Lesson Report:
Title
Lexical Deconstruction and Constrained Poetic Composition from Rumi
In this session, students deepened their understanding of challenging Persian vocabulary from a Rumi poem through a scaffolded sequence: selecting least-understood words, generating context-based definitions and connotations, harvesting salient English words from peers’ definitions, and composing original 4-line poems in Persian or Pashto under formal constraints. The objectives were to move beyond dictionary denotation into connotative nuance and to practice cross-lingual creativity without reliance on machine translation.
Attendance
– Number of students explicitly mentioned absent: 0
– Note: Several breakout rooms were underfilled (e.g., Razia alone in Room 3), indicating missing participants, but no names or exact count were confirmed.
Topics covered (chronological)
– Framing and regrouping: Session 2 objectives and logistics
– Instructor reoriented the class to Session 2: apply earlier work with Rumi’s poem to a multi-step activity chain.
– Clarified that focus is on Persian words/phrases from the original poem that students found unclear.
– Breakout logistics and partner recovery:
– Example pairings restored by name: Mohammed Atif with Razia Sultani and Yelda Hashimi (prior grouping reference); Asya reassigned to Room 4 (with Zahra Mohamedi and Sara Ibrahim); Umani paired with Umra in Room 1.
– Noted rooms were underfilled, suggesting some participants were missing.
– Activity 1 — Group triage of least-understood Persian lexical items (≈5 min)
– Task: In groups, each member shares their personal list of unclear Persian words/short phrases from the Rumi poem.
– Group goal: Select 3 items that were least understood collectively.
– Clarification: Target the original Persian (not English glosses); words will be translated later.
– Outcome: Groups reported selecting three Persian items to carry forward.
– Activity 2 — Context-based definition and connotation building (group) (≈5 min)
– Task: From the 3 items, choose the single most confusing word/phrase.
– Without using any external tools (dictionary, Google, ChatGPT), collaboratively:
– Produce an English definition based on textual context, prior knowledge, and interpretive reasoning (accuracy not the priority; meaning-making is).
– Articulate the connotation: affective valence and felt associations (e.g., hopeful, proud, fearful, ashamed; positive/negative/neutral).
– Submission protocol:
– One upload per group to Google Drive.
– Do not include the original Persian word in the file; include only the English definition and connotations.
– Drive link provided in Google Spaces and re-posted in chat by the instructor.
– Notes:
– Some groups inadvertently included the original Persian item; instructor asked peers to ignore the Persian term in those files for the next step.
– Activity 3 — Cross-reading and word harvesting from peer definitions (group) (≈5 min)
– Task: Each group reads all uploaded definitions (ignoring any Persian terms that slipped in).
– From each definition, select one English word that stands out (meaningful, powerful, confusing, or otherwise striking).
– With four rooms, each group compiles a list of four English words (one harvested from each peer definition).
– Instructor example to guide selection:
– From a sample definition such as “a kind of poison that can kill people easily in the poem; it is the contrast of sweet things,â€� students might harvest words like poison, poem, people, contrast, sweet.
– Constraint reminder: Only harvest from the definition text, not from any original Persian/English target terms.
– Activity 4 — Individual constrained composition: 4-line poem in Persian (or Pashto) (≈15 min)
– Central theme: The group’s original Persian word/phrase from Activity 2 is the poem’s theme and serves as the poem’s title.
– Example discussed: a group’s concept akin to “to charm someoneâ€� (student referenced “Dilbaronaâ€�). The poem should be about that concept, not necessarily begin with it.
– Formal constraints:
– Write a 4-line poem (quatrain).
– Each line must begin with the Persian translation (or Pashto equivalent) of one of the four English words your group harvested in Activity 3.
– No machine translation or AI assistance; approximate human translation is acceptable. Emphasis is on conceptual linkage and creative reasoning, not perfect 1:1 equivalence.
– Language modality:
– Persian preferred; Pashto permitted where appropriate.
– For Pashto writers (e.g., Iftihar and Sara), instructor allowed close equivalents when direct translations are unavailable or differ idiomatically; prioritize semantic and artistic appropriateness.
– Clarifications addressed:
– The poem must be about the group’s original Persian target concept; the four line-initial words come from the harvested English list translated by the student.
– If exact translations are uncertain, students may choose the closest feasible equivalent.
– Workflow:
– Individual drafting during class; upload deferred until a brief follow-up activity in the next session.
– Students who finish early may begin break; others may use a few additional minutes at the start of the next session to polish.
– Break announced: 10-minute break to resume at 19:20.
– Forward reference: Next session will include a short additional activity using the poems; later, peer review of essays (instructor will review queued drafts then).
Actionable items
– Immediate (before the next session)
– Verify that each group’s definition/connotation file is in Drive (one per group).
– Remove/flag original Persian words from any uploaded definition files (Room 2 included theirs); ensure peers ignore them during any further reading.
– Re-post Drive link and brief file-naming convention to avoid confusion.
– Prepare a quick slide/handout restating the poem constraints (title = original Persian word; 4 lines; each line begins with translated harvested words; no machine translation).
– Identify Pashto writers (Iftihar and Sara) and be ready with quick equivalence guidance/examples to support them.
– At the start of the next session
– Allow 3–5 minutes for final poem polishing if needed.
– Run the “one more stepâ€� activity promised for the poems, then collect uploads.
– Conduct the planned peer review of essays; allocate time to review the student draft(s) requested (e.g., the student who asked to have a first draft checked).
– Follow-up for course continuity
– Compile a shared class glossary of the most problematic Persian terms with student-generated connotations and example lines from their poems.
– Revisit the Rumi poem passages containing the selected words to compare student-derived meanings with contextual usage.
– Stabilize breakout room rosters to avoid underfilled rooms and reduce time spent on reassignment when connectivity issues arise.
– Note tech/connectivity supports for students who had issues (e.g., Asya) and confirm their room placement early next time.
Homework Instructions:
NO HOMEWORK
All activities were in-class and slated to continue next session rather than assigned for home, e.g., “go back into the breakout rooms,� “we’ll take another five minutes,� and “At the beginning of the next session we’ll be using this poem for one more thing … and then you’ll be sending all of this,� with the instructor adding, “If you need a little bit of extra time at the beginning of the next session, that’s also fine.�