A Quick Overview
This assignment is an experiment in poetry interaction. I will be posting a poem on this blog for every single class day this semester. Your job is to read the poems (we’ll take a look at most of them in class), think about them, and annotate part of the poem that stood out to you in your reading.
The Annotations
To post any annotations, you will need to set up an account on hypothes.is. Once that’s done, follow this link to join our class group! After that, simply return to this site, click on a poem, highlight a portion of the text, and click annotate.
From there, you will be able to add your own annotation to the highlighted text. Notice that you can add an image. You are also able to post links to youtube or other parts of the web.
This means that you can be creative as you want to be with your annotations. Post a reaction gif. Explain a reference in the poem with a wikipedia article. Share a youtube video to connect the poem with a movie, song, or other piece of media that you like. Make connections with the poem. What does a particular line make you feel? What does it remind you of? How would you explain that to your friends?
Annotations to a public web document should be additive. You are actually creating an extra level of content to the text you annotate. Your insights, media, commentary, or background information should enrich a person’s understanding of the poem.
If an annotation already exists on the line you want to discuss, feel free to comment anyway! If you click on the text, you’ll see the previous annotation and you’re able to post your own reply. Replies to me or your classmates count as responses!
Assignment Details
A new poem will be posted every class day on this site.
Post at least one annotation of your own every day (you are allowed one skip every week and annotations from first week of the project are considered extra credit!)
Your annotation doesn’t have to reach a minimum word count, but it does need to show thoughtful engagement with the poem. If you post an image or a video, it needs to show a reasonable connection to the poem. No-effort nonsense posts get no credit.
Do not wait until the last minute. I’ll be doing a graded weekly checkup on Fridays, and will update these on Aspen quarterly.
You are welcome to do more! Get involved in the conversations that I hope will spring up around some of these poems. Extra credit opportunities will be available for you if you go above and beyond the assignment requirements.
Wildcard Days
Occasionally, I’ll post a poem that I really like. These are Wildcard Days. I’ll annotate a few lines myself with questions, challenges, or writing prompts. My favorite responses to these special challenges will receive a prize!
Annotating Help
Hypothes.is has a Student Resource Guide available. Through that site (and this one, I guess), you can find out more information on different annotation types, tips on how and why to annotate, and how to include links and multimedia resources in your annotations.