S T U D E N T G U I D E

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Let Evening Come by Jane Kenyon

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How does the poet use the sound of poetry to convey her emotions about death?

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Table of Contents

Vocabulary Building

• Map a Word

Direct Instruction Guide

• Cornell Notes: Making Arguments About Theme

STEP 1: Connect

• Finding Your Purpose for Learning
• Think-Pair-Share

STEP 2: Read

• Pause and Reflect

STEP 3: Engage with the Text

• Highlight and Annotate

STEP 4: Summarize

• Write a Summary

STEP 5: Build an Argument

• Collaborate: Share your argument builder

STEP 6: Create your CERCA

• Peer Editing Activity
• Writing Reflection

Throughout the guide, look for the laptop icon to find steps to complete online!

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Optional Extensions

• Creative Writing: Writing Poetry
• Speaking and Listening: Reciting Poetry
• Inquiry to Research: Asking Questions of the Texts

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SYNONYM (SIMILAR OR LIKE WORD)

ANTONYM (OPPOSITE WORD)

PICTURE OF�VOCABULARY WORD

SENTENCE USING VOCABULARY WORD

VOCABULARY WORD

PART OF SPEECH

V O C A B U L A R Y B U I L D I N G

Map a Word

Choose a word from the vocabulary list that is linked in the lesson. Write the word in the box below. Then fill in the other boxes on this page.

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Completing this process will help the word "stick" in your memory!

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D I R E C T I N S T R U C T I O N G U I D E

Cornell Notes: Making Arguments About Theme

Take notes on the lesson using the organizer below:

Watch the Direct Instruction lesson at learn.thinkcerca.com

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D I R E C T I N S T R U C T I O N G U I D E

Cornell Notes: Making Arguments About Theme(continued)

Summarize and Reflect

In your own words and in complete sentences, write a 3–4 sentence summary of this skills lesson. An accurate summary will cover the lesson's central ideas and include important details to support those ideas.

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Record your summary here:

S T E P 1 : C O N N E C T

Finding Your Purpose for Learning

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When you've finished reading the overview, answer the following questions in the space below:

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What more would you like to learn about how poets use figurative language, including metaphor, to explore themes such as death?

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Read the Topic Overview provided at learn.thinkcerca.com

S T E P 1 : C O N N E C T

Think-Pair-Share

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1. Think: On your own, think about your experiences related to the topic.

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• Pair & Share: With a partner, group, or a trusted listener, share the parts of your response that you feel comfortable sharing.

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• Reflect: If time permits, reflect on your experience. What ideas did others share that you hadn't considered? How were your ideas alike?

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Complete the writing activity in Step 1: Connect at learn.thinkcerca.com

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S T E P 2 : R E A D

Pause and Reflect

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When you’ve finished reading, go back and find the questions in the text marked “Pause and Reflect.” These questions will help you connect the text to yourself, to other texts, or to the world around you.

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Use the space on the left below to answer the reflection questions. Then, discuss your answers, noting how they were similar or different.

Record “Pause and Reflect” answers here:

Record discussion reflections here:

Read the text for this lesson at learn.thinkcerca.com

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S T E P 2 : R E A D

Test Prep Strategy: Write a Summary (Optional)

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Before you answer questions about a text, summarize it! Writing a summary allows you to anticipate questions that teachers and test-makers might ask.

First, read the poem. Then, write a 2-3 sentence summary below. Your summary should use the SOAPSTone strategy—identifying the Speaker, Occasion, Audience, Purpose, Subject, Tone—to summarize the poem.

• "The speaker of the poem..."
• "He/She is speaking at the moment when..."
• "The audience is readers who might feel __ about __"
• "The purpose of the poem is to convey the idea that __"
• “ The tone changes from __ to __ to __ etc."

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Refer to the multiple choice questions for this lesson at learn.thinkcerca.com.

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S T E P 3 : E N G A G E W I T H T H E T E X T

Highlight and Annotate

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In this step, you will analyze the text closely, then discuss your findings to begin developing reasoning for your argument.

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1. Read the text again, highlighting and annotating important details. Follow the prompts provided.

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The highlighting prompts will help you with the final writing task. You will find evidence to support your own argument or informational piece, as well as models of excellence that will help you better understand a writer’s craft in narratives. The evidence you highlight will be available when you begin building your draft in the next step.

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2. If time permits, pair and share your highlights and annotations with a classmate. Pay close attention to this conversation! Your thinking is important reasoning you may include in your final draft.

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Return to learn.thinkcerca.com to complete Step 3: Engage with the Text.

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S T E P 4 : S U M M A R I Z E

Write a Summary

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Summaries help you process your thinking about a text and are often a great way to start off an argumentative or informational essay. A good summary shows you have knowledge about a topic.

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Practicing summarizing also helps you prepare for the main idea questions posed on many standardized assessments. In addition, summarizing is a helpful skill for working with others, such as when you need to confirm your understanding of what someone else has said. That's a useful skill for all parts of life.

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1. ��Use the sentence stems provided to summarize the text.

Your summary should:

• Be brief
• Include the main idea and key details
• Represent these ideas fairly and accurately �
• If time permits, pair and share with a classmate. Read each other’s summary, and discuss how they are similar or different. What did you say were the main idea and key details? Were your summaries fair and accurate? Why?

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Return to learn.thinkcerca.com to complete Step 4: Summarize.

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S T E P 5 : B U I L D A N A R G U M E N T

Collaborate: Share your Argument Builder

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When you’ve completed the argument building step, share your results with others, and listen to how they responded to the same question. Ask questions and give feedback to help strengthen your partners’ reasons and evidence.

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Complete Step 5 to begin building your argument at learn.thinkcerca.com

S T E P 6 : C R E A T E Y O U R C E R C A

Peer Editing Activity

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1. Do a self-assessment of your CERCA. Use the online Rubric for the lesson on learn.thinkcerca.com, checking each box where you find evidence that you have achieved the criteria.�
2. Next, collaborate with a peer or peers to read each other’s drafts. Again, use the Rubric to evaluate each other’s work.�
3. Share insights into what might make your pieces stronger. Find two positive attributes and one area of growth for each draft you review.�
4. Revise your piece using what you learned from your self-assessment and the feedback from your peers.

Complete Step 6 to create your CERCA at learn.thinkcerca.com

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S T E P 6 : C R E A T E Y O U R C E R C A

Writing Reflection

Before you submit your final CERCA, write a brief reflection describing your experience.

An area for growth for me on this piece or in my writing in general is…

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The strongest areas of this piece of writing are…

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Through self-assessment and/or peer editing, I learned…

Optional Extensions

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The following activities can be used as optional extensions to this lesson.

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O P T I O N A L E X T E N S I O N : I N Q U I R Y T O R E S E A R C H

Asking Questions of the Texts

As you engage with texts in any subject, you can actively ask questions about the author’s purpose, intended audience, and occasion to understand the message. The table below provides examples.

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O P T I O N A L E X T E N S I O N : I N Q U I R Y T O R E S E A R C H

Asking Questions of the Texts (continued)

Use the table below to record questions about the text you read.

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O P T I O N A L E X T E N S I O N : C L A S S D E B A T E

Reciting Poetry

Enjoy reading poetry? You can write it, too!

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Apply what you’ve learned in this lesson about themes to create your own poem. Choose one of the activities below to get started:

• Write a six-stanza poem using the rhyme scheme and poetic structure that Jane Kenyon uses in “Let Evening Come.”
• Write a poem reflecting on the experience of loss or sadness.
• Your analysis of the poem centered on examining how sound conveys themes and creates meaning. Choose another sense—sight, smell, taste, or touch—and write a poem in which you use this sense to explore a theme.

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Remember, poetry is meant to be read aloud! Exercise your voice, and read your poem out loud to yourself, your family, neighbors, and friends.

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O P T I O N A L E X T E N S I O N : R E C I T I N G P O E T R Y

“Poetry Out Loud”�

Visit the Poetry Foundation’s “Poetry Out Loud” website. Here, you can access poems on a range of topics and themes, from sports to the seasons.

1. Choose a poem from the website. Analyze the poem using the “SOAPSTone” strategy:
• Who is the speaker?
• What is the occasion, audience, purpose, subject, and tone of the poem?
2. To help you better answer these questions about author, audience, and purpose, read the “Author Bio” at the bottom of each selection.
3. Read the poem aloud. Where do you note variations in pacing? How does that relate to meaning?
4. Practice, practice, practice! Keep on reading the poem aloud. Find your own voice and mode of delivery to capture the tone.
5. Together with your classmates, hold a poetry recitation. Each class member can recite their poem, note what drew them to this work, and provide information about the poet behind the words.

Use the organizer on the next page to help you prepare for the recitation and discussion.

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O P T I O N A L E X T E N S I O N : R E C I T I N G P O E T R Y

Poetry Recitation Notes

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