Listen to the song “Rhapsody in Blue” by George Gershwin.
The following activities and questions are designed to help your students use their noticing skills to move through the poem and develop their thinking skills so they understand its meaning with confidence, using what they’ve noticed as evidence for their interpretations. Read more about the framework upon which these activities are based.
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Warm-up: (free-write) How might it feel to be in a house with no doors? Why? What happens there and what doesn’t happen there?
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Before Reading the Poem: Listen to the song “Rhapsody in Blue” by George Gershwin. What stands out to you in the song? Which emotions does the song evoke? Why?
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Reading the Poem: Silently read the poem “In the House With No Doors” by Sarah Kay. What do you notice about the poem? Note any words or phrases that stand out to you or any questions you might have.
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Listening to the Poem: Enlist two volunteers and listen as the poem is read aloud twice. Write down any additional words and phrases that stand out to you.
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Small Group Discussion: Share what you noticed about the poem with a small group. Based on the details you just shared, how does the poem connect to the resources from the beginning of class? What does this poem say about friendship? Why?
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Whole Class Discussion: What imagery does the poem use to describe the house with no doors? Would you want to visit? Why or why not? Do you feel like this is a real house?
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Extension for Grades 7-8: What does it mean to be a friend? How do poets celebrate friendship? For inspiration, read poems about friendship. Write a poem of your own that either celebrates friendship or write a poem about a place that matters to you. (Teachers, you may wish to number the poems to make it easy to give them back to the original writers.) Participate in an anonymous poem swap in which you read anonymous poems by your classmates. Write one positive thing that you liked about each poem you read. After you receive your poem back from your teacher, read the positive comments. How did it feel to share poems in this way?
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Extension for Grades 9-12: Read the “About this Poem” section. At the beginning of class, you wrote about how it might feel to be in a house with no doors. After reading the poem, write a poem from the point of view of the house. How might the house feel after this visit? Why? Share your writing with the class.
“It’s people who bring meaning to my poems and projects, and the compassion that comes with knowing them and listening to their voices, mingled with my own, that gives me a richer understanding of what it means to be alive.” Read Emma Trelles’s essay about poetry and community.
A praise poem is a poem of tribute or gratitude.