Before Reading
Identify a Purpose
Read the About the Authors and About the Selections paragraphs on page 175 of your text. Think about the subjects of these poems. As you read, try to determine the theme of each poem and consider how this theme relates to your life.
During Reading
Read with a Purpose in Mind
1. Listen as your teacher reads the first two stanzas of "Ubi Sunt Qui ante Nos Fuerunt?" What are the main ideas of these stanzas? Jot down your ideas.
2. Continue reading the selection on your own. Keep taking notes about the main ideas of each stanza. Then look over your notes. What theme can you identify based on these ideas? Read "I Sing of a Maiden," taking notes and determining the theme in the same way.
Fix-Up Idea: Reread
If you are having trouble understanding the selections, try rereading, focusing on the meaning of each sentence. Some sentences are long or contain inverted syntax or a word order that is different than we would normally use today. Try to paraphrase each sentence, or write it in your own words to capture the meaning.
After Reading
Summarize Theme
With a partner, discuss the main ideas you identified while you were reading and use those ideas to summarize the theme of the poems. Talk about whether these themes relate to your lives and how they might have related to life during the Medieval Period.