Step Two - Literature
Jackson & debate team, 1910.
FIVE MINUTES
After the video adaptation of Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start the Fire", the teacher will hand out one of the poems below to read aloud with students. Please note that a handout link is available for each. Video presentation of each poem is also available at the bottom of this page.
The study of literature was very important to Robert H. Jackson. He finished high school in Frewsburg, New York in 1909. After this, he spent a year of post-graduate study at Jamestown High School in Jamestown, New York. While there, his English teacher, Mary Willard, noticed a "spark" and decided to foster his abilities and interests. A young Robert H. Jackson, under the supervision of Mary Willard, learned to appreciate literature and the art of debate while at Jamestown High School. Mary Willard is credited with the early formation of his skills in the areas of writing, debate and literature appreciation. Robert H. Jackson wrote a "Tribute to Mary Willard", found on the Jackson Center webpage.
This is a three-tier lesson with a poem listed for the following grade levels:
Elementary School - "You Can Be Whatever You Want to Be" by Donna Levine
Middle School - "It Couldn't Be Done" by Edgar Albert Guest
High School - "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost
Each teacher can choose which poem best fits their age group and student learning styles.
After the video adaptation of Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start the Fire", the teacher will hand out one of the poems below to read aloud with students. Please note that a handout link is available for each. Video presentation of each poem is also available at the bottom of this page.
The study of literature was very important to Robert H. Jackson. He finished high school in Frewsburg, New York in 1909. After this, he spent a year of post-graduate study at Jamestown High School in Jamestown, New York. While there, his English teacher, Mary Willard, noticed a "spark" and decided to foster his abilities and interests. A young Robert H. Jackson, under the supervision of Mary Willard, learned to appreciate literature and the art of debate while at Jamestown High School. Mary Willard is credited with the early formation of his skills in the areas of writing, debate and literature appreciation. Robert H. Jackson wrote a "Tribute to Mary Willard", found on the Jackson Center webpage.
This is a three-tier lesson with a poem listed for the following grade levels:
Elementary School - "You Can Be Whatever You Want to Be" by Donna Levine
Middle School - "It Couldn't Be Done" by Edgar Albert Guest
High School - "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost
Each teacher can choose which poem best fits their age group and student learning styles.