Name___________________________________________________________Date_____________Class Period____________
Poem Title: ______________________________________________________________________________
Author: _________________________________________________________________________________
WHILE Reading Poem
BEFORE
Reading
Poem
TPCASTT Chart
T:
Title
Predict what you think the title
means.
P:
Write in your own words what each
line or stanza of the poem say.
Don’t worry about what it means,
just what the words say. Be literal
as possible.
Paraphrase
C:
AFTER Reading Poem
Connotation
A:
Attitude
S:
Shifts
T:
Title
T:
Theme
Look for poetic devices, rhyme
scheme, symbols, and deeper
meaning. Some examples are
imagery (simile, metaphor,
personification, alliteration,
onomatopoeia) rhythm, rhyme,
point of view, diction, and
symbolism.
Look for the poet’s mood and/or
tone.
Look for changes in feelings, tone,
mood, or perhaps rhyme and
rhythm.
Evaluate the title again, and decide
what it means to you now.
Write what you consider to be the
theme, main idea, or lesson of the
poem.
Source: The College Board, English Vertical Teams & Virginia Dept. of Education, 2004