For a Google version of this lesson plan, click here. (Note: you will need to make a copy of the document to edit it).

Overview

In this lesson, participants will watch poet Jasmine Gardosi perform “Rollercoaster,” a poem about the ups and downs of pandemic life. Participants will then discuss the central metaphor of the poem and the value added through its performance, and then come up with their own figurative language to describe their pandemic experience.

Objectives

Students will be able to:

• Understand the message of slam poet champion Jasmine Gardosi’s (she/they) poem “Rollercoaster.”
• Compare & discuss the impact in reading the text of the poem vs. having the poet perform the poem on an actual roller coaster.
• Optional: Explore more poems connected to the pandemic and create their own pandemic metaphors, write their own poem using that metaphor.

Subjects

English, ELA

Estimated Time

One 60-minute class period, depending on extensions

Main activities

Read & Watch : Start by having participants read the text of the poem first before watching Jasmine Gardosi perform the poem. You can find the full poem in this NewsHour article and in the linked Google doc. As participants read Gardosi’s poem, have them think about the following questions:

• What do you notice?
• What do you wonder?
• What stands out to you?
• What lines resonate with you as a reader?
• What do you think of the metaphor of the “roller coaster” for an analogy on experiencing the pandemic? Why?

1. Now, participants should watch Jasmine Gardosi perform her poem on an actual roller coaster.

As participants watch Gardosi perform the poem on the rollercoaster, they should reflect on the following questions:

• What changes for you as a viewer & reader seeing the piece performed?
• What do you notice now that you didn’t before? What stands out to you?
• How did the impact and message of the poem change for you upon watching Gardosi be physically impacted on the ride?
• What message do you think the poet hopes listeners/readers take from the poem? How come? Where in the text can you back up what you think with what the poet wrote?

1. Participants should share their observations and discuss their thoughts. This can be done as a whole group, or in partners or small groups. Rewatch or replay parts of the poem as participants share their thoughts.

Wrap up: Have participants choose one line, phrase or stanza that most resonated with them and why.

Optional Extensions

1. Free Write/Free Response: Choose one. (Instructional note: Have students respond to the poem in the way that best suits their needs, or use this Free Response as a warm up activity to get your students writing. If collecting for assessment, consider focusing on assessing for completion & connection, and not for a grade.)
   • A) Write your own poem in reply to Gardosi’s poem “Roller coaster.”
     1. Take the first line of Gardosi’s poem and craft it into your own metaphor: “This pandemic? Absolute ______.” Focus on how you can capture and extend the feeling of the metaphor through your own poem.
     2. Or, choose a line, a feeling or a moment from the poem to inspire your response.
2. More Poems: Read and share more poems that have been written during the pandemic, and touch on pandemic themes. What do the poems have in common (other than their historical context)?
   • "The Miracle of Morning," written in 2020 by Amanda Gorman
   • “You Mean You Don’t Weep at the Nail Salon?” by Elizabeth Acevedo
   • “How Will This Pandemic Affect Poetry?” by Julia Alvarez
   • “The End of Poetry” by Ada Limón

1. More NewsHour: Why poems can be safe spaces during the pandemic In this PBS NewsHour segment, poets share how grief and struggle affected their writing.

Send your poem to education@newshour.org , so we can post it on NewsHour Classroom’s Student Voice blog or use #PBSPandemicPoem and tag @newshourextra over Twitter and Instagram .

Standards

RL.6-8, RL.9-10, RL.11-12 Key ideas and details Integration of knowledge and ideas Range of reading and level of text complexity

Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text. 

Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas. 

Analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas develop and interact over the course of a text.

Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse formats and media, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words. 8. Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, including the validity of the reasoning as well as the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.

Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently. (L.9-10, L.11-12)

Author Bio

Kate Stevens, M.S. in Curriculum & Instruction, is a high school language arts educator.  An instructional coach, global professional development leader, and former photojournalist, she currently teaches & coaches in Poudre School District (Fort Collins, CO). In 2015, Kate was honored with Colorado Department of Education’s Online & Blended Teacher of the Year. Connect with Kate on Twitter @KateTeaching.

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