taken to ensure that any pupil who is asked to read aloud is comfortable doing so at that time. Depending on your school demographic, this may also be an opportunity to discuss and explore cultures outside of the pupils own personal experience, so this should be done with sensitivity. Differentiation: Portrait of Benjamin Zephaniah Highlighter pens Pupils will also need access during the lesson to a photograph of themselves (either their school photograph or one they have provided from home) By making themselves the central figure of the poem, pupils of all abilities immediately become experts on what the content should be. (No-one knows us better than ourselves after all.) When analysing and reflecting on the poetry, teachers may wish to focus on one or two specific literary devices (such as metaphor or rhyme) in order to focus class discussion. For pupils who may struggle with emotional responses or have severe issues relating to their own esteem, this task can be easily translated to focusing on an image of a celebrity, as in the homework/extension task. Identity Continues on next page... PICTURE THE POET KS4 LESSON PLAN 3

4 Lesson plan continued STARTER (10 MINS) Look at the image of Benjamin Zephaniah from the National Portrait Gallery Picture the Poet exhibition. What are your first reactions to the picture? You can think here about the choices the photographer made in portraying the poet (e.g. pose and gaze of the poet?) How does the composition and lighting affect the mood of the image? What might this be telling us about the poet s personality? Try to imagine what he is like as a person as well as what he physically looks like. With a partner, mind map any words that you think of when you look at the portrait. Share some of these early thoughts from your word portrait with the class - were all of the perceptions of Benjamin the same? Have we made any assumptions about his character from looking at him? CORE (15 MINS) As a class read I De Rap Guy. Can we add anything to our earlier word portrait of Benjamin now that we have read some of his work and heard a little of his view of life? Do you feel there is a connection between the poet s personality in the portrait and what you know about the poems they write? How might this relate to I De Rap Guy? Explain what you see in the image that makes you think this. With your partner, return to the I De Rap Guy poem. Using your knowledge of poetic terms, annotate the poem. Particularly focus on examples of where Benjamin has used metaphor, rhythm, dialect and rhyme. Use your highlighter pens to pick out key moments where he has used any of these techniques. Share these examples with the wider group. Discuss how effective Benjamin Zephaniah has been in showing his sense of self-identity through the poem. Look again at the portrait how well do you think the photographer knew the poetry of the poet? What might they have done differently to represent the poet? Do you feel the image represents the Rap Guy who says in his poem and I don t like to brag or boast, explain why? Do you feel the portrait has the same sense of self-identify as is represented in the poem? CORE (DEVELOPMENT) (25 MINS) Now look at your own picture. Imagine that you are looking at it as a picture of someone you have never come across before and the only evidence you have is the picture in front of you. What choices has the person who took your photo made? What does the picture say about your personality? Mind map some words that you think describe you - these can include things that you know about yourself but we may not know from looking at the picture. We will use these words as a base for your own portrait poem. Swap with your partner and ask them to add some words to your word portrait. Using your word portrait to inspire you, write a poem to introduce yourself to the world. Make poetic decisions in the same way that Benjamin did. Will you use metaphors to describe yourself? Will you choose to use a dialect for your work? Will the piece have a certain rhythm? Will you use rhyme? When you are finished, practise reading your poem to your work partner. Continues on next page... 4 PICTURE THE POET KS4 LESSON PLAN

5 Lesson plan continued PLENARY (10 MINS) Share some examples of the work with the rest of the class. Was there anything that we discovered about the person through the poem that we wouldn t have known just from looking at their picture? What suggestions might we have to develop the poem or the performance further? HOMEWORK / EXTENSION SUGGESTIONS Learn your poem to develop it into a performance for the rest of the class. Think about how you will show your personality to the class through the poem. Swap with your partner. Can you become them while you are performing? AND/OR Choose a picture of a stranger - it could be a celebrity or a picture of someone from a news story - can you imagine what their personality would be like? Can you write from their point of view? AND Discuss the two art forms of photography and poetry. How does one support the other? Which offers greater artistic freedom? Can an image open up a poem? How might a poem help us look and understand an image differently? Discuss the similarities and differences, benefits and challenges of the art forms. Write a poem about the relationship between poetry and photography or about a poet and a photographer. Representation Personality PICTURE THE POET KS4 LESSON PLAN 5