What Does Success Look Like?
Scholars articulate the poet’s central message about immigration based on her characterization of the Statue of Liberty.
Seminar 1: “The New Colossus” by Emma Lazarus (Poem)
Do Now — 10 minutes
- Play classical or jazz music to establish a calm work environment.
- Scholars revise their Exit Tickets from yesterday’s seminar based on the feedback you gave them.
Launch — 2 minutes
- Tell scholars that today they will be reading “The New Colossus,” a powerful poem by Emma Lazarus, which is engraved on the Statue of Liberty. Build excitement by telling scholars that this poem will develop their background knowledge about concepts important in Home of the Brave.
Read and Discuss — 30 minutes
Display “The New Colossus.”
Preview the Text (2 minutes):
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- Have scholars read the title and scan the poem to frame their thinking.
- Call on scholars to share what they noticed about the text and what they will think about as they are reading.
Read (3 minutes):
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- Say: As you are reading, think, What is this text mostly about?
- Play a recording of the poem while scholars follow along on their digital copies.
Discuss (3 minutes):
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- Scholars discuss the following question in pairs: What is this text mostly about? Call on pairs to share out. Insist that scholars back up their claims with evidence from the text.
Read (10 minutes):
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- Say: As you are rereading, think, Why did the author write this poem?
- Read the poem aloud as scholars follow along on their digital copies. While reading aloud, pause to ask the questions below:
- Stop after line 6, “… Mother of Exiles.”
- How does Lazarus contrast the Statue of Liberty to the Colossus of Rhodes?
- Stop after line 12, “The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.”
- Partner Talk: Who are the “tired,” “poor,” “masses,” and “refuse”?
- Stop after line 14, “I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
- Partner Talk: What does this line mean?”
- Discuss: Why did the author write this poem?
Main Idea Jot (2 minutes):
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- Scholars jot a main idea in a comment next to the title of the text.
- While scholars are working, circulate to determine which scholars have a bull’s-eye main idea jot and which do not.
Discuss (8 minutes):
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- Scholars discuss the following questions as a whole class: How does Lazarus characterize the Statue of Liberty? What imagery does Lazarus use to describe immigrants in this poem?
Give scholars 2 minutes to revise their main idea jots based on the discussion.
Exit Ticket — 8 minutes
Write an essay of no more than 200 words:
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- America was established as a country of immigrants, yet politicians constantly disagree about the best approach to immigration. What is Lazarus’s point of view on immigration? How does her word choice convey that point of view? Justify your argument with at least two concrete pieces of evidence from “The New Colossus.”
Wrap-up — 5 minutes
- Show an exemplar essay to scholars. Have scholars discuss what makes the claim clear and compelling. Have scholars articulate the transferable takeaway from the work study that they need to apply to their own work moving forward.
Homework
- Based on the Wrap-up, revise the essay questions.