Before Reading
Think About What You Know
As you respond to the Reader's Journal question, think about specific sights, sounds, and smells that trigger memories of home. Discuss your response to the Reader's Journal question with a few of your classmates.
During Reading
Make Connections While You Read
1. Listen as your teacher reads the first stanza of "The Tropics in New York" aloud. What kinds of things does the speaker notice? What do these things remind him of?
2. Keep reading on your own. Compare things that spark the speaker's memories with things that spark your own. Compare the feelings the speaker expresses in the final stanza with your feelings of homesickness.
Fix-Up Idea: Write It Down
In your notebook, create a cluster chart. Write the word hunger in a circle at the center of your paper. As you read, connect things that the speaker hungers for. Then add additional circles to show things you hunger for or have hungered for.
After Reading
Share Your Connections
Think about the feelings the speaker expresses in this poem. Write a paragraph about his feelings and whether you can relate to these feelings. Share these responses with your group in the Before-Reading activity.