I saw Emmett Till this week at the grocery store

Writing Workshop

Workshop Title: A Life

Step 1

Watch the video about Emmett Till to give your students the historical context behind the poem they are about to read. The video contains graphic images, so please be cautious when you present it to your students.

Step 2

Have your students brainstorm, by themselves, a person whom they feel deserved more than what they were given in life.

Step 3

Read “I saw Emmett Till this week at the grocery store” by Eve Ewing, paying particular attention to the details she incorporates to describe Emmett Till and their brief interaction. Then discuss how those details depict Emmett Till.

Step 4

Have your students construct a poem that pays tribute to one of the people they came up with, somebody whom they feel deserved more in life than what they received.

Step 5

When the students are done, have them share their responses if they feel comfortable enough to do so.

The full presentation may be found HERE.

Analytical Lesson

Area of Focus: Selection of Detail

Step 1

If your students are not familiar with the concept of “selection of detail,” review the introductory lesson.

Step 2

Watch the video about Emmett Till to give your students the historical context behind the poem they are about to read. The video contains graphic images, so please be cautious when you present it to your students.

Step 3

Tell the students that you are going to give them a few minutes to brainstorm. Tell them that, hypothetically speaking, if they had an opportunity to write a “tribute” poem about Emmett Till and underscore the brutality of his death, what details would they include. Give them 3-5 minutes to write down as many details as they can that they would include to honor his life and convey the injustice of his murder. Then share and discuss.

Step 4

Read “I saw Emmett Till this week at the grocery store” by Eve Ewing, paying particular attention to the details she incorporates to describe Emmett Till and their brief interaction.

Step 5

Have the students work in the following document to analyze the poem, particularly Ewing’s selection of detail. Directions are provided at the top of the page.

Step 6

When the students are done, share their responses and show them the exemplar essay.