School SHIEK OMAR INTEGETED Grade Level 8
SCHOOL
Teacher Mrs. Janice L. Opay Quarter/Week 1/5
Learning English Teaching Dates & 45 mins.
Area Duration July 15, 2025
I. LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Content Standards The learners demonstrate their multiliteracies and communicative
competence in evaluating Afro-Asian literature (poetry and prose) for
clarity of meaning, purpose, and target audience as a foundation for
publishing original literary texts that reflect their expanding cultural
identity.
Performance The learners analyze the style, form, and features of Afro-Asian
Standards literature (poetry and prose); evaluate literary texts for clarity of
meaning, purpose, and target audience; and compose and publish an
original multimodal literary text (poem or prose) that represents their
meaning, purpose, and target audience, and reflects their expanding
cultural identity
Learning Evaluating literary texts
Competencies/C
ode EN8LIT-I-1 Analyze literary texts as expressions of individual or
communal values within:
1. Structural context
o rhyme and meter
o diction
o tone and mood
o style
o patterns and motifs
o figures of speech and sound devices
2. historical context
3. sociocultural context
Lesson Objectives:
● identify and interpret symbolisms, allusions, and/or themes that
exemplify the sociocultural/historical contexts of
an Afro-Asian poem.
Objectives
Knowledge Identify symbolic language and historical/cultural references in the
Skills poem.
Attitude
Analyze how the poem reflects the African heritage and identity
through symbolism and historical allusion.
Interpret the central theme of the poem and relate it to their own
understanding of identity, history, and culture.
Express their understanding through a reflective written output or
II. CONTENT Interpreting Symbolism and Theme in “The Negro Speaks of Rivers”
III. LEARNING RESOURCES
A. References
1. Teacher’s
Guide pages
2. Learner’s
Materials
pages
3. Textbook Lesson Exemplar & Learning Activity Sheets
pages
Quarter 1 - Week 5
Indeed Editorial Team. (August, 2023). 8 Types of Symbolism Used in
Literature. Retrieved from [Link]
advice/career-development/types-of-symbolism#:~:text=An
%20allusion%20is%20a%20subtle,within%20a%20story%20or
%20work.
4. Additional ● Kramer, L. (June 2, 2022). Allusion. Grammarly. Retrieved from
Materials from [Link]
Learning
Resource (LR) ● LitCharts. (n.d.). Theme. Retrieved from
portal [Link]
● Tearle, O. (2024). A Summary and Analysis of Langston Hughes’
‘The Negro Speaks of Rivers’. Retrieved from
[Link]
speaks-of-rivers-summary-analysis/
Picture of a river (from:
B. Other Learning
[Link]
Resources
[Link]), The Negro Speaks of Rivers by Langston Hughes
C. Supplies, Powerpoint Presentations,
Equipment,
Tools, etc.
IV. PROCEDURE
Preliminary Prayer
Activity B. Greetings
C. Classroom Management
D. Checking of Attendance
E. Review of Previous Lesson
1. Short Review
· 3 things they learned about symbolism, allusion, or theme
· 2 examples (from literature or real life) of symbolism or allusion
· 1 question they still have
ACTIVITY A. The teacher will present a picture of a river. The following prompt
questions will be asked:
● What are some characteristics of rivers?
● How do rivers feature in myths, legends, and religious texts?
● What emotions or ideas might people associate with rivers?
Today, we will explore how rivers are not just water bodies, but
symbols of identity, memory, and culture through Langston Hughes’
poem ‘The Negro Speaks of Rivers.
ANALYSIS Activity 1: First Reading and Emotional Response
Read the poem aloud or ask a confident student to do so.
Ask students: “What line or word struck you most? Why?”
Do a second silent reading, this time instructing students to highlight
or underline words/phrases that stand out (e.g., "I’ve known rivers,"
"my soul has grown deep," "Mississippi," "golden").
B. The students are tasked to read the selected afro-asian poem.
The Negro Speaks of Rivers
BY LANGSTON HUGHES
I.
I’ve known rivers:
I’ve known rivers ancient as the world and older than the flow of
human blood in
human veins.
II.
My soul has grown deep like the rivers.
III.
I bathed in the Euphrates when dawns were young.
I built my hut near the Congo and it lulled me to sleep.
I looked upon the Nile and raised the pyramids above it.
I heard the singing of the Mississippi when Abe Lincoln went down to
New
Orleans, and I’ve seen its muddy bosom turn all golden in the sunset
IV.
I’ve known rivers:
Ancient, dusky rivers.
V.
My soul has grown deep like the rivers.
Activity 2: Group Brainstorming
In small groups, answer:
What makes the words/phrases you highlighted stand out?
What emotions or images do they evoke?
Are there references to real historical or cultural events? What do the
tell us?
ABSTRACTION Historical and Sociocultural Context
"The Negro Speaks of Rivers" is a poem by American writer Langston
Hughes. He was a prominent figure of the Harlem Renaissance, a
cultural, social, and artistic
movement that emerged in the 1920s in Harlem, New York. This
movement aimed to celebrate African American heritage and culture,
challenging racial stereotypes and promoting racial pride.
It was published in Crisis, a journal of African-American writing, in Jun
1921. Hughes had written the poem while actually traveling on a rive
he was crossing the Mississippi at the time, and it makes sense to vie
his poem as being about Mississippi above all.
The poem is composed of five stanzas, of varying lengths. The speake
of the poem, as its title makes clear, as a ‘Negro’: a Black person of
African descent. Hughes himself was one of the most noted African-
American writers of his age, but here he adopts the voice of all Black
people throughout history, going back thousands of years.
Understanding Symbolism and Theme
Explain symbolism using the river as the central symbol in the poem.
Rivers = history, memory, ancestry, soul, and resilience.
Discuss historical allusions (e.g., Nile, Mississippi, Lincoln, Congo,
pyramids).
Link these to Black identity and historical continuity.
Discuss the theme: cultural pride, historical connection, and inner
strength.
Theme example: “One’s history shapes their soul, and identity is
rooted in ancestral memory.”
Prompt Questions for Class Sharing:
Why does Hughes repeat the phrase “I’ve known rivers”?
How does the poem reflect the speaker’s identity?
How does the image of the river change throughout the poem?
APPLICATION Activity No.: 2 – Literature and Culture (20 minutes)
II. Objective(s):
a. identify and interpret symbolisms, allusions, and/or themes that
exemplify the
sociocultural/historical contexts of an Afro-Asian poem.
III. Materials Needed: copy of the literary texts, separate sheet of
paper, and pen
IV. Instructions: Fill out the table below. Identify the symbols, allusion
and theme of the poem
“The Negro Speaks of Rivers” by Langston Hughes. Give your
interpretation of each.
(Refer to LAS W5 pp. 3-4)
ASSESSMENT Multiple Choice Test – The Negro Speaks of Rivers
1. What do the rivers in the poem primarily symbolize?
A. Physical boundaries between countries
✅ B. The depth of the speaker’s soul and ancestral history
C. A journey of exploration and travel
D. Water sources for survival
2. Which historical river is associated with the construction of the
pyramids in the poem?
A. Mississippi
B. Congo
✅ C. Nile
D. Amazon
3. What is the overall tone of the poem?
A. Angry and defiant
✅ B. Reflective and reverent
C. Humorous and lighthearted
D. Critical and argumentative
4. Which line is repeated in the poem and emphasizes the speaker’s
deep connection to the past?
A. “I raised the pyramids above it.”
✅ B. “I’ve known rivers.”
C. “I heard the singing of the Mississippi.”
D. “I built my hut near the Congo.”
5. What is the central theme of the poem?
A. The destruction of nature by civilization
B. The celebration of modern urban life
✅ C. The enduring legacy and soul of the African people through
history
D. The poet’s personal journey through different countries
V. REMARKS
VI. REFLECTIONS
A. No. of
learners who
earned 80% on
the formative
assessment
B. No. of
learners who
require
additional
activities for
remediation.
C. Did the
remedial
lessons work?
No. of learners
who have
caught up with
the lesson.
D. No. of
learners who
continue to
require
remediation
E. Which of
my teaching
strategies
worked well?
Why did this
work?
F. What
difficulties did I
encounter which
my principal or
supervisor can
help me solve?
G. What
innovation or
localized
materials did I
use/discover
which I wish to
share with other
teachers?
