SPOOn river anthology
A Journey Through the Afterlife
Prof.ssa Angela Panzarella
The Hill
George Hill
Fiddler Jones
Lucinda Matlock
Richard Bones
The Hill
Lucinda Matlock
George Hill
Fiddler Jones
Richard Bones
The Hill
“The Hill” serves as the opening poem of Spoon River Anthology and functions as a kind of prologue. Rather than offering a narrative, it presents a catalogue of names - residents of the fictional community of Spoon River - who are now buried on the hill that overlooks the town.
THEMES introduced
- Mortality and equality in death
- The hidden truths of small-town life
- The contrast between appearance and reality.
Lesson 1
Introduction and The Hill
KWL Chart: What I Know / What I Want to Know / What I Learned. Brainstorming: words connected to life, death, journey, choices. BICS (Basic Interpersonal Communication): describing pictures, simple Q&A (“What can you see?”, “What does it mean?”). CALP (Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency): introducing metaphor, symbol, epitaph.
Lesson 1 – Introduction & The Hill Visual input: images of an American cemetery, tombstones, visual metaphors of journey (roads, suitcases, trains).
Task: in groups, choose a symbol to represent The Hill and explain it in English. Gamification: mini-Kahoot for vocabulary review. Output: digital poster (Canva/Genially) titled The Hill – Our Interpretation.
Central Concept
Using Spoon River Anthology by Edgar Lee Masters as a metaphorical journey through life and beyond, students will explore personal stories, regrets, and aspirations of fictional characters, linking it to their own learning paths and career areas. This will be treated as a reflective journey—with a cross between literature, personal identity, professional roles, and digital storytelling.
Lesson 2
George Gray (Fear of Living)
HOTs (Higher Order Thinking Skills): compare and interpret the two images (risk vs. safety). LOTs (Lower Order Thinking Skills): comprehension questions about the text.
Visual input: boat anchored in the harbour vs. ship in open sea.
Task: role-play – interview George Gray (“Why didn’t you live fully?”). Debate: Is it better to live safely or to take risks? (for/against teams). Output: video interview styled as a TV news report..
Lesson 3
Fiddler Jones (The Joyful Journey)
Visual input: photos of street musicians, festivals.
Activity: students create a word cloud with ideas connected to “music, freedom, happiness”. Flipped classroom: students read/listen to the poem at home with glossary support. Task: in class, reconstruct Fiddler Jones’s story with a visual timeline. Gamification: Kahoot quiz on vocabulary from the poem. Output: short performance with an interview to the character.
Lesson 1
Introduction and The Hill
KWL Chart: What I Know / What I Want to Know / What I Learned. Brainstorming: words connected to life, death, journey, choices. BICS (Basic Interpersonal Communication): describing pictures, simple Q&A (“What can you see?”, “What does it mean?”). CALP (Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency): introducing metaphor, symbol, epitaph.
Lesson 1 – Introduction & The Hill Visual input: images of an American cemetery, tombstones, visual metaphors of journey (roads, suitcases, trains).
Task: in groups, choose a symbol to represent The Hill and explain it in English. Gamification: mini-Kahoot for vocabulary review. Output: digital poster (Canva/Genially) titled The Hill – Our Interpretation.
Lesson 5
Richard Bone (Memory and Truth)
Visual input: photos of epitaphs and gravestones.
Address-Based Task: - Graphic Design: create layouts for epitaphs and visual memorials. - Business & Finance: short case study on the “business of memory” (funerals, inheritance, tombstone industry).Output: collaborative digital e-book Our Class Spoon River.
Activity: class discussion – What remains of us after the journey of life? Task: students write a short creative epitaph in English (max 4 lines).
Lesson 4
Lucinda Matlock (Life Experience)
Visual input: photo collage of different life stages (youth, family, old age).
Task: groups create a graphic story of Lucinda’s life using digital comics (StoryboardThat/Canva). Debate: Happiness depends on challenges – do you agree? Output: class graphic novel to display in the school corridor.
BICS: storytelling with images (“She got married… She had children…”). CALP: introducing words such as hardship, strength, wisdom.
The Hill
“The Hill” serves as the opening poem of Spoon River Anthology and functions as a kind of prologue. Rather than offering a narrative, it presents a catalogue of names - residents of the fictional community of Spoon River - who are now buried on the hill that overlooks the town.
THEMES introduced
- Mortality and equality in death
- The hidden truths of small-town life
- The contrast between appearance and reality.
Spoon River Anthology - A Journey Through the Afterlife
Angela Panzarella
Created on August 19, 2025
"Spoon River Anthology: A Journey Through the Afterlife" - Prof.ssa Angela Panzarella
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Transcript
SPOOn river anthology
A Journey Through the Afterlife
Prof.ssa Angela Panzarella
The Hill
George Hill
Fiddler Jones
Lucinda Matlock
Richard Bones
The Hill
Lucinda Matlock
George Hill
Fiddler Jones
Richard Bones
The Hill
“The Hill” serves as the opening poem of Spoon River Anthology and functions as a kind of prologue. Rather than offering a narrative, it presents a catalogue of names - residents of the fictional community of Spoon River - who are now buried on the hill that overlooks the town.
THEMES introduced
Lesson 1
Introduction and The Hill
KWL Chart: What I Know / What I Want to Know / What I Learned. Brainstorming: words connected to life, death, journey, choices. BICS (Basic Interpersonal Communication): describing pictures, simple Q&A (“What can you see?”, “What does it mean?”). CALP (Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency): introducing metaphor, symbol, epitaph.
Lesson 1 – Introduction & The Hill Visual input: images of an American cemetery, tombstones, visual metaphors of journey (roads, suitcases, trains).
Task: in groups, choose a symbol to represent The Hill and explain it in English. Gamification: mini-Kahoot for vocabulary review. Output: digital poster (Canva/Genially) titled The Hill – Our Interpretation.
Central Concept
Using Spoon River Anthology by Edgar Lee Masters as a metaphorical journey through life and beyond, students will explore personal stories, regrets, and aspirations of fictional characters, linking it to their own learning paths and career areas. This will be treated as a reflective journey—with a cross between literature, personal identity, professional roles, and digital storytelling.
Lesson 2
George Gray (Fear of Living)
HOTs (Higher Order Thinking Skills): compare and interpret the two images (risk vs. safety). LOTs (Lower Order Thinking Skills): comprehension questions about the text.
Visual input: boat anchored in the harbour vs. ship in open sea.
Task: role-play – interview George Gray (“Why didn’t you live fully?”). Debate: Is it better to live safely or to take risks? (for/against teams). Output: video interview styled as a TV news report..
Lesson 3
Fiddler Jones (The Joyful Journey)
Visual input: photos of street musicians, festivals.
Activity: students create a word cloud with ideas connected to “music, freedom, happiness”. Flipped classroom: students read/listen to the poem at home with glossary support. Task: in class, reconstruct Fiddler Jones’s story with a visual timeline. Gamification: Kahoot quiz on vocabulary from the poem. Output: short performance with an interview to the character.
Lesson 1
Introduction and The Hill
KWL Chart: What I Know / What I Want to Know / What I Learned. Brainstorming: words connected to life, death, journey, choices. BICS (Basic Interpersonal Communication): describing pictures, simple Q&A (“What can you see?”, “What does it mean?”). CALP (Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency): introducing metaphor, symbol, epitaph.
Lesson 1 – Introduction & The Hill Visual input: images of an American cemetery, tombstones, visual metaphors of journey (roads, suitcases, trains).
Task: in groups, choose a symbol to represent The Hill and explain it in English. Gamification: mini-Kahoot for vocabulary review. Output: digital poster (Canva/Genially) titled The Hill – Our Interpretation.
Lesson 5
Richard Bone (Memory and Truth)
Visual input: photos of epitaphs and gravestones.
Address-Based Task: - Graphic Design: create layouts for epitaphs and visual memorials. - Business & Finance: short case study on the “business of memory” (funerals, inheritance, tombstone industry).Output: collaborative digital e-book Our Class Spoon River.
Activity: class discussion – What remains of us after the journey of life? Task: students write a short creative epitaph in English (max 4 lines).
Lesson 4
Lucinda Matlock (Life Experience)
Visual input: photo collage of different life stages (youth, family, old age).
Task: groups create a graphic story of Lucinda’s life using digital comics (StoryboardThat/Canva). Debate: Happiness depends on challenges – do you agree? Output: class graphic novel to display in the school corridor.
BICS: storytelling with images (“She got married… She had children…”). CALP: introducing words such as hardship, strength, wisdom.
The Hill
“The Hill” serves as the opening poem of Spoon River Anthology and functions as a kind of prologue. Rather than offering a narrative, it presents a catalogue of names - residents of the fictional community of Spoon River - who are now buried on the hill that overlooks the town.
THEMES introduced