Lesson Plan for Amanda Hardy’s “Homefront”
by Margaret Simon

Writers often borrow other writers’ lines. Amanda Hardy borrowed a line from Elizabeth Clark’s poem published in a collection of Rivers of Words contest winners, River of Words: Young Poets and Artists on the Nature of Things. Amanda borrowed Elizabeth’s line, “I was born in the belly of that river,” because it resonated with her. The line conjured for her images of her home Louisiana.

Select a number of poems that have strong opening lines. Some promising poems include To the Light of September by W.S. Merwin, Aunt Leaf by Mary Oliver, or Darrell Bourque’s poem Scratch featured on August 24, 2010.

Have students read a number of sample poems and select an opening line that resonates with them. You may also access a list of first lines on pages 51-54 of the River of Words Teaching Guide that can be downloaded for free from the River of Words website.

Write the first line of choice and write freely for 10 minutes to see what happens.

Share your writing. Work with a writing group to critique and revise poems. Make sure students attribute the borrowed line by using italics and crediting the author by writing, “after ______.”

This lesson was borrowed from the River of Words Teachers Guide by Writing Project teachers Harriet Maher and Connie McDonald.

Lesson Plan for Amanda Hardy’s “Homefront”

This is a great poem to use in looking at Louisiana culture.

Before reading the poem, have students look at a map of the Mississippi River and draw their own map of the river, leaving room to add in their current city.

After drawing the river, have students approximate how far from the Mississippi River they live and draw a house there. Have students make the house have some feature of their own house.

From the house, have students map out three important places to them in Louisiana and make a drawing that will let others know what that place is, like the house for home.

Pass out the poem and/or read the poem aloud.

As the students read or hear the poem, have them make note of places Miss Hardy could place on her map.

Then have students note what kinds of places and experiences that Miss Hardy has in her poem, like mosquitoes and alligators, that might be part of their own lives too.

Have students think of what else they can add to the map to make it personal, like alligators, mosquitoes, foods, parks, etc. Have them add those in and include drawings.

Then have students add three places that are important to the state in some way and include drawings to represent not only the place, but why it is important to the state.

After students finish their maps, they can write a poem to go along with it. The can use Miss Hardy’s poem as an example.

Lesson Plan for Amanda Hardy’s “Homefront”

This is a great poem to use when thinking of culture and place.

Before reading the poem, assign students a geographical location. Have students look at a map of their assigned geographical region and then draw the major points of interest, commerce, and population of that geographical area.

After drawing their basic map, have students begin to research their assigned region. As part of the brainstorming in what they should be looking for to include in their map, pass out the poem and/or read the poem aloud.

As the students read or hear the poem, have them make note of places and items that tell about the culture of Louisiana.

The poem mentions the river repeatedly, and mosquitoes, alligators, foods, stories, music, holidays. Have students include that type of information on their map and include illustrations to go along with what they find.

After students finish their maps, they can write a poem to go along with it. The can use Miss Hardy’s poem as an example.

They could also write an essay that details what they discovered about their assigned region.