Sharp

Writing Workshop

Workshop Title: Sharp

Step 1

Ask your students, “How did COVID affect your personal relationships? If your personal relationships were not affected, what did you notice about COVID and its impact on other people’s relationships? How and why were they affected?” Give them 5-10 minutes to discuss.

Step 2

Read “Sharp” by Anastacia-Reneé. As you’re reading, think of how the “distance” between the people depicted in the piece changed their relationships.

Step 3

Say, “Think of a moment when distance (emotional or physical) changed the way you interacted with someone you care about. Describe how that distance altered the relationship or the way you behaved, and include vivid details that show how the shift felt or looked from the inside.” Give them a few minutes to brainstorm.

Step 4

Ask your students to compose a poem similar in sentiment to “Sharp” in which they describe the way(s) in which their relationships with others have changed because of an imposed “distance.”

Step 5

When the students are done, have them share their responses with one another.

The full presentation may be found HERE.

Analytical Lesson

Area of Focus: Various

Step 1

This lesson allows students to analyze various concepts and skills, so it is recommended that you have covered several of the “standalone” lessons before assigning this one.

Step 2

All of the materials can be found in the following presentation. The steps to the assignment, however, are reproduced below.

• Open the presentation and read the sonnet with your students. As your students are reading, ask them to think about the literary elements and techniques that contribute to the meaning of the work as a whole.
• Use the sentence stems to analyze the progression of the poem and how the elements work with one another to contribute to its theme or message. A few examples have been provided for you.
• Read “Sharp” by Anastacia-Reneé to your students.
  Have your students open the presentation and go over the directions with them. In this assignment, your students will use the generic sentence stems to arrive at a more robust understanding of the text. When you’ve gone over the directions, give your students time to work.
• When your students are done, have them share their responses with the rest of the class.