Before Reading
Begin to Create Mind Pictures
What images come to mind when you read the following line: "In Xanadu did Cublai Can build a stately palace"? Close your eyes and think about the "stately palace." What does the palace look like? Where is Xanadu? Then look at the art on page 706. Is this image close to the images you created in your head? Share your images with the class. Then read the poem, creating pictures in your mind of the place the speaker describes.
During Reading
Keep Making Mind Pictures
1. Listen as your teacher reads the first stanza of the poem. What do you picture in your mind? What sounds would you hear in such a place? What would it smell like? What would if feel like to be there?
2. Continue reading the rest of the poem on your own. Continue to make mind pictures as you read.
Fix-Up Idea: Listen and Reread
Listen to the whole poem read aloud. Close your eyes and try to picture what you hear being described. Then read the poem again on your own. Write down key words and phrases that help you get a sense of the place described in the poem.
After Reading
Sketch or Summarize What You Pictured
Make a quick sketch or write a summary of the mind pictures you created as you read. Compare your pictures with those of a partner and discuss whether you would like to go to the place described.