Teach This Poem: “OK Let’s Go” by Maureen N. McLane

Look closely at this image of the painting Impression, Sunrise by Claude Monet.

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.

1. Warm-up: Draw what comes to mind when you think of this question: What does it mean to begin? Share your drawing with a partner or small group.

2. Before Reading the Poem: Look closely at this image of the painting Impression, Sunrise by Claude Monet. What stands out to you? 

3. Reading the Poem: Silently read the poem “OK Let’s Go” by Maureen N. McLane. What do you notice about the poem? Note any words or phrases that stand out to you or any questions you might have. 

4. 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. You may enjoy listening to the poet read the poem. 

5. Small Group Discussion: Share what you noticed about the poem with a small group. How might this poem connect to the resources from the beginning of class? In particular, what does this poem say about beginnings? How does that compare with your drawing? 

6. Whole Class Discussion: What do you make of the use of anaphora, “let’s go,” in the poem? Where is the speaker asking us to go? Why does that matter? Are these places you would want to go? 

7. Extension for Grades 7-8: What might “dawn school” or a “school in the sky” look and feel like? What might students learn in these schools? Write a poem that explores these questions. Share your writing with the class.

8. Extension for Grades 9-12: Reread these lines from the poem: “Let’s enroll ourselves // in the school of the sky / where knowing // how to know / and unknow is everything // we’ll come to know.” What does it mean to know and unknow? Think of a time when you or someone you know had to unlearn something. Write about this experience. Share your writing with the class. 

Find more poems that use anaphora as a poetic device, including “The Tyger” by William Blake, “Here” by Arthur Sze, and “From ‘One Big Self’ [Count your fingers]” by C. D. Wright.

Anaphora: a technique in which successive phrases or lines begin with the same words, often resembling a litany.