Engagement Through Poetry: a Qualitative Study of the High School Literacy Project Raina J. León a Dissertation Submitted to T

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Engagement Through Poetry: a Qualitative Study of the High School Literacy Project Raina J. León a Dissertation Submitted to T Engagement Through Poetry: A Qualitative Study of the High School Literacy Project Raina J. León A dissertation submitted to the graduate faculty of the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctorate of Philosophy in the School of Education (Culture, Curriculum and Change) Chapel Hill 2010 Approved by Committee: Dr. James Trier, University of North Carolina - CH Chairperson Dr. George Noblit, University of North Carolina - CH Dr. Lynda Stone, University of North Carolina - CH Dr. David Iasevoli, State University of New York - Plattsburgh Dr. Aldon Nielsen, Pennsylvania State University © 2010 Raina J. León ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ii ABSTRACT Raina J. León Engagement Through Poetry: A Qualitative Study of the High School Literacy Project Under the direction of Dr. James Trier The teaching of poetry is not important. That is what an analysis of the four of the top journals in English Education – English Education, English Journal, Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy and Research in the Teaching of English – says. The work of the High School Literacy Project combated this notion while seeking to encourage the development of critical literacy in adolescents who did not identify as writers or active readers. This writing as inquiry dissertation explores some of the curricular nuances of the project. Through conquering words and studying the work of contemporary, multicultural writers, students were challenged to become engaged learners and change agents. They were pushed to recognize voice and work to establish their own writing voices, and invest in becoming writers and readers. iii DEDICATION To my mother and father, Dr. Norma D. Thomas and Edwardo León iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The author wishes to extend thanks to the following parties for their aid in the production of this dissertation: the dissertation and defense committee, Dr. James Trier (chair), Dr. George Noblit, Dr. Lynda Stone, Dr. George Noblit and Dr. David Iasevoli; the dissertation proposal committee, Dr. James Trier (chair), Dr. George Noblit, Dr. Aldon Nielsen, Dr. Valerie Kinloch, and Dr. Lynda Stone; the course of studies committee, Dr. Mary Stone Hanley (chair and advisor), Dr. Aldon Nielsen, Dr. George Noblit and Dr. James Trier; artist colonies, The Montana Artists Refuge, The MacDowell Colony, Kimmel Harding Nelson Colony, and the Vermont Studio Center; reviewers, Dr. Norma D. Thomas, Dr. Daniella Cook, Dr. Thomas Apperley and Dr. Catherine Scott; Mr. Luke Curry, Mr. Rahat Babar, Esq., Dr. Eleanor Petron, Ms. DeLana Dameron; Dr. Madeline Grumet; Ms. Rachel Winters; Dr. Joseph Jordan, Dr. Robin Vander and the Sonja Haynes Stone Center for Black Culture and History staff; teachers and students involved in the High School Literacy Project; The Montana Artists Refuge; The MacDowell Colony; Black Arts Quarterly; Boxcar Poetry Review; The Externalist; Natural Bridge: A Journal of Contemporary Literature; Tiger’s Eye Journal; Xavier Review; Wordtech Communications; UNC Copier Services; Brickwork Services; the Carolina African American Writers Collective; Cave Canem; poets Ms. Aracelis Girmay, Ms. Stephanie Pruitt, Mr. Dasan Ahanu, Ms. Tara Betts, Mr. Rich Villar, Mr. Lenard Moore, Mr. Oscar Bermeo, Ms. Mara Jebsen, Ms. Ebony Golden, Dr. Evie Shockley, Dr. L. Teresa Church, Mr. Quraysh Ali Lansana, Ms. Kim Arrington, Ms. Lita Hooper and Ms. Joy Gonsalves and all the unnamed and remembered. v TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1: Introduction to the Study............................................................................ 1 How the Study was Done...........................................................................................................................3 The Research Questions ............................................................................................................................5 Data.....................................................................................................................................................................5 Making Meaning from Texts ....................................................................................................................7 Purpose.............................................................................................................................................................8 Summary of Analytical Frameworks.................................................................................................12 Framework 1: Teaching of Poetry Using the Work of Contemporary Authors........13 Framework 2: Critical Literacy......................................................................................................15 Framework 3: Multicultural Education......................................................................................16 Outline of the Dissertation.....................................................................................................................18 CHAPTER 2: Literature Review of the Analytical Frameworks.............................20 Teaching of Poetry Using Contemporary Authors ......................................................................20 Possibilities in the High School Literacy Project.....................................................................26 Multicultural Education..........................................................................................................................29 Possibilities in the High School Literacy Project.....................................................................33 Critical Literacy ..........................................................................................................................................34 Possibilities in the High School Literacy Project.....................................................................39 Synthesis of Three Disciplines.............................................................................................................41 CHAPTER 3: Research Procedure ...................................................................................43 Writing as Inquiry and Narrative Construction ...........................................................................43 vi Evidence and Collection..........................................................................................................................50 Analytical Procedures..............................................................................................................................52 CHAPTER 4: Description of the Case of the High School Literacy Project .........57 High School Literacy Project, Spring 2005........................................................................................58 Day of the Poet 2005..................................................................................................................................60 High School Literary Project, 2005-2006 ...........................................................................................62 Day of the Poet 2006..................................................................................................................................67 Poetry Curriculum.....................................................................................................................................69 Selected Lesson Plans 2005 - 2006 .......................................................................................................76 Lesson Plan 1: Poetry, Metaphor and the Ode.............................................................................76 B-Ball, only if they understood by Harlan Thelen *, Chapel Hill High School................79 Lesson Plan 2: Poetry, Name and Perspective.............................................................................82 Young Trapster by Zuleika H.*, JHS...............................................................................................83 Lesson Plan 3: Language and poetry................................................................................................87 Yo Soy Latina by Esperanza Linares *, East Chapel Hill High School...............................87 Lesson Plan 4: Historical and Political Poems .............................................................................89 ‘C’ for Corruption (Amerika) by Shaliza Randesh *, Jordan High School ........................90 The Average by Amir *, Jordan High School...............................................................................91 CHAPTER 5: ANALYIS ..........................................................................................................93 FRAMEWORK 1: Teaching of Poetry Using Contemporary, Multicultural Writers .....93 Agency and Metaphor.........................................................................................................................94 Agency, Engagement and Empowerment ..................................................................................98 FRAMEWORK 2: Multicultural Education................................................................................... 101 Content Integration........................................................................................................................... 102 Prejudice Reduction ......................................................................................................................... 103 Knowledge Construction................................................................................................................ 104 vii
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