PostPoems Be Artistic. Be Creative. Be Inspired!

Okay, here's round two.  This one we'll do differently.  Let's exercise those brains!  Here's what you must do.  After you read the little poem below, figure out what the poem is talking about.  Then anwser the six questions below.  That is all...  The answers will be on the author's critique.  Check your answers and see for yourself how you did!  Explanations on metacomprehension, prior knowledge, and schema theory are followed after Poetry Mental Test 2.  These three relate to the test you're doing.



1 "With Hocked Gems

  Financing Him

  Our hero bravely defied

  all scornful laughter

5 that tried to deceive his scheme

  An egg, not a table typify

  unexplored planet.

  Now three sturdy sisters sought proof

  forging sometimes through calm vastness

10Yet, more often over turbulent peaks and valleys

  Days become weeks as many doubters spread fearful

  rumors about the edge.

  At last, welcome winged creatures appeared

14signifying momentous success."



[What is this poem talking about?]



1.  In line 1, whose gems were "hocked"?



2.  In lines 2 and 3, who is "Him" and "Our hero"?



3.  In line 8, who are the "three sturdy sisters"?



4.  In lines 9 and 10, wha tis the "calm vastness" and

    the turbulent peaks and valleys?"



5.  In line 12, what does "the edge" refer to?



6.  In line 14, what is the "momentous success"?



Prior knowledge:  (PN) defined as the experience and information a reader brings to the process of understanding a text.  (In other words, what knowledge you know and to what degree about any certain subject in general.  So the more you know, the more you can understand.).  Prior knowledge must be ACTIVATED and RELEVANT to help in comprehending a text.  (Or to sum up, certain bits of knowledge will be activated in your brain to understand something.)



Schema:  (S) defined as a mental framework or conceptual pattern which allows a reader to:  (1) store information (2) access information (3) process or apply information (All like a computer).  A schema is a COGNITIVE ENZYME without which information cannot be turned into MENTAL NUTRITION (e.g. learning).  In other words, without learning something previously, for example, learning your ABC's, you won't know how to read, or understand, etc.  (Schemas are in sum little bits of general knowledge that is a guide for understanding.  Schemas are like maps where you're guided in your head on understanding or applying your knowledge to certain things.  For example, "Mary heard the ice-cream truck down the street.  She remembered her birthday money and ran into the house."  Since she heard the ice-cream truck, a schema (or bit of general info.) was activated in her mind to lead her to remember the birthday money she can buy the ice cream with.



Metacomprehension:  (M) "Who of us has not had the experience of reading a book and becoming aware that we have not understood the content of the last few pages?  At the point of that awareness, our metacomprehension was very high -- we "knew" we hadn't processed anything we'd just read.  On the other hand, while we were reading absentmindedly, our metacomprehension was low -- we had been unaware of our lack of understanding.  METACOMPREHENSION, THEN, IT THE AWARENESS OF AND CONSCIOUS CONTROL OVER ONE'S OWN UNDERSTANDING OR LACK OF IT."  - from Sally N. Standiford, "Metacomprehension," ERIC Digest, 1984.