poem resisting arrest

by Kyle Dargan

Writing Workshop

Workshop Title: Poem

Step 1

Start by reading “poem resisting arrest” by Kyle Dargan. When you’re done, briefly discuss how the structure of the piece helps to reinforce its message.

Step 2

Say, “Think of something that you’d like to address through the perspective of a “poem.” What is that issue? How can the perspective of a poem help you establish your point?” Then give your students time to brainstorm.

Step 3

Have your students compose a poem similar in sentiment to “poem resisting arrest” in which they address an issue through the structure of their poem, specifically from the focal point of a poem itself.

Step 4

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

Show your students the following video. Then ask your students what the video reveals about the criminal justice system.

Step 3

Read “poem resisting arrest” by Kyle Dargan. As you’re reading, have them pay attention to the content of the poem and how it reinforces their knowledge of the criminal justice system, as expressed in the previous video.

Step 4

Ask your students to open the following document and go over the instructions with them. In this assignment, your students, using the “Depth of Knowledge” framework, will create a series of questions to arrive at a more nuanced understanding of the poem. Give your students roughly half of the class period to work.

Step 5

When the time has elapsed, have your students open the following Padlet and have them copy/paste their questions in the appropriate columns.

  • You are going to have to make a copy of (or “remake”) this Padlet and change the settings to “Visitors can write” so your students can edit the page.

Step 6

When your students have pasted their responses into the document, instruct them to look through the Padlet and answer a few of their peers’ questions, preferably one from each of the four columns. Allowing your students to read and answer their peers’ questions will give them the opportunity to understand the poem on a more complex level than what they arrived at when working through the poem themselves.

Lesson Details

Lesson Info

Focus

  • Various

Themes

  • Class
  • Criminal Justice
  • History
  • Police Brutality / Profiling
  • Violence

Literary Tags

  • Diction
  • Figurative Language
  • Selection of Detail
  • Structure
  • Tone

Content Warning

  • Racism or Racial Slurs