Goldilocks Strategy

Created by Carol Jago

Biography

Carol Jago, President 2010-2011 National Council of Teachers of English

Author Trainer Researcher Public Speaker High School English Teacher

Biography ~ continued Her books With Rigor for All: Teaching the

Classics to Contemporary Students and Beyond Standards: Excellence in the High School English Classroom, and Cohesive Writing: Why Concept Is Not Enough are published by Heinemann.

Her book, Classics in the Classroom: Designing Accessible Literature Lessons (Heinemann 2004), was published with an accompanying video. Papers, Papers, Papers: An English Teacher’s Survival Guide was published by Heinemann in August, 2005.

Goldilocks Strategy – which one is just right?

Read the three poems. Using the questions and categories on your worksheet, determine which poem should be labeled too easy, just right, and too hard.

The Goldilocks Strategy Too Easy Do you understand the poem? Do you know almost every word? Does the poem have simplistic

diction? Can you read it smoothly? Do you know something about

the topic?

Just Right Do you understand most of the

poem? Are there just a few words that you

don't know? When you read, are some places

smooth and some choppy? Do you know something about the

topic?

Too Hard Are there more than 5 words on a

page you don't know? Are you confused about the

meaning of the poem or parts of the poem?

When you read, does it sound pretty choppy?

Do you fully understand the topic?

April Rain Song BY LANGSTON HUGHES

Let the rain kiss you. Let the rain beat upon your head with

silver liquid drops. Let the rain sing you a lullaby. The rain makes still pools on the sidewalk. The rain makes running pools in the gutter. The rain plays a little sleep-song on our

roof at night— And I love the rain.

A Child of Spring By: Ellen Robena Field

I know a little maiden,She is very fair and sweet,As she trips among the grassesThat kiss her dainty feet;Her arms are full of flowers,The snow-drops, pure and white,Timid blue-eyed violets,And daffodillies bright.

She loves dear Mother Nature,And wanders by her side;She beckons to the birdlingsThat flock from far and wide.She wakes the baby brooklets,Soft breezes hear her call;She tells the little childrenThe sweetest tales of all.

Her brow is sometimes clouded,And she sighs with gentle grace,Till the sunbeams, daring lovers,Kiss the teardrops from her face.Well we know this dainty maiden,For April is her name;And we welcome her with gladness,As the springtime comes again.

An April DayBy: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

When the warm sun, that bringsSeed-time and harvest, has returned again,'Tis sweet to visit the still wood, where springsThe first flower of the plain.

I love the season well,When forest glades are teeming with bright forms,Nor dark and many-folded clouds foretellThe coming-on of storms.

From the earth's loosened mouldThe sapling draws its sustenance, and thrives;Though stricken to the heart with winter's cold,The drooping tree revives.

The softly-warbled songComes from the pleasant woods, and colored wingsGlance quick in the bright sun, that moves alongThe forest openings.

When the bright sunset fillsThe silver woods with light, the green slope throwsIts shadows in the hollows of the hills,And wide the upland glows.

And when the eve is born,In the blue lake the sky, o'er-reaching far,Is hollowed out, and the moon dips her horn,And twinkles many a star.

Inverted in the tide,Stand the gray rocks, and trembling shadows throw,And the fair trees look over, side by side,And see themselves below.

Sweet April!--many a thoughtIs wedded unto thee, as hearts are wed;Nor shall they fail, till, to its autumn brought,Life's golden fruit is shed.

Discussion: How are the poems alike and different?

On your own: Write a well-developed response explaining how the three poems are alike and different. Cite textual evidence.

Goldilocks Strategy – which one is just right? Task: For this assignment, your group

will read many poems searching for one that is too hard, too easy, and just right.

Directions: Begin by using books provided for you in the media center. As you read through the poetry, find one poem to fit into each category. Use the questions in the table below to guide your group through the process.

On your own:

The next step is to write a reflective essay on the poem that you chose that was “just right.” Explain why this poem is just right for you. Be thorough. Cite textual evidence. Explain the significance of the poem to you.

Does it mean something to you? Is there a strong connection that you feel?

Use your other two poems as support.

Extension Jago suggest using poetry journal to have

students continue to read, analyze, and interact with poems. The Goldilocks strategy can be used as a spring board to questions/prompts for reflection.

This strategy can be used with other types of text. Using the prompts from the strategy, students will be able to identify complex text and use other strategies to understand text.

The Rationale

The Goldilocks Strategy helps readers make sense of texts. Monitoring comprehension Thinking about thinking ~ metacognition Providing explicit instruction Answering questions/generating questions Providing cooperative learning

opportunities Promoting student engagement