Look closely at these images of the landscape of the O’odham people.
The following activities and questions are designed to help your students use their noticing skills to move through the poem and develop their thinking skills so they understand its meaning with confidence, using what they’ve noticed as evidence for their interpretations. Read more about the framework upon which these activities are based.
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Warm-up: Look closely at these images of the landscape of the O’odham people. What do you see? What do you notice about the landscape? Look again. What else do you see?
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Before Reading the Poem: Read this article about the sublime, spending time looking closely at Snow Storm—Steam-Boat off a Harbour’s Mouth by Joseph Mallord William Turner. Then, join with a partner or small group and share what you learned about the sublime. What does it mean to you? What are some modern examples of the sublime?
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Reading the Poem: Silently read the poem “The Home of the Sacred” by Ofelia Zepeda. What do you notice about the poem? Note any words or phrases that stand out to you or any questions you might have.
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Listening to the Poem: Enlist two volunteers and listen as the poem is read aloud twice. Write down any additional words and phrases that stand out to you. You may enjoy listening to the poet read the poem.
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Small Group Discussion: Share what you noticed about the poem with a small group. Based on the details you just shared, how does the poem connect to the resources from the beginning of class? What symbolism do you notice in the poem?
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Whole Class Discussion: What is the relationship between the speaker and the landscape and/or the natural world? How does the speaker respond to the epigraph at the beginning of the poem?
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Extension for Grades 7-8: Read the “About this Poem” statement in which the poet writes, “Reminding ourselves about what is there in our landscape besides the obvious is important.” On the way to and from school this week, look closely at the landscapes you encounter. Over the course of the week, draw or photograph what you see. Choose one or more of these images to bring to class. Share what you drew or photographed and why you included it. What do these images of your community and your different landscapes show?
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Extension for Grades 9-12: Think back to the title “The Home of the Sacred” and the article you read at the beginning of class. What does this idea of the sacred and the sublime mean to you? Try writing your own poem or creative piece that answers some of these questions. Share your writing with the class.
“The stakes of bringing our languages to the page are made even greater by the fact that, originally, many native languages were not written but oral. Ofelia Zepeda, a Tohono O’odham poet, teacher, language activist, and cofounder of the American Indian Language Development Institute at the University of the Arizona, says, ‘I write in O’odham because I can.’ It is true. We can, and we must.” Read more about Native American poets and their experiences engaging with poetry.
The sublime is a moment or description of something deeply transcendent or awe-inspiring in a poem.