Before Reading
Think About What You Know
With a few of your classmates, discuss your response to the Reader's Journal question. Talk about how you felt when you were not recognized. Also list reasons people sometimes do not get recognized for their talents or accomplishments.
During Reading
Use What You Know While You Read
1. As your teacher reads the poem aloud, find answers to the following questions: Who is not being recognized? What do they do that is not being recognized? What does the speaker recognize?
2. Read through the poem again on your own. Think about how you would feel if you were one of the people the speaker was addressing.
Fix-Up Idea: Focus on Parallelism
Another way to look at the poem is to examine the parallelism the author uses. A writer uses parallelism to emphasize the equal value or weight of two or more ideas. Make a chart like the one on page 775. As you read, look for examples of parallelism and write them in the chart. Then determine what the examples have in common.
After Reading
Share Your Connections
With your group from the Before-Reading activity, discuss feelings you had as you read the poem. Then discuss ways to recognize somebody who has gone unrecognized or ways that you would like others to recognize you.