Warm Up:
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If you weren’t able to access the website, please copy
this down:
http://staff.camas.wednet.edu/blogs/lackland
We will study war poetry for the next two days in
order to establish an emotional context for our unit
on The Things They Carried. Here are some general
questions about your experience with poetry in an
academic setting.
As best you can, define the term ‘poetry.’
What is the most noteworthy (challenging,
interesting, etc.) aspect, for you, of analyzing poetry
in school?
Do you have a favorite poem or style of poetry?
Why does it appeal to you?
A (very general) Definition of
Poetry

(n.) writing that formulates a
concentrated imaginative awareness of
experience in language chosen and
arranged to create a specific emotional
response through meaning, sound, and
rhythm.
Agenda
Drill and review.
 Sample poem to illustrate SIFT method.
 Group work on selected poem.
 Independent work to create a theme
statement for the poem.

The SIFT Method
Symbols
 Imagery
 Figurative language
 Tone/Theme

Learning Targets
I can define new vocabulary terms using
context clues.
 I can recognize and identify a number of
poetic devices in poems.
 I can employ the SIFT method in order to
analyze a poem independently or with a
partner.

“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.
Symbols
Tangible objects that represent intangible
ideas
 Look for possible symbols by identifying
objects in the poem and considering what
they could mean (this may take a little
while).

“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.
Let’s identify
any
OBJECTS
from this
poem. List
them on your
paper.
Imagery

the name given to the elements in a poem
that spark off the senses.
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
See
Smell
Taste
Touch
Hear
“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.
Going
through each
of the five
senses, what
images does
Brooks
create for her
audience?
Figurative Language
the use of words in an unusual or imaginative
manner
 Forms:

◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
Metaphor
Simile
Personification
Hyperbole
Alliteration
Idiom
Euphemism
Pun
Allusion
“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.
Focus on finding
these three
examples of
figurative
language. List
them and their
types.
Tone

The poet’s attitude toward the poem’s
speaker, reader, and subject matter, as
interpreted by the reader.
“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.
What words, or
other choices, in
this poem give
us clues about
its tone?
Theme

A theme is the central idea or ideas
explored by a literary work. For this
method, it is always in the form of a full
sentence and is referred to as a theme
statement.
“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.
Based on the
information that
we’ve collected,
what do you
think is the main
idea that Brooks
is exploring?
Group Work


You will work in groups of 3-4. In your
group, you will read your assigned poem and
complete the SIFT activity (in your journal)
in order to analyze the poem and then share
your findings with the class.You will be
expected to read the poem to you
classmates and then share your findings.You
have the rest of the day to prepare.
Be prepared to show me both your
homework on Kerry’s statement (including
the annotated article) and also your project
ideas that were due on Monday.
Homework 
Create a theme statement for the poem.