SDENG3J
Assignment 2
DUE 21 July 2025
,SDENG3J
Assignment 2
DUE 21 July 2025
OPTION A: INTENSIVE READING OF POETRY
ACTIVITY 1: PRE-TEACHING ACTIVITY
Grade: 11
Resources: Chalkboard, printed handouts of the poem, audio clip of poem recitation,
curated quote cards, African map poster
Duration: 15 minutes
One Lesson Outcome (SMART):
Learners will be able to identify and articulate at least two thematic elements—identity,
oppression, and/or African pride—by linking their personal experiences and prior
knowledge to the historical and emotional context of the poem "Africa My Africa" during
a guided pre-reading discussion.
Activity Description (Justify Relevance and Describe the Activity):
The lesson begins with the display of a large African map at the front of the classroom.
The teacher initiates a reflective discussion by posing the question:
“What comes to mind when you think of Africa as your homeland?”
Learners respond with one-word answers or short phrases (e.g., heritage, liberation,
colonialism, struggle, culture, roots, hope), which the teacher records on the chalkboard
using a mind-map format. This visual strategy helps learners recognise interconnected
themes while engaging both listening and speaking skills.
,To deepen engagement, learners are placed in pairs and each pair receives a quote
card containing a selected line from the poem, for example:
• “Africa my Africa”
• “Your beautiful black blood”
• “That tree there… grows again”
Each pair briefly discusses their quote and reflects on its emotional, symbolic, or
political significance. This exercise cultivates inferential reasoning and interpretive
thinking. Pairs are then invited to share their insights aloud, allowing for multiple
interpretations and broader class dialogue. The teacher affirms learners’ interpretations
while gently steering the discussion toward the core themes of resistance, cultural
identity, and postcolonial resilience.
To anchor the text in historical and literary context, the teacher offers a concise
background on David Diop, situating the poem within the broader framework of pan-
Africanism and the anti-colonial literary movement of the 1950s. Learners are
informed that the poem serves as both a personal lament and a nationalistic rallying cry.
This activity is pedagogically significant because it activates learners' schema,
encourages emotional investment, and establishes a conceptual scaffold for deep
textual analysis in the subsequent phases. It further integrates oral participation,
collaborative engagement, and cognitive preparation.
, Assessment:
The teacher employs informal formative assessment by actively observing learners’
verbal contributions during both the mind-mapping and pair-sharing phases. Evaluation
focuses on learners' ability to:
• Connect imagery or vocabulary to broader socio-historical contexts.
• Demonstrate sensitivity to emotional tone or symbolic meaning in their assigned
quotes.
• Verbally articulate connections between personal perceptions of Africa and the
thematic direction of the poem.
These observations inform the teacher’s planning for the subsequent while-reading
activity and help gauge learners’ readiness for deeper textual engagement.
Assignment 2
DUE 21 July 2025
,SDENG3J
Assignment 2
DUE 21 July 2025
OPTION A: INTENSIVE READING OF POETRY
ACTIVITY 1: PRE-TEACHING ACTIVITY
Grade: 11
Resources: Chalkboard, printed handouts of the poem, audio clip of poem recitation,
curated quote cards, African map poster
Duration: 15 minutes
One Lesson Outcome (SMART):
Learners will be able to identify and articulate at least two thematic elements—identity,
oppression, and/or African pride—by linking their personal experiences and prior
knowledge to the historical and emotional context of the poem "Africa My Africa" during
a guided pre-reading discussion.
Activity Description (Justify Relevance and Describe the Activity):
The lesson begins with the display of a large African map at the front of the classroom.
The teacher initiates a reflective discussion by posing the question:
“What comes to mind when you think of Africa as your homeland?”
Learners respond with one-word answers or short phrases (e.g., heritage, liberation,
colonialism, struggle, culture, roots, hope), which the teacher records on the chalkboard
using a mind-map format. This visual strategy helps learners recognise interconnected
themes while engaging both listening and speaking skills.
,To deepen engagement, learners are placed in pairs and each pair receives a quote
card containing a selected line from the poem, for example:
• “Africa my Africa”
• “Your beautiful black blood”
• “That tree there… grows again”
Each pair briefly discusses their quote and reflects on its emotional, symbolic, or
political significance. This exercise cultivates inferential reasoning and interpretive
thinking. Pairs are then invited to share their insights aloud, allowing for multiple
interpretations and broader class dialogue. The teacher affirms learners’ interpretations
while gently steering the discussion toward the core themes of resistance, cultural
identity, and postcolonial resilience.
To anchor the text in historical and literary context, the teacher offers a concise
background on David Diop, situating the poem within the broader framework of pan-
Africanism and the anti-colonial literary movement of the 1950s. Learners are
informed that the poem serves as both a personal lament and a nationalistic rallying cry.
This activity is pedagogically significant because it activates learners' schema,
encourages emotional investment, and establishes a conceptual scaffold for deep
textual analysis in the subsequent phases. It further integrates oral participation,
collaborative engagement, and cognitive preparation.
, Assessment:
The teacher employs informal formative assessment by actively observing learners’
verbal contributions during both the mind-mapping and pair-sharing phases. Evaluation
focuses on learners' ability to:
• Connect imagery or vocabulary to broader socio-historical contexts.
• Demonstrate sensitivity to emotional tone or symbolic meaning in their assigned
quotes.
• Verbally articulate connections between personal perceptions of Africa and the
thematic direction of the poem.
These observations inform the teacher’s planning for the subsequent while-reading
activity and help gauge learners’ readiness for deeper textual engagement.
