ENG1D Poetry

You Bleed, You Learn?

Objective:
This assignment is designed to develop skills in evaluating your learning process in order to produce better
results in the future (error analysis of one's own written work, poor test taking results, etc) and to
encourage self evaluation, reflection and planning. Results both good and bad offer opportunities for
reflection and you need to value error as a learning tool. Also it looks at the concepts of inference which is
critical to the understanding of literature: the so-called “reading between the lines”. Lastly is continues to
develop our theme of music as poetry.

Procedure:
1. Think about a time you made a mistake, an error in judgement, action or words. How do these feel
when they happen to you?
2. Share in a brief discussion with your table group what happened, and how you dealt with it?
(sample reactions: run, hide, bury your head in the sand, etc.)
3. What did you learn from this experience and what would you do differently if you had it to do over
again.
4. Consider the following terms:
a. INFERENCE: a conclusion drawn from evidence or reasoning
b. DENOTATION: the most specific or literal meaning of a word, as opposed to its figurative
senses or connotations
c. CONNOTATION: an additional sense or senses associated with or suggested by a word or
phrase.
5. Consider these terms as you listen to the song "You Learn" by Alannis Morissette (Jagged Little Pill).
6. In your table groups, infer the meaning of each line of the chorus, providing the denotation (literal
meaning), a connotation or inferred meaning, and an example provided by group discussion.

For example: The chorus words "You bleed, you learn" might bring the following
results:

denotation: you are physically hurt, bleeding, and you learn not to do that particular
action again since it draws blood.

connotation: you may have taken an emotional risk, got hurt in some way and learned not
to let others hurt you in that way again.

Example: when a first boyfriend dumps you for someone else, you are really cautious about
having another boyfriend again.

Writing Assignment
In a short essay, select a time in your life when you made a mistake, an error in judgement, action or
word, that affected you in a memorable way (we all have them!) and really analyze the impact of that
mistake on your development as a person.

 In your introductory paragraph, tell the basic situation (DENOTATION)

 In your first body paragraph, use one of the chorus lines from Alannis Morissette's song, "You
Learn" and explain how and what you have learned from this error, what this error has meant to
your life, and how it has changed your direction, if at all (CONNOTATION). (150 words or so
minimum)
 In your concluding paragraph, restate the chorus line from the song that you chose in your
introductory paragraph, and discuss how this is true for all our mistakes, how we can learn from
them, and what the value of error is to humanity. (INFERENCE) (150 words or so minimum)

You Bleed, You Learn? Page 1 of 4

ENG1D Poetry

"You Learn"
by Alannis Morissette
I recommend getting your heart trampled on to anyone,
I recommend walking around naked in your living room
Swallow it down (what a jagged little pill)
It feels so good (swimming in your stomach)
Wait until the dust settles

Chorus:
You live you learn
You love you learn
You cry you learn
You lose you learn
You bleed you learn
You scream you learn

I recommend biting off more than you can chew to

anyone
I certainly do
I recommend sticking your foot in your mouth at any time
Feel Free
Throw it down (the caution blocks you from the wind)
Hold it up (to the rays)
You wait and see when the smoke clears

Repeat chorus

Wear it out (the way a three year old would do)

Melt it down (you're gonna have to eventually anyway)
The fire trucks are coming up around the bend

Repeat chorus

You grieve you learn

You choke you learn
You laugh you learn
You choose you learn
You pray you learn
You ask you learn
You live you learn

You Bleed, You Learn? Page 2 of 4

ENG1D Poetry

Multi Paragraph Response Planner

Introduction: tell the basic situation (denotation), what happened?

Body Paragraph: chorus lines from "You Learn" and notes on how and what you have learned from this error. (connotation

Conclusion: restate the chorus line from the song that you chose in your introductory paragraph, and discuss how this is true for
all our mistakes, how we can learn from them, and what the value of error is to humanity

You Bleed, You Learn? Page 3 of 4

ENG1D Poetry

Name:
Teacher:
Date:
PERSONAL RESPONSE RUBRIC Course: ENG 1D

Criteria: (0% - Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4

49%) (50% - 59%) (60% - 69%) (70% - 79%) (80% - 100%)

KNOWLEDGE
Uses specific evidence to uses few specific uses some specific uses many specific uses many specific
support opinions and examples to support examples to support examples to support examples to support
judgements obvious opinions and clear opinions and persuasive opinions and insightful opinions and
judgements judgements judgements judgements
Demonstrate knowledge and Demonstrates a limited Demonstrates some Demonstrates Demonstrates superior
understanding of the content knowledge and knowledge and considerable knowledge and
of literary works studied understanding of the understanding of the knowledge and understanding of the
content of literary content of literary understanding of the content of literary
works studied works studied content of literary works studied
works studied
Demonstrate an Demonstrates a limited Demonstrates some Demonstrates Demonstrate a superior
understanding of key features understanding of key understanding of key considerable understanding of key
(ideas, themes, form, features features understanding of key features
features
literary devices)

THINKING
Demonstrates personal Demonstrates limited Demonstrates some Demonstrates Demonstrates superior
engagement within personal engagement personal engagement considerable personal personal engagement
response within response within response engagement within within response
response
uses critical and original uses critical and original uses critical and original uses critical and original
Analyze text with a high thinking skills with thinking skills with thinking skills with thinking skills with a
degree of effectiveness and limited effectiveness moderate effectiveness considerable high degree of
depth effectiveness effectiveness

Demonstrates a logical Logical progression of Some logical Logical progression of Logical progression of
progression of thought thought limited progression of thought thought is considerable thought enhances the
essay

COMMUNICATION
Uses conventions of spelling, occasionally uses the frequently uses the consistently uses the always uses the
capitalization and conventions of spelling, conventions of spelling, conventions of spelling, conventions of spelling,
punctuation in oral and capitalization and capitalization and capitalization and capitalization and
punctuation correctly punctuation correctly punctuation correctly punctuation correctly
written work

Uses the conventions of occasionally uses the frequently uses the consistently uses the always uses the
grammar and usage in oral conventions of conventions of conventions of conventions of grammar
and written communication grammar and usage grammar and usage grammar and usage and usage

Select words appropriate to occasionally selects frequently selects Consistently selects Always or almost always
intended audience words appropriate to words appropriate to words appropriate to selects words
intended audience intended audience intended audience appropriate to intended
audience

APPLICATION
Demonstrates proper use of Demonstrates poor Demonstrates Demonstrates demonstrates superior
all steps of the writing effort on all steps of the satisfactory effort on all consistent effort on all effort on all steps of the
process: dot jot, rough copy, writing process steps of the writing steps of the writing writing process
process process
editing and revision, good
copy, timelines

Demonstrates proper use of Limited proper use of Some proper use of Considerable proper use Thorough use of formal
paragraph format / structure formal paragraph formal paragraph of formal paragraph paragraph format /
format / structure format / structure format / structure structure

Uses a single controlling uses a single controlling uses a single controlling uses a single controlling uses a single controlling
idea and connecting words idea and connecting idea and connecting idea and connecting idea and connecting
to structure paragraph words to structure the words to structure the words to structure the words to structure the
paragraph with limited paragraph with some paragraph with paragraph with
effectiveness effectiveness considerable considerable
effectiveness effectiveness and
insight

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