- Warm-up: Go quickly around the room asking your students what associations they have with the word stranger. If a student cannot think of anything, allow them to say “pass” and come back to them when everyone else is finished.
- Play the video of the song “Get Together” so all your students can see and hear it. While they are listening, ask them to write down the words and sounds that jump out to them.
- Ask them to gather in small groups to share what they heard and to discuss what they think the song is about. Why do they think this song was popular in 1967?
- Project “Amendment” by Christina Davis so your students can see it. Ask them to read it silently and to write down the words, phrases, and structural aspects of the poem that jump out at them. Ask a student to read the poem aloud to the class, while the listening students write down new words, phrases, and structural aspects they might think important. Repeat this process with a second student reading aloud.
- Ask your students to get back in their small groups and to share what they noticed in the poem. What do they think the speaker in the poem is saying about strangers, how they should be treated, and what we might have to do first? What is the evidence in the poem for their opinions?
- Possible whole-class discussion topics: Why do your students think this poem is called “Amendment?” What would they title this poem? What are the similarities and differences between the song and the poem? What are the similarities and differences between this time in history and the 1960s?
