Lesson Five: “Margaret's Room”
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What's on for today and why?
In Chapter 3, Nico is trying to cope with the absence of her sister, as is the rest of her family. We learn about the family's sleep patterns, eating habits and daily life. Nico becomes obsessed with the “spirit” of her sister, and travels into Margaret's room, in order to try and find some missing clue that Margaret may have left behind. Today, the students will be creating found poetry, using Nico's descriptions of what Margaret's room looks like. The students will be doing this in the computer lab, and will have to post their found poems on to their LiveJournals, along with any pictures, links, and music they have been able to find.
This activity is an excellent way to analyze the importance of Margaret's absence; her room becomes the last remaining symbol of any privacy Margaret may have had. By creating a found poem from Nico's description of the room, the students are becoming familiar with not only the importance that it holds, but also of the passage that they have been reading. Unconsciously, the students are going to be re-reading those two pages, in order to create the poem that they think best sums up the essence of Margaret's room, and the attitudes that the family has towards her absence. In addition, the students will be practicing their poetry skills, and will be incorporating technology into their understanding of the novel.
What To Do:
1. Discuss the Homework:
Inform the class that they will be going to the computer lab for the day, only if they get through their discussion of the main points of the chapter. Have a class discussion about the hypertexts, and allow some students to show theirs, using the computer located in the classroom. Then, discuss the events that occurred in Chapter Three. Focus specifically on the connections between Nico's dreams and her reality; the beginning of the strain on the familial relationship; and on the obsession that Nico has with Margaret's room. Steer the discussion towards the potential presence or “spirit” of Margaret. Does it exist? If so, is it watching over Nico, and guarding over its room? How is Margaret's presence evident in the room?
2. The Computer Lab:
After this discussion, the teacher will take the students to the computer lab, which had been reserved for the class ahead of time. There, the teacher will describe what found poetry is, how to make a found poem, and the style that it has, compared to “normal” poetry. She will give an example of a found poem that she had created and put on her LiveJournal, in order to give her students a better idea of exactly what is expected of them. The students will then log into their LiveJournals from their computers, and using pages 39-40 only, will create a found poem that is 3 verses in length. There will be no limitation as to how many words must be in a stanza; however, not all stanzas can be only one word in length. The students will also be asked to “decorate” their found poems, giving them unique colors, fonts, and sizes, in addition to whatever pictures, links, and music they can find that would tie in with the poem.
The students will work on this until the end of the period, at which point whatever they have not completed will become homework for that night.
3. Homework:
For homework, the students will be completing Chapter Four, and writing their fourth journal entries. When completing these assignments, the students should have the following questions in mind:
1. How are Nico's parents slowly deteriorating? Has her family given up all hope of living a normal life, or are they just in a “phase”?
2. Pay special attention to Nico's mother, and her actions throughout the chapter. What is going on here?
3. What is Nico's attitude towards sex and drugs? How is this different from Margaret's, and do you think Nico will eventually try to fill Margaret's shoes? Why or why not?
In addition to completing the chapter and their journals, the students will also be finishing their found poems, that they had started in class that day. These poems should be reflective of the chapter they have just read, and the students should make the extra effort to include different fonts and decorations to serve as enhancements to their poems.
How Did it Go?
Found poetry is an excellent way to have the students interact with the novel, while giving them a sort of “creative freedom” as to how they choose to interact with the novel. Though there are some guidelines as to how the found poem must be constructed, the picture that the students try to paint with their words is completely their own. In addition, the time spent in the computer lab allows them to become more familiar with the programs there, and the students get to see each other working on their LiveJournals, which promotes the sharing of ideas. Hopefully, from this assignment, the students are able to see the connection between Nico and Margaret's room, and are able to make predictions as to what Nico will do in Margaret's room in the future. The students will be able to share their insights on the novel so far, and will ask questions about the concepts they do not yet understand.
In terms of grading, the journals will be graded the same way they have been throughout this unit; the found poems will be graded out of 100 points. The grade that the students receive will be based upon the effort they have put into the poem, how well the poem reflects their understanding of the chapter, and on creativeness.
