English Education Models

• Teacher has pr epared a transparency of the clozed poem
• As students view the clozed poem via overhead projector, teacher reads poem aloud, using the word blank when she comes to the blank spaces
• Directions teacher gives to students:  "I want you and your partner to discuss what you think might go into the blanks here."

Auburn University

Pair of students discussing the blank in line ten, "_____ followed her around/The day she turned forty" and the blank in line sixteen, "Now somebody's embroidered silver/In her hair and sketched/A _____ here and there" 

• Girl poses question to boy: "What could follow her around?"
• He takes the dictionary and looks up a word.
• While he's busy with the dictionary, she focuses on the last blank.  She reads aloud lines 17-19, "I know a lady/A careful queen/She bows to ____ ____," and makes the observation that "that say the same thing as up at the top" (in line thre e).
• Period of boy and girl talking together reciting lines10-12.  Boy says, "Depression followed her around."  Then the girl says "That'd do it, depression, because the first word doesn't have to rhyme."  The boy nods in c onfirmation.
• Boy reads lines 14-16 aloud.  Girl suggests (with a little laugh) the word picture, as in "Now somebody's embroidered silver/In her hair and sketched/A picture here and there."  She observes that "It could be [p icture] because that don't have to rhyme either, just like ... depression."  Boy:  "Most people sketch pictures anyway."

Auburn University

One student reading aloud to his par tner the poem with their choices in the blanks: her king ("She bows to her king"); I (I followed her around"); wrinkle ("sketched/A wrinkle here and there"); her king ("She bows to her king"). 
 

Auburn University

Teacher solicits explanation from student about the pair's choice of her people for the first blank: "She bows to her people." 
 

Auburn University

Teacher solicits explanation from student about the pair's choice of wrinkle for the blank in line sixteen: "sketched/A wrinkle here and there." 

Auburn University