Student Activity sheet
Listening/Note-taking Activity for J. Ulrich’s interview at FavoritePoem.org
http://www.favoritepoem.org/FlashVideo/ulrich.html
We Real Cool
by Gwendolyn Brooks
THE POOL PLAYERS.
SEVEN AT THE GOLDEN SHOVEL.
We real cool. We
Left school. We
Lurk late. We
Strike straight. We
Sing sin. We
Thin gin. We
Jazz June. We
Die soon.
From “The Bean Eaters”, by Gwendolyn Brooks,
published by Harpers. © 1960 All rights reserved.
Video Interview © 2000 FavoritePoem.org
Pre-listening Vocabulary:
to commit suicide:
unconditional; “unconditional love”:
siblings (noun):
heroin (noun):
to overdose (verb):
to do something on purpose:
to be desperate (adj.)/ feel despair:
a cluster (noun):
to take drastic action; something is drastic (adj.):
A. How Good is Your Memory? – How Well Do You Listen?
First Listening: Listen and watch, then answer these questions:
1. What’s the teenager’s name?
2. Where is he from (what U.S. city and state)?
3. How old is he?
4. Where does he go to school?
5. How did he describe his family?
6. How many total siblings/children are there in his family?
7. How many sisters?
8. How many brothers?
9. How many years are there between each of them (age-wise)?
© 2000 (updated 2012) Arlyn Freed, http://www.eslhome.com/esl/listen/ulrichS.pdf
Student Activity Sheet p. 1 of 3
B. Note-Taking Exercise/Post-Listening Questions
Second Listening: Take notes, then answer the following the questions from your notes.
Check your answers by downloading http://www.eslhome.com/esl/listen/ulrichT.pdf
1. What kind of love does he receive from his family? What does his answer mean?
2. How old was he in 1997?
3. How many of his friends and neighbors did he say tried to commit suicide?
4. How many succeeded? How old were they?
5. What is the TOTAL number of John’s friends and neighbors who died between
1996 and the time of this interview (2000)?
6. What was/is the main cause of death for young people in John’s neighborhood?
7. Why does John say his neighborhood is “so desperate”?
8. What saved John from becoming desperate like his friends?
9. What’s the name of his group and who helped him to create it?
10. What’s the purpose of this group?
11. Where and when did he first hear this poem by Gwendolyn Brooks?
12. How does he relate to this poem?
13. Explain the kind of “change” that John talks about?
14. Does John think he and his friends are (or were) “real cool”?
Some questions adapted from Aiden Yeh ©2003, http://dcyeh.com/
© 2000 (updated 2012) Arlyn Freed, http://www.eslhome.com/esl/listen/ulrichS.pdf
Student Activity Sheet p. 2 of 3
C. Think about it/write about it:
Analyze the poem:
“The Pool Players.” = “Pool” is a game (also called “billiards”). At “pool halls” you can rent a pool table
by the hour to play with friends. However, many people gamble and drink in pool halls, placing bets on
who will win the game. These men are playing pool in a pool hall or bar.
“Seven at the Golden Shovel” = Seven young men, perhaps members of a “gang”. The Golden Shovel
is the name of the pool hall or bar, but the “shovel” can also symbolize that the men are digging their
graves and will die young because they live dangerously.
“We left school” = They “dropped out” of/stopped attending school. (In the U.S., you are required to
attend school until at least age 16, but some young people drop out earlier).
“We lurk late” = “Lurk” means to wait unobserved or hidden, perhaps to hurt someone or do something
illegal. These men stay out late into the night to commit their crimes.
“We strike straight”= The men believe they are honest about their opinions and criminal actions.
“We sing sin” = Here, to “sing” means to brag or to boast about their crimes and illicit (“sinful”) lives.
“We thin gin” = They add water to alcohol (gin), thinning the alcohol content, and then sell it illegally.
“We jazz June” = The word “jazz” was slang during this time period for sexual activity; the name, “June,”
represents “women,” particularly innocent women.
Do you think the writer (Ms. Brooks) thinks the pool players in the poem are “cool”? Why or Why not?
What is your opinion of the lives of the young men in the poem? Do you think they are “cool”?
Why or Why not?
Do you know or see people like this in your neighborhood? How to do you interact with them? Are you
impressed by or jealous of their lifestyle? What do you find attractive? What do you find unattractive?
Have you ever felt depression or despair (in your home country or the U.S.)? What do you do when you
feel depressed or desperate? Examples: talk about your feelings to friends or a teacher, do something that
makes you happy or distracts you from these feelings (take a walk, watch a movie, go to the park).
What advice would you give to a friend who is suicidal? What actions would you take?
© 2000 (updated 2012) Arlyn Freed, http://www.eslhome.com/esl/listen/ulrichS.pdf
Student Activity Sheet p. 3 of 3