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1. Give students several minutes to generate at least three interpretive questions about the imagery of the poem. They might ask, for example, Why did the speaker take a dog? Why are there mermaids in a ‘basement’ of the sea? Assure them that any question is fair game. Debrief in a large group, having students share their questions and possible answers.
2. Have students explore the poem’s rhythm by clapping along. Simply begin with a group reading of the poem, asking students to read the first stanza or two in unison two or three times. As they read, ask them to begin clapping to the rhythm. After modeling this process, have students explore the connection between changes in rhythm, rhyme, image, and idea, have students discuss how the meaning of the poem, as it is shaped by these formal elements.
3. Show students the animation of Dickinson’s poem and discuss the animator’s choices. How do these choices affirm or challenge student ideas about the poem’s meaning?
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