Look closely at this image of the astronaut Bruce McCandless on the first ever untethered spacewalk.
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 this image of the astronaut Bruce McCandless on the first ever untethered spacewalk. What does this image make you think about? Look again. What else do you notice?
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Before Reading the Poem: (free-write) Answer this question in your own writing: “Is there, truly, anything you would do over?—knowing everything you know now?” If you feel comfortable, share your writing with a classmate or small group.
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Reading the Poem: Silently read the poem “Writing Prompt” by Michael Torres. 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 can listen to a reading of the poem. You may wish to listen to the poet read the poem.
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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 poem compare to the photo? What comes to mind when you hear these lines: “Imagine you’re an astronaut stuck in outer space. And it’s just you. Only you. What would you write about?”
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Whole Class Discussion: What do you think about the title of this poem: “Writing Prompt”? How does the title inform your reading of the poem? What other titles might you give this poem? Why? What does this poem say about regret and/or existentialism?
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Extension for Grades 7-8: Think back to the resources from the beginning of class and this line from the poem: “Imagine you’re an astronaut stuck in outer space. And it’s just you. Only you. What would you write about?” Respond to the writing prompt. Answer the following question or create your own: “If regret was a type of animal, any animal, what song would it sing in you?” If you feel comfortable, share your writing with a partner or small group.
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Extension for Grades 9-12: Join with a partner or small group. Work together to write your own prompt. Type your prompt and bring several copies to class, or post it digitally for other students to see. Swap prompts with another group or several groups. Respond in writing. After, share your writing with the class and discuss how it felt to write for others. What thoughts do you have about the poem “Writing Prompt” now?
“Crew and ship made it to the station intact, but the eight-day mission has now stretched to more than eight weeks, as Boeing and NASA troubleshoot the problem and determine if the Starliner is safe to carry [Butch] Wilmore and [Suni] Williams back home.” NASA astronauts are currently stuck in space. Read about the current event, or watch a video.
Enjambment is the continuation of a sentence or clause across a poetic line break. Read more.