JOROAN HIGH SCHOOL

Joroan, Tiwi, Albay

LESSON PLAN IN ENGLISH 9

I. OBJECTIVES

At the end of the lesson the students are expected to:

a. Cite effective ways of coping with challenges to enhance self.
b. Extract the message of the texts on how to cope with challenges through TWIST analysis
c. Infer meanings from texts and relate it to real life situations.

II. SṲBJECT MATTER

Topic: Coping with Challenges
References: https://storyboardthat.com/lesson-plans/mother-to-son-by-langston-hughes/twist-analysis
https://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/see-it-through-by-edgar-guest
A Journey Through Anglo-American Literature Learner Material
Materials: visṳal aid, laptop, projector, speaker

III. PROCEDṲRE
A. Preliminary Activities
B. Pre-test
 The class will listen to the poem entitled “See it Through” by Edgar Albert Guest
 After listening to the poem the students will answer the following questions:

1. What does the speaker tell the readers in the first stanza of the poem?
a. Run away from problems
b. Face the challenges head on.
c. Give up whenever life gets hard.
d. Love one another to survive.
2. In the second stanza, what do the black clods symbolize in the poem?
a. Hope and love.
b. Problems and challenges.
c. Bright future ahead.
d. Rainy days.
3. What character trait is highlighted in the poem to get through life’s adversaries?
a. Confidence
b. Determination
c. Courage
d. All of the above
4. What style did the poet use to convey the message?
a. He used journalistic style to highlight the need to overcome challenges.
b. He argued about the importance of facing life’s situations.
c. He employed informal language to mirror ups and downs in one’s life.
d. He used persuasive technique and original motivational lines to inspire the readers to work
through the problems they are facing.
5. What is the best theme of the poem?
a. Perseverance, bravery and determination
b. Passion, dedication and commitment in pursuing one’s dream
c. Failure, survival and success in living life to the fullest
d. Faith, hope and love to achieve goals in life.

Motive Question:
a. What do you consider as your challenges in life?
b. Make a list of 3 challenges experienced by students like you.
c. Rank them in order of difficulty. Rank 1 the most challenging and 3 as the least.

1. _____________________________________________________________________
2. _____________________________________________________________________
3. _____________________________________________________________________
  Now, decide what is the most effective method of coping with challenges.
 Rank them in order of effectiveness. Rank 1 the most effective and 3 as the least effective.
1. _____________________________________________________________________
2. _____________________________________________________________________
3. _____________________________________________________________________

C. Learning Activities

Vocabulary List:

1. Stair – noun; series of steps for passing from one level to another
2. Tacks – noun; a small sharp-pointed nail usually having a broad flat head
3. Splinters – noun; small fragments, parts of factions
4. Bludgeoning – verb; to hit or attack with heavy impact
5. Timber – noun; growing trees or their wood.

Find out how the poem entitled “Mother to Son” written by Langston Hughes will help you achieve insights about
difficult times.

ABOṲT THE AṲTHOR

Langston Hughes (1902-1967) was well-known African American writer. He is celebrated as a

powerful writer of the Harlem Renaissance, the artistic movement that brought about an explosion of
African American art, msic and literature in the 1920s and 30s. Like most arts produced as part of the
Harlem Renaissance, Hughes’ poems speak to the experience of black people in America. Some
poems celebrate African American cultural heritage, while other lament their past enslavement and
continued economic struggles. These socioeconomic struggles were particularly severe in America
during the Jim Crow era before the Civil Rights Movement. “Mother to Son” builds on an understanding
of the financial struggles facing many black families in the early 1900s. Written about 100 years ago, its
message still resonates today.

Integration:

The Philippines has a total population of 92.3 million that is very young and growing at 1.9% annually. Of every 10
Filipino students, 6 and 4 are enrolled in private and public schools. Filipinos place a high premium on formal education.
With this, students encounter difficulties and hardships in education or schooling leading to depression and suicide. Certain
factors were considered based on a study on the causes of such. Students not living with both parents had a significantly
higher level of depression symptoms. In the absence of high level of closeness of Filipino students with parents, in which
the parent-child relationships would be characterized by communication problems, excessive parental control, low levels of
cohesion and high levels of conflict in the families, adolescents are bound to experience depressive symptoms. Students
are in a stage where they mostly need their peers for emotional support. (Hefner & Eisenberg)

Mother to Son
BY LANGSTON HUGHES
Well, son, I’ll tell you:
Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.
It’s had tacks in it,
And splinters,
And boards torn up,
And places with no carpet on the floor—
Bare.
But all the time
I’se been a-climbin’ on,
And reachin’ landin’s,
And turnin’ corners,
And sometimes goin’ in the dark
Where there ain’t been no light.
So boy, don’t you turn back.
Don’t you set down on the steps
’Cause you finds it’s kinder hard.
Don’t you fall now—
For I’se still goin’, honey,
 I’se still climbin’,
And life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.

Questions:
1.What does the crystal staircase symbolize in the poem?
2. What is the best theme of the poem?
3. What does the mother tell her son in the poem?
4. Which line in the poem talk about responses to hardships?

D. Abstraction

A great way to engage you in a poem or any literary piece is through examining the TONE, WORD, CHOICE,
IMAGERY, STYLE and THEME or the acronym “TWIST”. In a TWIST, You will focus on reading the poem to look deeper at the
author’s meaning.

POINTS TO REMEMBER
The general character or attitude of a place, piece of writing, situation etc. Tone words sho uld
T Tone always be adjectives and convey one of the following attitudes: Positive, Negative, Humorous
(Ironic/Sarcastic), Sorrowful (Feral, Worried), or Neutral.
W Word Choice The author’s use of specific and accurate words, to “show” the message to the reader rather than
to “tell” them.
Visually descriptive or figurative language in a literary work. These are all details that the author
I Imagery will use to give a sense of emotion to the reader. Very descriptive, figurative language paints a
picture in the reader’s minds.
Referred to the way that the author uses words- the author’s vocabulary, sentence structure,
S Style figurative language and sentence arrangement. The way an author presents the information
determines the way in which the reader interprets it. The wording itself lends insight into the
emotions or concepts the author wants convey with the scene, setting or characters.
The subject of a piece of writing, usually the author’s thoughts on a specific topic. When looking at
T Theme theme, you should use the other parts of the TWIST to piece together information about the
author’s intentions.

Let us take a look on the TWIST of the poem “Mother to Son” so you can look deeper on what the poet wants to convey.
MAKE CONNECTIONS

At this point, focus on identifying the figurative meanings behind Hughes’s word choices to better understand the
poem. Connect your personal experiences to the poem and make realizations on how to face the problems and difficulties
you are facing right now.

"Life for me ain't been no crystal stair"

Life has been difficult for the speaker. She has had to struggle and work hard to survive and improve her circumstances.

"It's had tacks in it/ and splinters"

The "staircase" of life has been filled with difficulties.The tacks and splinters represent hardships and moments that
brought the mother pain. These could include working long hours, losing a job, dealing with illness, watching a loved one
die, or many other difficulties.

“Bare”
The "bare" portion of the staircase again suggests difficulties. By isolating the word "bare" in its own line, Hughes suggests
the mother was lonely or poor. She had no soft carpet of friends or money to bring her comfort or to ease the pain of her
journey.

"And sometimes going in the dark/Where there ain't been no light"

The darkness represents hopelessness. When the speaker says there "ain't been no light", she suggests that there is no
happy, bright spot in her life to bring her joy or give her hope in a brighter future.

E. Application

PRACTICE TASK 1 Overcoming Obstacles

When you read a poem or listen to others read it, you can come up with a broad statement that sums p to the
poem’s central meaning.
Read the poem below and identify its TWIST. You may answer in one or two complete sentences each.
 Good Timber

By Douglas Malloch
The tree that never had to fight
For sun and sky and air and light,
But stood out in the open plain
And always got its share of rain,
Never became a forest king
But lived and died a scrubby thing.

The man who never had to toil

To gain and farm his patch of soil,
Who never had to win his share
Of sun and sky and light and air,
Never became a manly man
But lived and died as he began.

Good timber does not grow with ease,

The stronger wind, the stronger trees,
The further sky, the greater length,
The more the storm, the more the strength.
By sun and cold, by rain and snow,
In trees and men good timbers grow.

Where thickest lies the forest growth

We find the patriarchs of both.
And they hold counsel with the stars
Whose broken branches show the scars
Of many winds and much of strife.
This is the common law of life.

T Tone
W Word Choice
I Imagery
S Style
T Theme

PRACTICE TASK 2 More Hardships and Challenges

Think of the hardships you experienced in the past or the difficulties or challenges you are experiencing right now.
List them using the table below along with your given responses to the given questions presented in columns 2 and 3.
Write your answer in your Activity Notebook.

Your own What were your responses to What was the advice given to you
Hardships/Difficulties/Challenges hardships that helped you in dealing with the
Experienced hardships?
 IV. ASSESSMENT
Read and understand the poem “Invictus” by William Ernest Henley then answer the questions that follow.

Invictus
BY WILLIAM ERNEST HENLEY

Out of the night that covers me,

Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance

I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears

Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,

How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate,
I am the captain of my soul.

Directions: Choose the letter of the correct answer in each item. Write your answer in your Activity Notebook.

1. Who is the speaker in the poem?

a. An optimistic person who loves everything about life.
b. An aggressive person who just won an argument.
c. A depressed person who is confuse with what is happening around him.
d. A resilient person who has overcome a difficult situation.
2. Which of the following lines state that the speaker doesn’t bow to life’s difficulties and instead faces them head
on?
a. In the fell clutch of circumstance, I have not winced nor cried aloud.
b. Under the bludgeoning of chance, My head is bloody, but unbowed.
c. And yet the menace of the years, Finds and shall find me unafraid.
d. All of the above
3. What character trait is highlighted in the poem to overcome challenges in life?
a. Resiliency
b. Bravery
c. Strength
d. All of the above
4. What does the lines “I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul” mean?
a. The speaker has the freedom to choose to thrive and survive amidst life’s challenges.
b. The speaker has the ability to control his fate and soul.
c. The speaker expresses refusal to handle all the hardships/struggles.
d. The speaker wants to join the military to become a master or captain.
5. Which of the following best describe the word choice of the poem?
a. The poet used repetitive word structure that emphasizes the recurring nature of adversity and constancy of
inner strength.
b. The poet employed words and phrases that suggests optimism and positivity.
c. The poet utilized words that are confusing and difficult to understand.
d. The poet used figurative language.
6. What style did the poet use to convey his message?
a. He used journalistic style to stable his message.
b. He employed informal language to cite the sufferings he experienced.
c. He used figurative language to describe life’s adversities and affirm emotional fortitude.
d. Ge argued about the need to overcome challenges.
7. What is the tone of the poem?
a. Afraid
b. Sad
c. Courageous
d. Optimistic
8. Which of the following is the best theme of the text?
a. Resilience is the ability to keep going and refuse to give up.
b. Struggles are important to build self-confidence.
c. Independence means refusing to follow anyone else’s rules or laws.
d. Sacrifice is necessary to achieve one’s goal in life.
9. How does the poem’s use of darkness in its imagery contribute to the texts overall meaning?
a. The poem describes night covering the earth from “pole to pole” (line 2), suggesting that the speaker’s outlook
on the word is very bleak and hopeless.
b. The poem describes “night” (line 1) covering the speaker, symbolic of the adversity and/or suffering he faces.
c. The poem describes “the Horror of the shade” (line 10), suggesting that the speaker’s hard times are only
temporary.
d. The poem describes a dark “place of wrath and tears” (line 9), implying that the speaker is overcome by his
depression.
10. Based on the TWIST of the poem, what does the little “invictus” probably mean?
a. Careless
b. Lucky
c. Unfortunate
d. Undefeated

V. Assignment
Pretend that you are a mother of a Grade 9 student who is currently experiencing challenges which you fear
will lead to depression. Write a letter with three paragraphs (atleast 3 sentences each) to give him/her advice
on how he/she can cope with the challenges. You may use symbolisms and figurative language. You are free to
think of any challenge the student is experiencing which will be the basis of your advice. Use the rubric:

CRITERIA 1 2 3 4 5 Total
Creativity (presents original or unique style to make it interesting)
Organization (has logically organized arguments, facts and reasons around a
particular point)
Focus (concentrates on a specific topic that is clear and significant)
Clarity of Ideas (clearly presents reasons, facts and opinions as support)
Language Convention (uses simple, direct, concise and clear expressions free
from error)
Impact (convinces the audience to accept the ideas and moves them to
action.

Prepared by:

LOU-ANNB. GERMAN
Teacher I

Noted:

Lourdes B. Colasi
Principal II