Nikki-Rosa

Writing Workshop

Workshop Title: Childhood

Step 1

Ask your students, “What do you remember most about your childhood? Why?” Then briefly discuss.

Step 2

Read “Nikki-Rosa” by Nikki Giovanni. When you’re done reading, discuss the speaker’s portrayal of her childhood. What was it like? What does she remember?

Step 3

Say, “Jot down everything you remember about your childhood, both the good and the bad. Then write down, in as much detail as possible, what you remember about those times. Take a few minutes to brainstorm.”

Step 4

Ask your students to compose a poem similar in sentiment to “Nikki-Rosa” in which they share their memories of their childhood.

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 instructions for the assignment can be found in the following presentation. Walk your students through the example and the introduction to the piece.

• In short, your students will have to create a “road map” to the poem, “Nikki-Rosa” by Nikki Giovanni, that will allow a hypothetical student or first-time reader of the piece to arrive at a more nuanced understanding of the work as a whole.

Step 3

When you’ve gone through the instructions, give your students time to work.

Step 4

When your students are done or close to being done, have a few of them “walk you through” the poem, based on the “stops” they made along the way. Ask them to briefly discuss their reasoning for their choices and how they would help a reader comprehend the poem on a deeper level.