Before Reading
Think About What You Know
With your classmates, discuss experiences of segregation and racism and what you know about segregation during the time Hughes was writing.
During Reading
Use What You Know
1. Listen as your teacher reads "The Negro Speaks of Rivers." Think about the title. Take notes about what the speaker has done and what has happened to the speaker. Think about who the speaker is and how his identity affects his experience.
2. Read "I, too, sing America" on your own. Keep in mind the ideas about segregation you talked about in the Before-Reading activity.
Fix-Up Idea: Use Guided Reading Questions
If you are having trouble determining the main ideas or the speaker's feelings in either poem, go back and answer the Guided Reading Questions. These questions will help you focus on key lines of the poem. What do you learn about the speaker of each poem by answering the Guided Reading Questions?
After Reading
Share Connections
With your classmates, discuss the Respond to the Selection on page 645. What are the experiences and attitudes of the speakers in the two poems?