What It Means to Be an American Found Poem

Hand out the texts for students to have all three documents in hand. Instruct your students to select one text that stood out to them the most. They should then select and highlight one phrase and one word that they annotated from the previous class periods.  This phrase and the word should be something that spoke to the student. Working in pairs or small groups, have them share their word and their phrase, explaining why they selected each. Instruct students to write their phrase and their word on separate strips of paper. Sentence strips work best for this activity. They should write in markers and large print. Next, form a circle. Explain that you will be creating a “Found Poem” -- a literary equivalent of a collage -- using the words and phrases from the texts they have read.  Next, form a circle in the classroom with empty floor space in the middle of the circle.  Each student will have three turns to produce a poem on the floor. On the first two rounds, each student can place or move a word/phrase strip in the center of the circle on the floor. On the final round, they can place, move, or pass. After you have gone around the circle three times, your poem will be complete.  This activity not only allows students to analyze several texts, but it also asks them to think critically and creatively to construct a class poem. Ask for a volunteer to read the poem out loud to the class. Tape the poem to chart paper and hang it up so the whole class can read it.

Ask questions for further reflection considering the rationale behind what it means to be an American:

• What themes from the texts does the poem draw attention to?
• Does it give us any new insight into the texts?
• Is there anything in the texts that are missing from our found poem?
• Do you see those themes in any experiences you have had or in stories you hear in the news today? Encourage students to share personal stories if they feel comfortable doing so.