This document provides an agenda and context for an English class discussion on text-oriented literary approaches, specifically formalism and new criticism. It summarizes key aspects of these approaches, including their focus on close analysis of literary form and structure while ignoring historical context or authorial intent. It then instructs students to read the poem "My Papa's Waltz" and a sample new critical analysis of it, taking note of literary devices and assessing whether they agree with the critical reading. For homework, students are asked to post a discussion responding to questions about new criticism and formalism or bringing copies of the texts to the next class.