ELA/Reading

Students first listen to a masterful reading of “Letter One” of Rainer Maria Rilke’s Letters to a Young Poet, in which Rilke responds to a young poet’s search for guidance. Next, students independently reread pages 3–5 (from “Paris, February 17, 1903, Dear Sir, Your letter arrived” to “I am not able to name them specifically”), in which Rilke explains why he cannot offer advice on the young poet’s work. They then participate in small-group discussions to analyze how Rilke unfolds important ideas, such as the relationship between criticism and art and the intangible and inexpressible nature of art. Student learning is assessed via a Quick Write at the end of the lesson: How does Rilke introduce and develop an important idea in the first two paragraphs of “Letter One”? For homework, students use a new focus standard, RI.9-10.3 or RL.9-10.3, as a lens for their Accountable Independent Reading (AIR) and conduct a brief search into the life of Rainer Maria Rilke.