"The Rainbow"--Christina Rossetti

These are just lesson plan ideas. To create a lesson plan, refer to How to Write a Lesson Plan

Music:
Choral Arrangement
Play the arrangement, or have it sung. How does the music make the poem feel? What did the composer find important (look for repetitions, sustained notes, echoes, etc)?

Language:
Conjunctions
Play with the conjunctions in the poem, switching around “and” with “but” and “or”. Describe how that changes how the piece feels. Add an extra line of description or two to the poem starting with a conjunction.
Tense
What does the present tense of the poem mean? The poem is old and Rossetti is long dead. What happens to the poem if you change it to past tense?

Nature vs. Technology
Metaphor
Learn about Boats and Ships and compare them to Clouds. How are they the same? How are they different?
Learn about Bridges, the shape of a Bow, and compare that to a Rainbow. How are they the same? How are they different?
Learn about the Ocean, Rivers, and the Sky. How are they the same? How are they different?
Opinion
How does the speaker feel about Nature vs. Technology? How could someone feel differently? Rewrite the poem from the other perspective.