1. Poetry Read-a-Thon Honoring National Poetry Month: Reading and Writing Poems

2. How can I respond to a poem? Reflect on: Topic Theme/Message Sound/rhythm/rhyme Imagery (5 senses) Talk to the poet Symbols Mood/Emotions Figurative Language

3. How do I Write a Response? Read the poem at least twice Silently and aloud Reflect: Why did I select this poem? What words jump out at me? Why? What does the poem mean to me? How does the poem sound out loud?

4. We Real Cool by G. Brooks THE POOL PLAYERS. SEVEN AT THE GOLDEN SHOVEL. We real cool. We Left school. We Lurk late. We Strike straight. We Sing sin. We Thin gin. We Jazz June. We Die soon.

5. Example Response to We Real Cool We Real Cool by Gwendolyn Brooks made me think about the “we” in the poem. I have seen kids like this in my school. They do not study, go to class, or really care about having a future. They are interested in hanging with their friends and getting into trouble with gangs, drugs, and alcohol. The last line of the poem says that they will die soon, and the word cool from line one disappears because there is nothing cool about a teenager dying too young from terrible choices.

6. What Do I Do Now? Read, Read, Read poems of your choice Write 75-100 word responses Track your progress Title Author Date read