lesson plan idea?

Ok what if we do this:

We can start the class off by showing them a wierd picture of a spittoon (that doesn't really look like a spittoon) and ask them to describe it using only adjectives. From there we can tell them it's a spittoon, and see what sort of things pop into thier mind (such as ugly, dirty, discusting habbit etc) and most will be bad things, few will see where the pride can be.
Then we can read the poem:
Brass Spittoonsby Langston Hughes
Clean the spittoons, boy.
Detroit,
Chicago,
Atlantic City,
Palm Beach.
Clean the spittoons.
The steam in hotel kitchens,
And the smoke in hotel lobbies,
And the slime in hotel spittoons:Part of my life.
Hey, boy!
A nickel,
A dime,
A dollar,
Two dollars a day.
Hey, boy!
A nickel,
A dime,
A dollar,
Two dollars
Buy shoes for the baby.
House rent to pay.
Gin on Saturday,
Church on Sunday.
My God!
Babies and gin and church
And women and Sunday
All mixed with dimes and
Dollars and clean spittoons
And house rent to pay.
Hey, boy!
A bright bowl of brass is beautiful to the Lord.
Bright polished brass like the cymbals
Of King David’s dancers,
Like the wine cups of Solomon.
Hey, boy!
A clean spittoon on the altar of the Lord.
A clean bright spittoon all newly polished—
At least I can offer that.
Com’mere, boy!

And ask everyone how this picture paints the spittoon. It's very different than our usual assumptions about spittoons, becuase this is a lively hood, and the author finds the beauity in that.

Then we can read the part in the book where Sandy is polishing the spittoons and has the same feelings towards spittoons, he takes pride in his work, even if it's "just" polishing spittoons. And we can ask them then what sort of character must he be?


HOW does this sound?

I'm just getting nervous because we have a LOT to do and this should be the least of our worries :)