Monologue for Saint Louis

Writing Workshop

Workshop Title: Return

Step 1

Ask your students, “Is there any place you’ve visited – preferably a memorable one – that has changed since you last were there? Where was this? How has it changed? How did you feel about it?” Briefly discuss.

Step 2

Read “Monologue for Saint Louis” by Colleen McElroy. When you’re done, discuss the speaker’s “complex experience of returning home.” What made this return complex to them?

Step 3

Say, “Choose a place that has changed upon your return to it. Then complete a T-chart describing your memories of it before AND after your visit.” Then give your students time to brainstorm.

Step 4

Have your students compose a poem similar in sentiment to “Monologue for Saint Louis” in which they discuss their “return” to a memorable place.

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: Diction

Step 1

If your students are not familiar with the concept of “diction,” go through the introductory lesson.

Step 2

Start the class cold by reading “Monologue for Saint Louis” by Colleen McElroy. As you are reading, ask your students to pay particular attention to the speaker’s “complex experience of returning home.” More specifically, ask your students to pay attention to the specific words that contribute to the speaker’s emotions.

Step 3

When you’re done reading, ask your students to discuss certain words from the piece. Which words stand out, particularly as they relate to the speaker’s emotions/feelings upon her return home? Briefly discuss.

Step 4

Tell your students that you’re going to take a brief tangent and play a little game with them. Open the following video and allow your students to respond to each of the five “slides” in the video.

• Each slide consists of 4 different elements/characters/choices and asks students to “Choose 3, One Has to Go.” Go through each of the five slides in the video, have your students respond to each of them, and ask them to explain why they chose their “one that has to go.” Pause the video between the slides to give your students enough time to respond.

Step 5

Now tell your students that they will be doing the same exercise, this time with words from the poem. Students will be presented with 4 words from the text. They will then have to choose one word from the four that they find the “least important” or “significant” in relation to the other words.

Step 6

Before reading the directions, walk your students through an example. Show the words: arbor / flesh / map / rot. Then ask your students to choose one of those 4 words that has to go, specifically because they contribute the least to the meaning of the poem as a whole. Briefly discuss.

• If your students are having difficulty explaining their response, you may read the following example: “I would choose flesh as the outlier. While arbor, map, and rot relate to place and the changing landscape of home, flesh is more personal and physical. It ties the speaker’s memories to the body, reminding us that returning home isn’t just about place, it’s about the emotional weight and personal history that still live in her.”

Step 7

Ask your students to open the following document and go over the instructions with them. In this assignment, your students are going to play the “Choose 3, 1 Has to Go” game, using specific words from the poem. When you’re done going through the directions with them, give your students time to work.

Step 8

When your students are finished (or close to being finished), ask them to share their sets of words and the word they chose to eliminate. Ask them to discuss the rationale behind their choices.

Step 9

If time permits, play the game together with them by clicking on the spinner wheel and working with the class collectively.