Do a quickwrite about your name. Consider explaining who selected your name, any history your name has, and how you feel about your name.
1. Listen as your teacher reads the poem aloud. As you listen, keep your feelings about your name in mind.
2. Reread the poem on your own. Record how the speaker feels about his real name and the new name he is given by the teacher.
Work with a partner to reread the poem. Read aloud the first stanza. Identify the main idea. Talk with your partner about the feelings the speaker expresses in the first stanza. Repeat this process for stanzas two and three.
Make a Connection
Do another quickwrite to compare your feelings about your name with the speaker’s feelings about his name. Discuss the following questions with a partner. How would you feel if somebody changed your name? How did the quickwrite help you read the poem?