Before Reading
Come Up with a Plan
Read the About the Selection paragraphs carefully. Make a three-column chart to represent the three parts of the poem: Introduction (lines 1–17), Central Lines (18–66), and Conclusion (lines 67–82).
During Reading
Use Your Plan
1. Listen as your teacher reads the first eight lines of the poem. As you listen, make notes in your chart of vivid images, phrases that catch your attention, and reactions you have to these lines.
2. Continue reading on your own, filling in your chart as you go. When you have finished reading the poem once, look at the notes you made for each section. Try to identify the speaker and important ideas included in each section.
Fix-Up Idea: Read and Think Aloud
If you are having trouble, read the poem aloud with a partner. Read several lines, until you come to a period. Then think aloud with your partner about what you notice and what the lines mean. Write your ideas down in your chart. Then have your partner read until there is another period. Discuss these lines, then continue in this way until you have read the whole poem.
After Reading
Summarize
Share your responses with a partner and discuss differences in your responses. With your partner, decide on a summary for each section. Then, in your own words, state the theme of the poem.