Peach Blossom Spring

[Anonymous]

I used the legendary poem of Tao Qian (365–427), "Peach blossom spring [Taohua yuan]" as the springboard for a three-day lesson plan designed to help my AP English Literature students analyze poetry from a variety of eras and locales.

Warm Up:
Students will share their responses to homework questions responding to Brian Aldiss’ poem, Flight 063, with their table-mates:

• What point is the speaker trying to make about myths and legends, particularly the myth of Icarus?
• Why do we remember him in relation to his fall rather than his passion to fly?
• What does this say about the human desire to go beyond our limits?

Whole class discussion follows as each table shares their responses.

Into:

• Quick Write (QW): Explain the characteristics of utopia. Consider concrete and intangible aspects: describe the physical setting and the emotional appeal of finding and living in utopia. To help you get started, you may contrast it with dystopian societies often found in science fiction novels such as 1984, Brave New World, Fahrenheit 451,The Hunger Games, etc…
• Ask student volunteers to read aloud their definitions of utopia and chart on whiteboard. Class will then incorporate other students’ responses to augment individual understanding of utopia and its significance.

Through:

• Students listen to a five minute audio recording of Story Time at the Met while viewing a PowerPoint slideshow of images depicting “Peach Blossom Spring” from a hand scroll painted during the Chinese Ming dynasty, (1368–1644) by Qiu Ying, Chinese (approx. 1494–1552).
• Students will read a translation of Tao Qian's poem, "Peach Blossom Spring," and answer the following questions in their table groups:

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• How is the legend of “Peach Blossom Spring” a compelling story.
• How does the legend compare to the myth of Icarus?
• Does it meet or contradict our definitions of utopia?
• What are some possible reasons why the villagers have no contact with the outside world?
• Why do you think the story ends with no one finding the place called Shangri-La again?

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• Table groups will share their responses with the whole class.

Beyond:

• Students will now select an image from Qiu Ying’s hand scroll painting to write their own ekphrasis poem or short story. (They may choose to incorporate elements of Tao Qian’s poem or use their imagination to delve into storylines the image inspires for them.)
• Students will type a one-page poem or two-page short story into a Word Document which should include pasted image(s) selected from the PowerPoint posted on http://www.edline.net.
• After proof-reading their work, students will upload their final responses to the Homework Hand-in application on http://www.edline.net.

Follow Through:
For students requiring more time, they may revise and resubmit their responses, prior to the next class period, via http://www.Edline.net.

edited by nparmar on 6/24/2012

[Anonymous]

well done, I like your lesson

[Rob_Hugo@PortNW]

I used the legendary poem of Tao Qian (365–427), "Peach blossom spring [Taohua yuan]" as the springboard for a three-day lesson plan designed to help my AP English Literature students analyze poetry from a variety of eras and locales.

Warm Up: Quick Write (QW):
What mythological legends or stories do you remember best and why? Recall myths in stories you have heard about, read about or even seen in movies and on television. Consider any cultural source.

Into: Ask student volunteers to share their written responses to engage the class in a discussion of the cultural significance of mythology.

Through:

• Use PowerPoint presentation to introduce OPTIC Strategy to examine significant details in paintings, to be used in study of Ekphrasis: The Poet Speaks to Art (previously taught and used).
• Students take notes on the strategy and apply it to viewing paintings. View a series of paintings depicting Icarus by various artists and ask students to respond using OPTIC, orally

Beyond: Final Painting is Peter Brueghel’s Landscape and the Fall of Icarus

• Students spend time individually viewing the painting and write detailed responses to OPTIC in their notebooks
• Students share their responses with table-mates
• Whole class discussion follows

We now return to Ekphrasis and read four poets’ responses to the painting

• Teacher reads William Carlos Williams’ poem first and asks students for their emotional response to the poem, orally
• Next, students read W.H. Auden’s poem, Musee des Beaux Arts and record responses to the four questions below in their table groups.
• Whole class discussion follows.
• Students will annotate Anne Sexton’s poem, To a Friend Whose Work Has Come to Triumph, and identify specific literary devices.
• Synthesis discussion of varying perspectives, themes and tones in each of the poems to wrap up lesson.

Follow Through: For homework, students will read and annotate Brian Aldiss’ poem, Flight 063, and answer the questions which follow.

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[Anonymous]

I used the legendary poem of Tao Qian (365–427), "Peach blossom spring [Taohua yuan]" as the springboard for a three-day lesson plan designed to help my AP English Literature students analyze poetry from a variety of eras and locales.

Warm Up:
Students will share their poems and short stories as we the class views the scenes which inspired each student’s writing.

Into:
[ol]

[Author]

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