Morning After The Election

Writing Workshop

Workshop Title: After

Step 1

Ask your students, “How did you feel the morning after an event that you found personally harmful? What emotions did you feel? Explain.” Then give them a few minutes to discuss.

Step 2

Read “Morning After The Election” by Regie Cabico. When you’re done, discuss the emotions of the speaker the morning after the 2024 presidential election? How did they feel? Why?

Step 3

Say, “Choose an event – like an election – that personally affected you in some way. Then come up with a list of emotions you felt “the morning after.” Also, try to think of the ways in which you attempted to cope.” Then give your students a few minutes to brainstorm.

Step 4

Ask your students to compose a poem similar in sentiment to “Morning After The Election” in which they express their feelings and emotions “the morning after” an event that impacted them.

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

Before class begins, make sure you print out the text and cut out each of the 17 stanzas of the poem.

Step 3

Start class by simply reading “Morning After the Election” by Regie Cabico. Don’t show them the text of the poem at this time.

Step 4

When you’re done reading, briefly talk about the poem. What was the tone? Who is the speaker? What message(s) was Cabico trying to express through the piece? What elements of the text contributed to those messages? Take a few minutes to discuss as a group.

Step 5

Divide your class into 17 “groups.” Some of these groups may consist of only one person; that’s fine!

Step 6

Give each group one of the stanzas. Tell them to read it and try to understand how/where it functionally or rhetorically “fits” in the context of the piece.

Step 7

Now ask each group to find/pair up with TWO other groups based on how well their stanzas thematically link with one another. For example, a person with stanza 1 may find that the language in their stanza is similar to the language in the stanzas of groups 3 and 11. Or group 8 may have the same structural elements as 2 and 17. How your students decide they want to group themselves is up to them and their understanding of the relationship between those pieces. Give them 5-10 minutes to find their group.

Step 8

When your students have arranged themselves, ask them to open up the following document and go over the instructions with them. In this assignment, your students are going to have to discuss their pairings and how their identified similarities (between the stanzas) help contribute to the meaning of the work as a whole. Give your students somewhere between 15-20 minutes to craft their first response.

Step 9

After that time has elapsed, ask your class to create ANOTHER group of three based on thematic or stylistic similarities between the stanzas. Give them 5-10 to find their new group. Then ask them to return to the document to jot down their new response.

Step 10

When your students are done, ask them to share their findings with the rest of the class.