Weekly Inspiration: Hope

I decided to focus my inspiration this week on hope. I would probably start my discussion with the question: What is hope? I would draw a web with the question in the middle and have a class discussion on what they think hope is. This may be a good opportunity to have students write about examples of hope, times they have felt hope, things they have hoped for, the power of hope, etc.

Quote: By Mark Twain

Consider the imagery of this quote.  Imagine a hope tree where each leaf is someone's hopes. What would happen if the tree stopped generating those leaves?  What role does hope play in our lives and in our society?  Would we want a world without a hope.  Ask you students to consider the quote and how it makes them feel. How does hope inspire them.

Poem: "'Hope' is the thing with feathers" by Emily Dickinson
This poem is an extended metaphor.  Ask your students to consider what hope is being compared to.  Metaphors create great imagery and offer great discussion about visualization. This poem also offers a chance to discuss personification, slant rhyme, and rhyme scheme.  I have also created some questions to go along with the poem that focus on slant rhyme, personification, rhyme scheme, visualization, and message. You can purchase the questions at my Teachers Pay Teachers store.

Picture:  Rainbow

I would ask my students to consider how they feel when they see a rainbow. How do rainbows inspire them?

I am also working on some graphic organizers and task cards to use when analyzing poetry.  I will post these later.

I hope your week is full of hope,