Look closely at this image of birds flying from the Library of Congress.
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: (Teachers, before class starts, give students two different versions of the title with fill-in-the blank slips. One being “Hope is _____” and the second, _____ is the thing with feathers.”) Fill in the blank. Then, read your line to your class. What stands out to you about these lines?
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Before Reading the Poem: Look closely at this image of birds flying. What do you see? What stands out to you? What emotions does this image evoke? Why?
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Reading the Poem: Silently read the poem “Hope is the thing with feathers” (254) by Emily Dickinson. 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 might enjoy this video from the Adrian Brinkerhoff Poetry Foundation of the poem being performed.
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Small Group Discussion: Share what you noticed about the poem with a small group of students. Based on the details you just shared with your small group and the resources from the beginning of class, how does the title inform your reading of the poem?
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Whole Class Discussion: What is the extended metaphor in the poem? How does this metaphor deepen your understanding of the themes in the poem? (Teachers, you can find more information on extended metaphors from NCTE.)
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Extension for Grades 7-8: Take out the lines that you wrote at the beginning of class. Swap lines with a partner and try writing an extended metaphor of your own that incorporates the language from your partner’s line or an idea of your own. Share your writing with the class.
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Extension for Grades 9-12: Read more about Emily Dickinson and find more poems by the poet. Work with your teacher and school to participate in an Emily Dickinson day. Bring at least one Dickinson poem that you enjoy, and write at least one discussion question. Share your poem and question during Emily Dickinson day. Share what you like about this poem and what Dickinson’s language can teach us.
“It is not widely known that our great American poet Emily Dickinson was a practiced gardener before she became an accomplished poet. And though her poetry is boldly original and even “modern” in so many of its attributes, such as intense compression, ellipsis, and off-rhyme, Dickinson was a woman who lived in the Victorian age.” Read more from “Victorian Treasure: Emily Dickinson’s Herbarium.”