TP-CASTT
T: Title—Think about the title before you read the poem. What do you think the poem might be about?
P: Paraphrase—Read the poem and paraphrase parts of it you find difficult (put it into your own words). Examine the punctuation
for clues about who is speaking and the idea expressed.
C: Connotation—Highlight words or phrases you see as significant. Think about their connotations. What ideas and feelings do you
associate with the words? How do these words contribute to the meaning of the poem? Are there any symbols? What do they
represent?
A: Attitude—What is the speaker’s attitude toward the situation?
S: Shifts—Are there shifts in speakers? In other words, does the person speaking change within the poem? Or does the attitude of
the speaker change anywhere in the poem? If so, draw a line where the shift occurs and explain the shift in your notes.
T: Title—Look at the title again. How have your ideas about the meaning of the title changed?
T: Theme—What is the poet saying? What is the overall message or theme of the poem?
TP-CASTT
T: Title—Think about the title before you read the poem. What do you think the poem might be about?
P: Paraphrase—Read the poem and paraphrase parts of it you find difficult (put it into your own words). Examine the punctuation
for clues about who is speaking and the idea expressed.
C: Connotation—Highlight words or phrases you see as significant. Think about their connotations. What ideas and feelings do you
associate with the words? How do these words contribute to the meaning of the poem? Are there any symbols? What do they
represent?
A: Attitude—What is the speaker’s attitude toward the situation?
S: Shifts—Are there shifts in speakers? In other words, does the person speaking change within the poem? Or does the attitude of
the speaker change anywhere in the poem? If so, draw a line where the shift occurs and explain the shift in your notes.
T: Title—Look at the title again. How have your ideas about the meaning of the title changed?
T: Theme—What is the poet saying? What is the overall message or theme of the poem?