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This Teach It First Kit contains a Common Core Support Coach, Reading
Comprehension teacher lesson followed by the corresponding student lesson.
We are confident that using this lesson will help you achieve your assessment
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The heavily scaffolded direct instruction in Common Core Support Coach
focuses solely and intensely on reading comprehension, guiding students to
read carefully while targeting their attention. Explicit instruction in close reading
develops key skills outlined in the Common Core State Standards. The highinterest stories and engaging design presents thoroughly accessible content to
students of all ability levels.
The program follows a close-reading and gradual-release process that enables
students to acquire and practice reading, fluency, and vocabulary skills with
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complex texts. Three whole-group readings conducted in a teacher-led setting
cover critical reading strategies, build core literary and nonfiction reading skills,
and develop essential vocabulary. Open-ended questions follow an independent
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Lesson 2
Poetry
Poetry
Have students read the information
about poetry. Discuss the features of
poetry, such as
•words carefully chosen to show
feelings or ideas, to celebrate someone
or something, or to tell a story;
•rhyme, rhythm, and colorful
descriptions make pictures with words.
Duplicating any part of this book is prohibited by law. © 2014 Triumph Learning, LLC
When writing poetry, poets carefully choose their words to show
ideas and feelings, celebrate someone or something, or tell a story.
Rhyme, rhythm, and colorful descriptions are ways poets make
pictures with words. Poets write about everyday things in new ways to
help you understand what they see and feel. Suppose you wanted to
express the beauty of this picture by writing a poem for a friend. What
are some expressive, descriptive words you would use?
Model connecting poetry to other
reading genres. Tell students that
poems can be similar to short stories
because both poems and short stories
express feelings and ideas. Also, some
poems tell stories. Poems are usually
written in short lines. How are short
stories different from poems?
Then encourage students to compare
features of poems to features of
nonfiction. What are the similarities
and differences between poems
about nature and scientific articles about
nature?
Skills Focus
The Road Not Taken / By the Arno
Visualize
Poetic Structure
My Castle
Figurative Language
Supporting Three Reads
Speaker
Poetry 29
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•First Read: Begin with the Visualize
instruction on Student Edition page 30
and Teacher’s Manual page 26. Then
read “The Road Not Taken” and “By
the Arno.”
•Second Read: Continue with
the Poetic Structure instruction
on Student Edition page 31 and
Teacher’s Manual page 27. Then read
“The Road Not Taken” and “By the
Arno” again.
•Third Read: Continue by reading
critically “The Road Not Taken” and
“By the Arno” on Student Edition
page 32 and Teacher’s Manual
page 28.
Repeat the process with “My Castle”
after completing the first selections.
© 2014 Triumph Learning, LLC
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P oetry 25
5/15/13 6:14 PM
Practice the Skill
The Road Not
Taken / By the Arno
First Read
Visualize
To visualize is to see something in your mind. You create a mental
picture that only you can see. You add what you already know about a
topic to the descriptive details in a text to create the image.
First Read:
Comprehension Skill
When you listen to or read poetry, visualize the images that the
words describe. Close your eyes and picture what the words are saying.
You might change your picture as you hear or read more of the poem.
Visualize
Try It Read the following lines from the poem “Buttercups and
Daisies” by Mary Howitt.
Read the information about visualizing
together with students. Then read aloud
the Try It activity and model how to
visualize the poem.
Buttercups and daisies,
Oh, the pretty flowers,
Coming ere the springtime,
When I read the line about
buttercups and daisies, I picture those
two flowers. I know buttercups are
small yellow flowers on long stems,
and daisies are big white flowers with
lots of petals.
To tell of sunny hours.
5
While the trees are leafless,
While the fields are bare,
Spring up here and there.
Discuss
How does the poet describe the
trees and fields in the poem? What
do trees and fields look like in
early spring?
Have partners complete the
Discuss activity as you circulate and
provide support.
What do you visualize when you read the lines? What
do you know about buttercups and daises? What do you
know about trees and fields in early spring? Think about
what you know and what the words say. What picture do
you see?
As you read, complete the Visualize Chart on page 257.
After reading the lines from
the poem, the picture I visualize is . . .
Discuss
Students should tell how their reading
and what they know about early spring
help them visualize the poem.
Duplicating any part of this book is prohibited by law. © 2014 Triumph Learning, LLC
Buttercups and daisies
30 Lesson 2 • Poetry
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Introduce the Visualize
Chart
Have students tear out the Visualize
Chart on page 257 of their books.
Explain that as they read, they will be
filling in this chart when prompted
by the orange first-read boxes. See
Teacher’s Manual page 31 for a sample
completed chart.
5/6/13 11:52 AM
 Supporting Struggling Learners
Observation
Students have difficulty
visualizing trees and
fields in early spring.
Action
To help students visualize, show them
pictures of early spring and pictures
of buttercups and daisies. What do
the trees look like? What do the fields
look like? Which of these flowers are
buttercups? Which are daisies? When do
they start to grow?
First Read: The Road Not Taken / By the Arno
Go to Teacher’s Manual page 28.
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Practice the Skill
Second Read
Poetic Structure
Second Read:
Literary Skill
Poems are made up of different parts. A line is a group of words
in one row. Sometimes a line is a complete sentence, but it can be a
phrase or even a single word. A stanza is a group of lines separated by
a blank line space. The lines and stanzas give a poem its poetic structure
or organization. Stanzas build on one another by developing ideas or
describing ideas in a new way. Rhyme is the repetition of sounds at the
end of lines. Often, poems will have a rhyme scheme, or a consistent
pattern of rhymes.
Poetic Structure
Read the information about poetic
structure together with students.
Then read aloud the first question in
the Try It activity and model how to
describe what the stanzas are about.
Try It Read two more stanzas from the poem “Buttercups and
Daisies” by Mary Howitt.
Ere the snowdrop peepeth,
Ere the crocus bold,
10
Ere the early primrose
By their mother’s door,
Somewhere on the sunny bank
Purple with the north wind,
Duplicating any part of this book is prohibited by law. © 2014 Triumph Learning, LLC
Buttercups are bright;
Somewhere ’mong the frozen grass
Peeps the daisy white.
1
Like to children poor,
Playing in their sturdy health
Opes its paly gold,1
5
I see that the second stanza of
the poem is about how buttercups
and daisies bloom even before
snowdrops, crocuses, and primroses.
Little hardy flowers,
What is the last stanza about? To
what does the poet compare the
flowers?
Yet alert and bold;
15
Fearing not and caring not,
Though they be a-cold!
Have partners complete the
Discuss activity as you circulate and
provide support.
Opes its paly gold Opens its pale gold
Discuss
The word ere in lines 1–3 means “before.” Snowdrops,
crocuses, and primroses are flowers. What are these
stanzas about? How do the stanzas build on each other?
The second stanza builds on
the first stanza on page 30 by . . . The
third stanza builds on the second by . . .
Discuss
As you read, record your answers to questions about poetic
structure on the Close Reading Worksheet on page 258.
Students should describe how the
stanzas build on one another.
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 SUPPORTING STRUGGLING LEARNERS
Observation
Students are unable to
summarize the third
stanza or recognize how
it builds on the other
two stanzas.
Action
Read the second line of the third stanza
and ask What kind of children are
the buttercups and daisies like? (poor
children) Read the rest of the stanza
and ask What do the children do? (play
outside even though it is cold) What
words describe the children? (sturdy,
healthy, purple, alert, bold, cold) How
are buttercups and daisies like these
children? What weather do they bloom
in? How does the third stanza relate to
the other two stanzas?
Introduce the Close
Reading Worksheet
Have students use the Close Reading
Worksheet on page 258 of their books.
Explain that as they read, they will be
filling in this worksheet when prompted
by the green second-read boxes. See
Teacher’s Manual page 31 for a sample
completed worksheet.
Second Read: The Road Not Taken / By the Arno
Go to Teacher’s Manual page 28.
© 2014 Triumph Learning, LLC
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T h e Roa d N ot Ta k en / By t h e Arno 27
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Supporting Three Reads
First Read
Second Read
Third Read
Focus on visualizing what the poems describe.
Focus on the parts of the poems and how they build on one another.
Focus on analyzing the poems.
•First Read: Use the orange boxes.
•Second Read: Use the green boxes.
•Third Read: Use the blue boxes.
The Road
Not Taken
Visualize
Tool: Visualize Chart
Read aloud the first line and ask
Where is the speaker? What is a
“yellow wood”? Read aloud the rest
of the first stanza. What does the
speaker wish he or she could do?
Poetic Structure
Tool: Close Reading Worksheet
Reread lines 4 and 5. What is the
poet describing? Reread the second
stanza and ask What is the poet
describing in this stanza? What is the
poet doing in these two stanzas?
Where is the speaker
in the poem? What
does he or she see?
What is he or she
doing? Draw or
describe what you
imagine on the
Visualize Chart.
5
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
10
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
15
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
20
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
How does the second
stanza build on the
first?
Underline one group
of words that rhyme
in stanza 1. Double
underline another
group of words that
rhyme in the stanza.
Why does the speaker
take the road “less
traveled”?
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The Road Not
Taken / By the Arno
Purpose for Reading
Read along with your teacher. Each time, read for a different purpose.
32 Lesson 2 • Poetry
Poetic Structure
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Have a volunteer read aloud the last
word of each line in the first stanza.
Which words rhyme?
Critical Thinking
Tool: Close Reading Worksheet
Ask students to reread the second
stanza. How is the second road
different from the first? On which
road have more people traveled?
Overset
How might choosing the second
road be more exciting?
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Supporting English Language Learners
Provide visuals to aid in comprehension of the poems. As you read
“The Road Not Taken,” display an image of a forked path in the
woods in autumn. How is this picture similar to the woods the poet
describes? How is it different? As you read “By the Arno,” display
images of Florence, a hill covered in dew, a valley, and a nightingale.
Hold up each image and name the object it portrays, relating the
images to specific parts of the poems.
© 2014 Triumph Learning, LLC
5/15/13 6:14 PM
By the
Arno
1
Visualize
Tool: Visualize Chart
by Oscar Wilde
The oleander on the wall
Grows crimson in the dawning light,
Though the grey shadows of the night
Lie yet on Florence like a pall.2
5
10
The dew is bright upon the hill,
And bright the blossoms overhead,
But ah! the grasshoppers have fled,
The little Attic3 song is still.
Arno a river in Italy that flows through the cities of Florence and Pisa
pall a sense of gloom
Attic related to ancient Greece or Athens
4
gale a breeze
5
vale a valley
6
nightingale a small, dark songbird
2
3
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How does the setting
change in each stanza?
Only the leaves are gently stirred
By the soft breathing of the gale,4
And in the almond-scented vale 5
The lonely nightingale 6 is heard.
1
Reread the first stanza of the poem
together with students. What
time of day is it? (dawn) Then ask
students to reread the second and
third stanzas, naming things that
they can visualize. (dew on a hill,
blossoms overhead, leaves blowing
in a breeze)
What details from
the second and
third stanzas do you
visualize? Describe
or draw them on the
Visualize Chart.
What feeling do the
first three stanzas of
the poem create? Circle
the words or images
that create this feeling.
Poetic Structure
Tool: Close Reading Worksheet
Ask volunteers to skim the first
stanza to identify a place. What is
the setting in the first stanza? Then
ask them to skim the second and
third stanzas to identify a place.
What is the setting in the second
and third stanzas?
Critical Thinking
Tool: Close Reading Worksheet
The Road Not Taken / By the Arno 33
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Focus on Word Study
Explain to students that some words have several consonants
together, such as light and sight. Say these words aloud, and ask
students to repeat. In the words light and sight, the letters ght are
blended together to make the sound t. Then have students identify
other words in the poem with the ght consonant cluster. (night,
bright, nightingale) Say these words aloud, and ask students to
repeat. Explain that other consonant clusters include dg (dodge), tch
(match), and sph (sphere).
© 2014 Triumph Learning, LLC
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5/6/13 11:52 AM
For each stanza, have students
identify words that establish a
cheerful mood, and words that
establish a sorrowful mood. Which
feeling does the poem give you
overall, happy or sad? Why?
T h e Roa d N ot Ta k en / By t h e Arno 29
5/15/13 6:14 PM
Visualize
Tool: Visualize Chart
Read the second stanza on this page. What is
stealing, or moving, across the lawn? What are
“the long white fingers of the dawn”? Then read
the lines again and ask students to describe what
they see.
The day will make thee silent soon,
O nightingale sing on for love!
15 While yet upon the shadowy grove
Splinter the arrows of the moon.
What idea about love
do these stanzas work
together to develop?
Before across the silent lawn
In sea-green mist the morning steals,7
And to love’s frightened eyes reveals
20 The long white fingers of the dawn
Analyze
In “By the Arno,” dawn
is depicted as the enemy
of night and love. What
does the poet mean?
Find details in the poem
to support your ideas.
Fast climbing up the eastern sky
To grasp and slay the shuddering night,
All careless of my heart’s delight,
Or if the nightingale should die.
7
steals moves
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The Road Not Taken / By
the Arno
Read lines 17–20.
Draw or describe
what you see on the
Visualize Chart.
Poetic Structure
Tool: Close Reading Worksheet
Reread this page together with students. Ask
volunteers to paraphrase each stanza, and record
their answers on the board. What is the poet
saying about love here? How does the first stanza
introduce this idea? How does the second stanza
further develop this idea? How does the third
stanza finish developing this idea?
34 Lesson 2 • Poetry
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Vocabulary: Consult a Dictionary
Higher-Order Thinking Skill: Analyze
A dictionary is a reference source that lists words alphabetically with
their definitions, pronunciations, and parts of speech. Pronunciations
use a standard set of symbols to represent the sounds in the English
language. They show how words are broken into syllables and which
word parts are stressed. Part of speech describes the way a word is used
in a sentence. A word might be a noun, verb, adjective, or adverb.
Tool: Close Reading Worksheet
Why would the poet think that dawn kills night?
Why might the poet think that daytime is the
enemy of love?
Try It Read these lines from “The Road Not Taken” and the
dictionary entry.
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
Vocabulary:
Consult a Dictionary
Deepening Vocabulary Understanding
•What will you be doing five years hence?
• How do you imagine oleander to smell?
•When does your face turn crimson?
different in character
Discuss
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When I read the dictionary definition, I see
that diverge is broken into two parts, so I know it
has two syllables. The word in italics tells me the
part of speech. I read the two definitions and go
back to the lines from the poem.
Which definition of diverge works best in the
context of the poem?
di•verge (də-'vərj) verb. 1: to move in different directions; 2: to be
Read the definitions of the words from the poems. Then write
a sentence with each word, using it as it is used in the poem.
1. hence, p. 32 (hen(t)s) adverb. 1: as a consequence; 2: years from now;
3: from this place In five years hence, I will be in the tenth grade.
2. oleander, p. 33 (‘ o-le-an-d r) noun. 1: a leafy shrub with bright
flowers The landscaper planted oleander near the garden door.
3. crimson, p. 33 (‘krim-z n) noun. 1: a deep purple-red color; adjective.
2: of the color crimson She wore a crimson dress to the party.
The Road Not Taken / By the Arno 35
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30 L e s s o n 2 • P O E T RY
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How is diverge pronounced?
5/6/13 11:52 AM
© 2014 Triumph Learning, LLC
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Name:
Visualize Chart
“The Road Not Taken,” page 32
Students should describe or draw a person standing at a fork in a
country road. The person may be walking or standing looking at
the two paths. The path that the speaker is heading toward is more
overgrown.
First Read: Visualize Chart
•After each orange first-read question in “The
Road Not Taken” and “By the Arno,” allow
students time to fill in their Visualize Charts.
Circulate to provide help as needed.
•Use the orange first-read boxes on Teacher’s Manual
pages 28–30 to provide students with additional
support, as needed, to complete each question.
•Have partners compare their completed charts,
discussing any differences in pictures or
descriptions.
“By the Arno,” page 33
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Students should describe or draw a hill with dew on it at dawn and
leaves blowing. Perhaps there is a nightingale in a tree nearby.
“By the Arno,” page 34
Return to Teacher’s Manual page 27 to begin
the second read.
Students should describe or draw the sun rising with its rays turning
the dark grass to bright green.
The Road Not Taken / By the Arno
Lesson 2 257
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Second Read: Close Reading
Worksheet
Name:
Close Reading Worksheet
Second Read: Poetic Structure (green boxes)
Page 32: The second stanza builds on the first by moving the story along, by
telling that the person in the poem is taking the second path
.
Page 33: The setting in the first stanza is a wall in a city
,
but the setting in the second and third stanzas is a hillside in the country
.
Page 34: The stanzas work together to suggest that love is happy at night but
is afraid of the dawn because it, like the night, will die and disappear
.
Third Read: Critical Thinking (blue boxes)
Page 32: The speaker takes the road “less traveled” because it is less worn,
adventure
.
Page 33: The first three stanzas of the poem create a feeling of quiet loneliness
because they describe fading darkness and few sounds or movement
.
Analyze—Page 34: By depicting the dawn as the enemy of night and love, the
poet is saying night is when the poet can be with the one he loves, and they
must part during the day
.
258 Lesson 2
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which means fewer people have walked on it, so taking it might lead to an
The Road Not Taken / By the Arno
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•After each green second-read question in
“The Road Not Taken” and “By the Arno,” allow
students time to complete the appropriate item on
their Close Reading Worksheets. Circulate to provide
assistance.
•Use the green second-read boxes on Teacher’s
Manual pages 28–30 to provide students with
additional support, as needed, to complete each
question.
•Group students and have them discuss their
completed worksheets. Then have a volunteer
from each group share with the class.
Return to Teacher’s Manual page 28 to begin
the third read.
Third Read: Close Reading
Worksheet
Repeat the procedure for the third read.
4/30/13 3:20 PM
T h e Roa d N ot Ta k en / By t h e Arno 31
5/15/13 6:14 PM
First Read:
Comprehension Skill
Figurative Language
Read the information about figurative
language together with students. Then
read aloud the Try It activity and model
how to identify the figurative language.
In the first stanza, the poet
compares the sun to a “frosty, fiery
sleepy-head.” I know that in winter,
the sun often shines weakly and rises
late, so I think this is why the poet
calls the sun a sleepy-head.
How does this metaphor add beauty
or interest to the poem?
Have partners complete the
Discuss activity as you circulate and
provide support.
The simile . . . helps me
visualize . . .
Discuss
Students should identify the figurative
language and discuss how it helps them
see and feel more deeply what the poet
is describing. (See page annotations.)
First Read
Figurative Language
Poets often use language to express something beyond what the
words literally mean. This special use of language is called figurative
language. Figurative language can add beauty, interest, excitement,
and depth of feeling to a poem.
Some figurative language makes comparisons between two things
that are not actually alike. By comparing two very different things, the
poet makes you think of them in a new way. For example, a poet might
say: The baby’s cheeks were like peaches. This kind of comparison is a
simile. Similes use the word like or as to make a comparison.
Another kind of comparison is metaphor. Metaphors make direct
comparisons. They do not use the word like or as. Her hair was a
cascading waterfall is an example of a metaphor.
Try It Read these stanzas from the poem “Winter-Time” by Robert
Louis Stevenson.
Late lies the wintry sun a-bed,
A frosty, fiery sleepy-head;
Blinks but an hour or two;
and then,
A blood-red orange, sets again.
Discuss
5
Black are my steps on silver sod;
Thick blows my frosty breath
abroad;
And tree and house, and hill
and lake,
Are frosted like a wedding-cake.
Draw a box around the metaphor that describes the winter
sun. Circle the simile in the last line. Describe what the
figurative language helps you see.
As you read, complete the Figurative Language Chart on page 259.
36 Lesson 2 • Poetry
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Introduce the Figurative
Language Chart
Have students tear out the Figurative
Language Chart on page 259 of their
books. Explain that as they read, they
will fill in this chart when prompted
by the orange first-read boxes. See
Teacher’s Manual page 37 for a sample
completed chart.
Duplicating any part of this book is prohibited by law. © 2014 Triumph Learning, LLC
My Castle
Practice the Skill
5/6/13 11:52 AM
 Supporting Struggling Learners
Observation
Students have difficulty
explaining how the
figurative language
helps them visualize the
poem.
Action
To help students understand the figurative
language in the poem, display pictures
of the winter sky at dawn, midday, and
sunset. Ask students to relate these
images to the poem. In which picture is
the sun sleeping in like a “sleepy-head”?
In which picture is the sun setting like “a
blood-red orange”? If necessary, display
pictures of a snow-covered scene and a
white-frosted wedding cake.
First Read: My Castle
Go to Teacher’s Manual page 34.
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Practice the Skill
Second Read
Speaker
Second Read:
Literary Skill
The speaker of a poem is the person telling the poem. It is the
speaker who expresses ideas about the topic of the poem. Sometimes,
poems are autobiographical, so the poet and the speaker are the
same person. But often, the speaker of the poem is separate from the
poet; the speaker is similar to a character made up by the author of a
fictional story.
Speaker
Read the information about the speaker
together with students. Then read aloud
the Try It activity and model how to
identify the speaker of the poem.
Often, the speaker is indicated by the pronoun I. However, it is not
always clear who the speaker of a poem is. As you read or listen to
poetry, think about who the speaker might be and how the speaker
reflects on or feels about the topic.
I read both stanzas to try to
identify the speaker. The pronoun I
identifies the speaker, who I think is
a child.
Try It Read these stanzas from the poem “Bed in Summer” by Robert
Louis Stevenson.
In winter I get up at night
And dress by yellow candle-light.
In summer, quite the other way,
I have to go to bed by day.
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5
What clues tell you the speaker is a
child?
I have to go to bed and see
The birds still hopping on the tree,
Or hear the grown-up people’s feet
Still going past me in the street.
Discuss
Have partners complete the
Discuss activity as you circulate and
provide support.
Based on the clues . . . the
speaker has to go to bed . . .
Discuss
Who is the speaker in this poem? When does he or she
have to go to bed? Underline the clues that tell you.
Students should understand that the
speaker is a child who dislikes getting
up in the dark in winter, and going
to bed when it’s still light out in the
summer. (See page annotations.)
As you read, record your answers to questions about a poem’s
speaker on the Close Reading Worksheet on page 260.
My Castle 37
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 Supporting Struggling Learners
Observation
Students have difficulty
identifying when the
speaker has to go to
bed.
Action
Call attention to the poem’s title, “Bed
in Summer,” then read aloud the first
stanza. When does the speaker go to
bed in the summer? Then read aloud the
second stanza and have students identify
additional clues that show it is still light
out when the speaker goes to bed, such
as “birds still hopping on the tree” and
adults “still going past me on the street.”
Introduce the Close
Reading Worksheet
Have students use the Close Reading
Worksheet on page 260 of their books.
Explain that as they read, they will be
filling in this worksheet when prompted
by the green second-read boxes. See
Teacher’s Manual page 37 for a sample
completed worksheet.
Second Read: My Castle
Go to Teacher’s Manual page 34.
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Supporting Three Reads
•First Read: Use the orange boxes.
•Second Read: Use the green boxes.
•Third Read: Use the blue boxes.
First Read
Second Read
Third Read
Focus on finding and understanding figurative language in the poem.
Focus on thinking about the poem’s speaker.
Focus on analyzing the poem.
My
Figurative Language
Castle
Explain to students that the first
read asks questions about figurative
language.
Speaker
Tool: Close Reading Worksheet
Read aloud lines 1–16 with students.
Then ask probing questions. What is
the speaker describing? Who does
the castle belong to? How does the
speaker feel about the castle?
Who is the speaker in
this part of the poem?
How does he or she
feel about the castle?
Underline clues that
tell you.
Based on your reading
of the first four stanzas
of the poem, what do
you know about the
speaker?
I have a beautiful castle,
With towers and battlements fair;
And many a banner, with gay device,
Floats in the outer air.
5
10
15
Critical Thinking
34 L e s s o n 2 • P O E T RY
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The walls are of solid silver;
The towers are of massive gold;
And the lights that stream from the windows
A royal scene unfold.
Ah! could you but enter my castle
With its pomp of regal sheen,
You would say that it far surpasses
The palace of Aladeen.1
Could you but enter as I do,
And pace through the vaulted hall,
And mark the stately columns,
And the pictures on the wall;
Aladeen Aladdin, the hero of the tales of the Arabian Nights who finds
a magic lamp that contains a genie
1
Tool: Close Reading Worksheet
Reread these stanzas with students.
Do we know if the speaker is male
or female? young or old? Are these
descriptors important to the poem?
Based on the speaker’s description
of the castle, what kinds of things
does he or she admire?
by Horatio Alger, Jr.
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My Castle
Purpose for Reading
Read along with your teacher. Each time, read for a different purpose.
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supporting English Language Learners
Read the stanzas on the page together with students and paraphrase
them in prose. After each stanza, invite volunteers to the board or
to mural paper to draw the castle as it is described in the poem. If
necessary, sketch the features that students might not know, such as
battlements or banners. Or display pictures of these features so that
students can sketch them. Have students add to the drawing as they
read more stanzas of the poem.
© 2014 Triumph Learning, LLC
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20
With the costly gems about them,
That send their light afar,
With a chaste and softened splendor
Like the light of a distant star!
And where is this wonderful castle,
With its rich emblazonings,
Whose pomp so far surpasses
The homes of the greatest kings?
25
30
Come out with me at morning
And lie in the meadow-grass,
And lift your eyes to the ether blue,
And you will see it pass.
How does the speaker
change in lines 33–36?
What idea does he or
she express?
There! can you not see the battlements;
And the turrets stately and high,
Whose lofty summits are tipped with clouds,
And lost in the arching sky?
Who cannot enter
the castle? Why not?
Critical Thinking
5/6/13 11:52 AM
See pages 215–237 for additional
Fluency Assessments and Activities.
Explain that fluent readers use emotion when they read. They read
exciting parts of poems with excitement in their voices. They read sad
parts of poems with sadness in their voices. To read with emotion,
fluent readers pay attention to
•the meanings of words;
•the feelings described in a poem;
•punctuation, such as exclamation points and question marks.
Model reading with emotion by reading aloud lines 17–24 as students
follow along. Exaggerate the excitement at the end of line 20 and the
question at the end of line 24. Raise your voice both times, but convey
the two emotions differently. Have partners practice reading with
emotion by reading the last two stanzas on the page.
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Remind students that a simile
uses the word like or as to make a
comparison, while a metaphor does
not. Then read aloud lines 17–20.
Does the poet use a simile or a
metaphor? What does the light of
the gems look like?
Read lines 29–36 aloud, changing
your voice in the last stanza to
sound like a different speaker. What
words in lines 33–36 give us a clue
that the speaker has changed? Is
the second speaker impressed by
the first speaker’s castle? Why or
why not?
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Tool: Figurative Language Chart
Tool: Close Reading Worksheet
My Castle 39
Focus on Fluency
Figurative Language
Speaker
Dear friend, you are only dreaming,
Your castle so stately and fair
Is only a fanciful structure,—
A castle in the air.
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35
Circle the figurative
language in lines
17–20 that describes
the light of the gems.
What are the gems
like? Record your ideas
in the Figurative
Language Chart.
Tool: Close Reading Worksheet
Ask students to decide if the castle
is real and made of silver and gold,
or if it is imagined and made of
dreams and ideas. If the castle is a
dream, who is the only person who
can enter? Who cannot enter?
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Figurative Language
Tool: Figurative Language Chart
Read lines 37–40 aloud and ask What is another
word for phantom? Why does the speaker compare
the castle to a phantom?
Figurative Language
Tool: Figurative Language Chart
Have a volunteer read aloud lines 41–44. How do
the “clouds and darkness” make the speaker feel?
What kinds of things in life make you feel this way?
What does the speaker leave behind when inside
the castle?
For when clouds and darkness are round me,
And my heart is heavy with care,
I steal me away from the noisy crowd,
To dwell in my castle fair.
45
Read lines 41–44.
What do the clouds
and darkness
represent? What kind
of figurative language
does the poet use
to express the idea?
Write your ideas on the
Figurative Language
Chart.
The poem ends with
the first speaker
speaking. What does
he or she think about
the castle? Underline
the clues that tell you.
50
55
There are servants to do my bidding;
There are servants to heed my call;
And I, with a master’s air of pride,
May pace through the vaulted hall.
And I envy not the monarchs
With cities under their sway;
For am I not, in my own right,
A monarch as proud as they?
What matter, then, if to others
My castle a phantom may be,
Since I feel, in the depths of my own heart,
That it is not so to me?
Support
Support this idea with
details from the poem:
The castle is a metaphor
for a safe or secure
place.
Speaker
Tool: Close Reading Worksheet
40
Perchance you are right. I know not
If a phantom it may be;
But yet, in my inmost heart, I feel
That it lives, and lives for me.
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My Castle
Read lines 37–40.
Draw a box around the
figurative language
the speaker uses to
describe the castle.
Record it and its
meaning on the
Figurative Language
Chart.
40 Lesson 2 • Poetry
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Reread lines 53–56. How does the speaker feel
inside the castle? Why doesn’t the speaker care if
others believe in the castle?
5/6/13 11:52 AM
Vocabulary: Context Clues
When you come across a new word, use context clues to figure out its
meaning. Context clues are words, phrases, and sentences located near a
word that give hints about what that word means.
My brother and sister are complete opposites. He is painfully shy, but
she is a complete extrovert.
Higher-Order Thinking Skill: Support
The underlined words are context clues for the word extrovert. They tell
you that an extrovert is the opposite of a shy person—an outgoing person.
Tool: Close Reading Worksheet
Try It Read these lines from “My Castle.”
What words describe the structure of the castle?
How is the castle a safe place for the speaker?
I have a beautiful castle,
With towers and battlements fair;
You may not know the word battlements, but the words castle and
towers are context clues that can help you figure out its meaning.
Vocabulary: Context Clues
Deepening Vocabulary Understanding
•When do people show a lot of pomp?
•Which countries still have monarchs?
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I know that a castle is a large stone building
and that towers are tall structures that are parts of
castles. So I imagine that battlements are also parts
of castles. I also know that the word battle means
“a fight in a war.”
Based on these context clues, what do you think
battlements are?
Discuss
1. pomp, p. 39 greatness, showiness
2. fanciful, p. 39 imaginary
3. monarchs, p. 40 kings and queens, rulers
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36 L e s s o n 2 • P O E T RY
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Brainstorm definitions for the word battlements.
The following words appear in “My Castle.” Find the words in the
poem and identify the context clues that help you understand their
meanings. Then write a definition for each word.
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Name:
Figurative Language Chart
Page 39
✔ Simile
Metaphor
First Read: Figurative Language
Chart
“With the costly gems about them,
That send their light afar,
With a chaste and softened splendor
Like the light of a distant star!”
•After each orange first-read question in
“My Castle,” allow students time to fill in their
Figurative Language Charts. Circulate to provide
help as needed.
•Use the orange first-read boxes on Teacher’s Manual
pages 34–36 to provide students with additional
support, as needed, to complete each question.
•Have partners compare their completed charts,
discussing any differences in ideas and meanings
they described.
What it means:
The gems sparkle like stars in the sky.
Simile
Page 40
✔ Metaphor
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“I know not
If a phantom it may be;”
What it means:
The castle might be a phantom or as unreal as a ghost.
Page 40
Simile
✔ Metaphor
“For when clouds and darkness are round me”
Return to Teacher’s Manual page 33 to begin
the second read.
What it means:
The clouds and darkness are the troubles and fears in the speaker’s life.
My Castle
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Second Read: Close Reading
Worksheet
Name:
Close Reading Worksheet
Second Read: Speaker (green boxes)
Page 38: The speaker in this part of the poem might be the owner of a fine
castle
who thinks the castle is fine and beautiful. He or she
loves it and is proud of it
.
Page 39: The speaker of lines 33–36 is the second speaker, or “you” in previous
stanzas
. He or she thinks that the castle isn’t real; it’s just a cloud in the sky
.
Page 40: In the end, the first speaker thinks his or her castle is beautiful and real ,
and he or she loves it
.
Third Read: Critical Thinking (blue boxes)
stories of Aladdin
Page 39: “You” or the reader
.
can’t enter the castle because
it is only in the speaker’s imagination
.
Support—Page 40: The castle is a metaphor for a safe or secure place because
the first speaker goes there when he or she feels worried or troubled. He or
she feels better when thinking about the castle
.
260 Lesson 2
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Page 38: I think the speaker of the poem is someone who admires things that
are nicely or richly made. He or she knows a lot about castles and has read the
My Castle
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•After each green second-read question in
“My Castle,” allow students time to complete
the appropriate item on their Close Reading
Worksheets. When completing the worksheet,
students should refer to the text markings they
made. Circulate to provide assistance.
•Use the green second-read boxes on Teacher’s
Manual pages 34–36 to provide students with
additional support, as needed, to answer each
question.
•Group students and have them discuss their
completed worksheets. Then have a volunteer
from each group share with the class.
Return to Teacher’s Manual page 34 to begin
the third read.
Third Read: Close Reading
Worksheet
Repeat the procedure for the third read.
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Build Background
Have a volunteer read aloud the
information at the top of the page and
the Try It activity.
I know that in the poem “My
Castle,” there are two speakers, so
the speakers are clearly different
from the one poet.
How do the two speakers reflect
on the castle differently? (The first
speaker believes in and admires the
castle. The second speaker doesn’t
believe in the castle.)
Scaffold Discussion
Have partners discuss the question
together and take a few notes about
their ideas for their writing assignment.
The first speaker thinks the
castle is . . . The second speaker thinks
the castle is . . .
Respond to Text: How Speakers Reflect
on a Topic
“My Castle” is one poem with two speakers. They have different
ideas about the castle. Is it real or in the clouds? Why does it matter?
Try It Think about what you have learned about how the speaker of
a poem reflects on the poem’s topic. For example, the speaker of “The
Road Not Taken” is a thoughtful person who makes a careful decision to
walk on the road that might offer some adventure.
Discuss
How do the speakers in “My Castle” reflect on the topic of
the poem?
On Your Own Write a paragraph about the speakers in
“My Castle.” Tell about how they reflect differently on the
topic of the poem. Use the next page to help you plan your
response. Then write your paragraph on a separate sheet
of paper.
Checklist for a Good Response
A good paragraph
✔ shows your understanding of what the poem means.
✔ explains how the two speakers reflect on the topic.
✔ includes a topic sentence and supporting ideas.
✔ ends with a concluding statement.
✔ uses complete sentences.
✔ is free of spelling and grammatical errors.
Discuss
Prepare for Writing
Read aloud the On Your Own task and
the Checklist for a Good Response.
Ask students to repeat in their own
words their understanding of the
assignment. Remind students that a
good paragraph has a topic sentence,
detail sentences that support the topic
sentence, and a concluding sentence
that sums things up.
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Respond to Text:
How Speakers Reflect
on a Topic
42 Lesson 2 • Poetry
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 Supporting Struggling Learners
Observation
Students have difficulty
understanding how the
speakers reflect on the
castle.
Action
Reread the poem “My Castle” aloud with
students. What does the first speaker
think of the castle? Why? How does the
castle make the first speaker feel? What
does the second speaker think of the
castle? Why?
© 2014 Triumph Learning, LLC
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My Analysis of the Speakers in the Poem
Support Planning
1. Topic Sentence Include this information in your first sentence:
Work with students to read the
information on page 43 and complete
the activities. As students work on the
chart, circulate and provide support
as needed. (See page annotations.)
Then have partners discuss their
charts together.
In the poem “My Castle,” there are two speakers—one who thinks
is real and beautiful
the castle
who thinks the castle
and one
is imaginary
.
2. Detail Sentences The sentences of your paragraph should provide
details that explain how the speakers reflect differently on the topic.
Use this chart to organize your ideas.
What does the castle
look like?
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Where is the castle?
How does the
castle make the
speaker feel?
Review Checklist
First Speaker
Second Speaker
made of silver and gold, a cloud
with battlements and
towers and banners and
walls covered with gems
that glow like stars
in the sky, in the clouds in the other speaker’s
imagination
safe and secure, happy
Review the Checklist for a Good
Response with students before they
begin writing. Tell students to use the
information on this page to write a
paragraph telling what each speaker
thinks of the castle. Remind students
to use information from the poem
to support their ideas and to write a
concluding sentence that restates the
poem’s meaning with a new twist.
skeptical, unbelieving
3. Concluding Sentence Your final sentence should restate the poem’s
meaning with a new twist.
Writing Share
Even though the second speaker might be correct, the first
speaker doesn’t care because the imaginary castle makes him
Have partners share their completed
paragraphs with each other. Then ask
them to share in a class discussion one
idea from their partner’s writing.
or her feel happy and safe.
On a separate sheet of paper, write your paragraph.
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Rubric
4
Clearly states how the two speakers reflect on the topic differently. Includes a topic sentence, supporting
ideas, and a concluding statement that show a well-developed understanding of the meaning of the
poem. Sentences are well structured, with good word choice and few grammatical errors.
3
States how the two speakers reflect on the topic differently. Includes a topic sentence, supporting
ideas, and a concluding statement that show some understanding of the meaning of the poem.
Sentences could be better developed and word choice expanded. Contains few grammatical errors.
2
May state only some of the ways the two speakers reflect on the topic differently. Evidence to
support topic sentence is vague, and concluding sentence may be absent. Sentences are not well
developed, contain limited word choice, and have frequent grammatical errors.
1
Does not state how the two speakers reflect on the topic differently. Does not cite evidence and/
or follow basic paragraph structure effectively. There are many grammatical issues, with poor word
choice and simple sentence structures.
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Lady Icicle / Snow-Flakes
READ ON YOUR OWN PROCEDURE
Assign students “Lady Icicle” and “Snow-Flakes” as independent
reading. Remind them to use the interactive questions as support.
• First Read: Use the orange boxes.
• Second Read: Use the green boxes.
• Third Read: Use the blue boxes.
When students have finished their three reads to deepen comprehension,
have them complete the Comprehension Check questions.
Comprehension Check Sample Answers, pages 47–48
1. VISUALIZE Possible response: I visualize
a woman all in white singing and dancing
across the snow-covered land, followed by
fairies who dance around her slippered feet.
The wind is blowing gently, making a “wild
and low” music. The words that help me
visualize this are singing, music, fairies, and
silver slippers.
2. CONTEXT CLUES The word mar means “to
damage.” The words that help the reader know
this are dainty, yet, and slightest touch.
3. POETIC STRUCTURE The fifth stanza
continues to describe the snowflakes, just as
the first four stanzas do, but the fifth stanza
introduces the idea of the snowflakes’ fragility.
This idea is further developed in the last
two stanzas.
4. FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE Possible response:
Snowflakes are a metaphor for the things
we love most in nature. Snowflakes are sent
from heaven to the gloomy earth, each one
perfect, beautiful, and fragile. Humans “cannot
command” them, despite their “tiny” size. Even
though each one is different, they are the same
in their magnificence. They are compared to
“fragile flowers,” appearing not during sunny
days, but when it is cold. They are “so dainty
and so pure,” easily ruined by human touch.
They cannot be “handled or caressed,” just as
everything in nature must be left alone and
appreciated from “afar,” lest humans destroy it.
5. CONSULT A DICTIONARY The word
wayward is an adjective. The first syllable is
stressed. Example sentence: We strolled down
the wayward path, not knowing or caring what
would be around the next bend.
6. SPEAKER The speakers of both poems reflect
similarly on their topics. They both describe
their topics with awe and admiration. However,
the speaker in “Snow-Flakes” is more personal
with the topic, because snowflakes are real. In
contrast, the speaker in “Lady Icicle” is more
removed because Lady Icicle isn’t real—she
represents the winter season, made to seem
like a person.
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Name:
Visualize Chart
“The Road Not Taken,” page 32
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“By the Arno,” page 33
“By the Arno,” page 34
The Road Not Taken / By the Arno
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Name:
Close Reading Worksheet
Second Read: Poetic Structure (green boxes)
Page 32: The second stanza builds on the first by
.
Page 33: The setting in the first stanza is
,
but the setting in the second and third stanzas is
.
Page 34: The stanzas work together to suggest that love
.
Third Read: Critical Thinking (blue boxes)
.
Page 33: The first three stanzas of the poem create a feeling of
because
.
Analyze—Page 34: By depicting the dawn as the enemy of night and love, the
poet is saying
.
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Page 32: The speaker takes the road “less traveled” because
258 Lesson 2 The Road Not Taken / By the Arno
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Name:
Figurative Language Chart
Page 39
Simile
Metaphor
Simile
✔ Metaphor
Simile
Metaphor
“With the costly gems about them,
That send their light afar,
With a chaste and softened splendor
Like the light of a distant star!”
What it means:
Page 40
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What it means:
Page 40
“For when clouds and darkness are round me”
What it means:
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Name:
Close Reading Worksheet
Second Read: Speaker (green boxes)
Page 38: The speaker in this part of the poem might be
who thinks the castle is
.
Page 39: The speaker of lines 33–36 is
. He or she thinks that
.
Page 40: In the end, the first speaker thinks his or her castle is
,
and he or she
.
Third Read: Critical Thinking (blue boxes)
.
Page 39:
can’t enter the castle because
.
Support—Page 40: The castle is a metaphor for a safe or secure place because
.
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Page 38: I think the speaker of the poem is someone who
260 Lesson 2 My Castle
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S
uppor
tCoa
c
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E
L
A,
S
t
ude
ntE
di
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i
on,
Gr
a
de5
Lesson 2
Poetry
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When writing poetry, poets carefully choose their words to show
ideas and feelings, celebrate someone or something, or tell a story.
Rhyme, rhythm, and colorful descriptions are ways poets make
pictures with words. Poets write about everyday things in new ways to
help you understand what they see and feel. Suppose you wanted to
express the beauty of this picture by writing a poem for a friend. What
are some expressive, descriptive words you would use?
Skills Focus
The Road Not Taken / By the Arno
Visualize
Poetic Structure
My Castle
Figurative Language
Speaker
Poetry 29
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Practice the Skill
First Read
Visualize
To visualize is to see something in your mind. You create a mental
picture that only you can see. You add what you already know about a
topic to the descriptive details in a text to create the image.
When you listen to or read poetry, visualize the images that the
words describe. Close your eyes and picture what the words are saying.
You might change your picture as you hear or read more of the poem.
Try It Read the following lines from the poem “Buttercups and
Daisies” by Mary Howitt.
Buttercups and daisies,
Oh, the pretty flowers,
Coming ere the springtime,
To tell of sunny hours.
5
While the trees are leafless,
While the fields are bare,
Spring up here and there.
Discuss
What do you visualize when you read the lines? What
do you know about buttercups and daises? What do you
know about trees and fields in early spring? Think about
what you know and what the words say. What picture do
you see?
As you read, complete the Visualize Chart on page 257.
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Buttercups and daisies
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Practice the Skill
Second Read
Poetic Structure
Poems are made up of different parts. A line is a group of words
in one row. Sometimes a line is a complete sentence, but it can be a
phrase or even a single word. A stanza is a group of lines separated by
a blank line space. The lines and stanzas give a poem its poetic structure
or organization. Stanzas build on one another by developing ideas or
describing ideas in a new way. Rhyme is the repetition of sounds at the
end of lines. Often, poems will have a rhyme scheme, or a consistent
pattern of rhymes.
Try It Read two more stanzas from the poem “Buttercups and
Daisies” by Mary Howitt.
Ere the snowdrop peepeth,
Ere the crocus bold,
Little hardy flowers,
10
Ere the early primrose
Playing in their sturdy health
Opes its paly gold,1
5
By their mother’s door,
Somewhere on the sunny bank
Purple with the north wind,
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Buttercups are bright;
Somewhere ’mong the frozen grass
Peeps the daisy white.
Like to children poor,
Yet alert and bold;
15
Fearing not and caring not,
Though they be a-cold!
Opes its paly gold Opens its pale gold
1
Discuss
The word ere in lines 1–3 means “before.” Snowdrops,
crocuses, and primroses are flowers. What are these
stanzas about? How do the stanzas build on each other?
As you read, record your answers to questions about poetic
structure on the Close Reading Worksheet on page 258.
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Purpose for Reading
Read along with your teacher. Each time, read for a different purpose.
First Read
Second Read
Third Read
Focus on visualizing what the poems describe.
Focus on the parts of the poems and how they build on one another.
Focus on analyzing the poems.
Where is the speaker
in the poem? What
does he or she see?
What is he or she
doing? Draw or
describe what you
imagine on the
Visualize Chart.
5
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
10
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
15
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
20
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
How does the second
stanza build on the
first?
Underline one group
of words that rhyme
in stanza 1. Double
underline another
group of words that
rhyme in the stanza.
Why does the speaker
take the road “less
traveled”?
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The Road
Not Taken
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By the
Arno
1
by Oscar Wilde
The oleander on the wall
Grows crimson in the dawning light,
Though the grey shadows of the night
Lie yet on Florence like a pall.2
5
What details from
the second and
third stanzas do you
visualize? Describe
or draw them on the
Visualize Chart.
The dew is bright upon the hill,
And bright the blossoms overhead,
But ah! the grasshoppers have fled,
The little Attic3 song is still.
How does the setting
change in each stanza?
Only the leaves are gently stirred
10 By the soft breathing of the gale,4
And in the almond-scented vale 5
The lonely nightingale 6 is heard.
Arno a river in Italy that flows through the cities of Florence and Pisa
pall a sense of gloom
3
Attic related to ancient Greece or Athens
4
gale a breeze
5
vale a valley
6
nightingale a small, dark songbird
1
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2
What feeling do the
first three stanzas of
the poem create? Circle
the words or images
that create this feeling.
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Read lines 17–20.
Draw or describe
what you see on the
Visualize Chart.
The day will make thee silent soon,
O nightingale sing on for love!
15 While yet upon the shadowy grove
Splinter the arrows of the moon.
What idea about love
do these stanzas work
together to develop?
Before across the silent lawn
In sea-green mist the morning steals,7
And to love’s frightened eyes reveals
20 The long white fingers of the dawn
Analyze
7
steals moves
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In “By the Arno,” dawn
is depicted as the enemy
of night and love. What
does the poet mean?
Find details in the poem
to support your ideas.
Fast climbing up the eastern sky
To grasp and slay the shuddering night,
All careless of my heart’s delight,
Or if the nightingale should die.
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Vocabulary: Consult a Dictionary
A dictionary is a reference source that lists words alphabetically with
their definitions, pronunciations, and parts of speech. Pronunciations
use a standard set of symbols to represent the sounds in the English
language. They show how words are broken into syllables and which
word parts are stressed. Part of speech describes the way a word is used
in a sentence. A word might be a noun, verb, adjective, or adverb.
Try It Read these lines from “The Road Not Taken” and the
dictionary entry.
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
di•verge (də-'vərj) verb. 1: to move in different directions; 2: to be
different in character
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Discuss
How is diverge pronounced?
Read the definitions of the words from the poems. Then write
a sentence with each word, using it as it is used in the poem.
1. hence, p. 32 (hen(t)s) adverb. 1: as a consequence; 2: years from now;
3: from this place
2. oleander, p. 33 (‘ o-le-an-d r) noun. 1: a leafy shrub with bright
flowers
3. crimson, p. 33 (‘krim-z n) noun. 1: a deep purple-red color; adjective.
2: of the color crimson
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Practice the Skill
First Read
Figurative Language
Poets often use language to express something beyond what the
words literally mean. This special use of language is called figurative
language. Figurative language can add beauty, interest, excitement,
and depth of feeling to a poem.
Some figurative language makes comparisons between two things
that are not actually alike. By comparing two very different things, the
poet makes you think of them in a new way. For example, a poet might
say: The baby’s cheeks were like peaches. This kind of comparison is a
simile. Similes use the word like or as to make a comparison.
Another kind of comparison is metaphor. Metaphors make direct
comparisons. They do not use the word like or as. Her hair was a
cascading waterfall is an example of a metaphor.
Try It Read these stanzas from the poem “Winter-Time” by Robert
Late lies the wintry sun a-bed,
A frosty, fiery sleepy-head;
Blinks but an hour or two;
and then,
A blood-red orange, sets again.
Discuss
5
Black are my steps on silver sod;
Thick blows my frosty breath
abroad;
And tree and house, and hill
and lake,
Are frosted like a wedding-cake.
Draw a box around the metaphor that describes the winter
sun. Circle the simile in the last line. Describe what the
figurative language helps you see.
As you read, complete the Figurative Language Chart on page 259.
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Louis Stevenson.
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Practice the Skill
Second Read
Speaker
The speaker of a poem is the person telling the poem. It is the
speaker who expresses ideas about the topic of the poem. Sometimes,
poems are autobiographical, so the poet and the speaker are the
same person. But often, the speaker of the poem is separate from the
poet; the speaker is similar to a character made up by the author of a
fictional story.
Often, the speaker is indicated by the pronoun I. However, it is not
always clear who the speaker of a poem is. As you read or listen to
poetry, think about who the speaker might be and how the speaker
reflects on or feels about the topic.
Try It Read these stanzas from the poem “Bed in Summer” by Robert
Louis Stevenson.
In winter I get up at night
And dress by yellow candle-light.
In summer, quite the other way,
I have to go to bed by day.
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5
I have to go to bed and see
The birds still hopping on the tree,
Or hear the grown-up people’s feet
Still going past me in the street.
Discuss
Who is the speaker in this poem? When does he or she
have to go to bed? Underline the clues that tell you.
As you read, record your answers to questions about a poem’s
speaker on the Close Reading Worksheet on page 260.
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Purpose for Reading
Read along with your teacher. Each time, read for a different purpose.
First Read
Second Read
Third Read
Focus on finding and understanding figurative language in the poem.
Focus on thinking about the poem’s speaker.
Focus on analyzing the poem.
My
Castle
Based on your reading
of the first four stanzas
of the poem, what do
you know about the
speaker?
I have a beautiful castle,
With towers and battlements fair;
And many a banner, with gay device,
Floats in the outer air.
5
10
15
The walls are of solid silver;
The towers are of massive gold;
And the lights that stream from the windows
A royal scene unfold.
Ah! could you but enter my castle
With its pomp of regal sheen,
You would say that it far surpasses
The palace of Aladeen.1
Could you but enter as I do,
And pace through the vaulted hall,
And mark the stately columns,
And the pictures on the wall;
Aladeen Aladdin, the hero of the tales of the Arabian Nights who finds
a magic lamp that contains a genie
1
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Who is the speaker in
this part of the poem?
How does he or she
feel about the castle?
Underline clues that
tell you.
by Horatio Alger, Jr.
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20
With the costly gems about them,
That send their light afar,
With a chaste and softened splendor
Like the light of a distant star!
And where is this wonderful castle,
With its rich emblazonings,
Whose pomp so far surpasses
The homes of the greatest kings?
25
30
Come out with me at morning
And lie in the meadow-grass,
And lift your eyes to the ether blue,
And you will see it pass.
How does the speaker
change in lines 33–36?
What idea does he or
she express?
There! can you not see the battlements;
And the turrets stately and high,
Whose lofty summits are tipped with clouds,
And lost in the arching sky?
Who cannot enter
the castle? Why not?
Dear friend, you are only dreaming,
Your castle so stately and fair
Is only a fanciful structure,—
A castle in the air.
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35
Circle the figurative
language in lines
17–20 that describes
the light of the gems.
What are the gems
like? Record your ideas
in the Figurative
Language Chart.
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40
For when clouds and darkness are round me,
And my heart is heavy with care,
I steal me away from the noisy crowd,
To dwell in my castle fair.
45
Read lines 41–44.
What do the clouds
and darkness
represent? What kind
of figurative language
does the poet use
to express the idea?
Write your ideas on the
Figurative Language
Chart.
The poem ends with
the first speaker
speaking. What does
he or she think about
the castle? Underline
the clues that tell you.
Support
Support this idea with
details from the poem:
The castle is a metaphor
for a safe or secure
place.
Perchance you are right. I know not
If a phantom it may be;
But yet, in my inmost heart, I feel
That it lives, and lives for me.
50
55
There are servants to do my bidding;
There are servants to heed my call;
And I, with a master’s air of pride,
May pace through the vaulted hall.
And I envy not the monarchs
With cities under their sway;
For am I not, in my own right,
A monarch as proud as they?
What matter, then, if to others
My castle a phantom may be,
Since I feel, in the depths of my own heart,
That it is not so to me?
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Read lines 37–40.
Draw a box around the
figurative language
the speaker uses to
describe the castle.
Record it and its
meaning on the
Figurative Language
Chart.
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Vocabulary: Context Clues
When you come across a new word, use context clues to figure out its
meaning. Context clues are words, phrases, and sentences located near a
word that give hints about what that word means.
My brother and sister are complete opposites. He is painfully shy, but
she is a complete extrovert.
The underlined words are context clues for the word extrovert. They tell
you that an extrovert is the opposite of a shy person—an outgoing person.
Try It Read these lines from “My Castle.”
I have a beautiful castle,
With towers and battlements fair;
You may not know the word battlements, but the words castle and
towers are context clues that can help you figure out its meaning.
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Discuss
Brainstorm definitions for the word battlements.
The following words appear in “My Castle.” Find the words in the
poem and identify the context clues that help you understand their
meanings. Then write a definition for each word.
1. pomp, p. 39
2. fanciful, p. 39
3. monarchs, p. 40
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Respond to Text: How Speakers Reflect
on a Topic
“My Castle” is one poem with two speakers. They have different
ideas about the castle. Is it real or in the clouds? Why does it matter?
Try It Think about what you have learned about how the speaker of
a poem reflects on the poem’s topic. For example, the speaker of “The
Road Not Taken” is a thoughtful person who makes a careful decision to
walk on the road that might offer some adventure.
Discuss
How do the speakers in “My Castle” reflect on the topic of
the poem?
On Your Own Write a paragraph about the speakers in
“My Castle.” Tell about how they reflect differently on the
topic of the poem. Use the next page to help you plan your
response. Then write your paragraph on a separate sheet
of paper.
A good paragraph
✔ shows your understanding of what the poem means.
✔ explains how the two speakers reflect on the topic.
✔ includes a topic sentence and supporting ideas.
✔ ends with a concluding statement.
✔ uses complete sentences.
✔ is free of spelling and grammatical errors.
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Checklist for a Good Response
42 Lesson 2 • Poetry
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My Analysis of the Speakers in the Poem
1. Topic Sentence Include this information in your first sentence:
In the poem “My Castle,” there are two speakers—one who thinks
the castle
and one
who thinks the castle
.
2. Detail Sentences The sentences of your paragraph should provide
details that explain how the speakers reflect differently on the topic.
Use this chart to organize your ideas.
First Speaker
Second Speaker
What does the castle
look like?
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Where is the castle?
How does the
castle make the
speaker feel?
3. Concluding Sentence Your final sentence should restate the poem’s
meaning with a new twist.
On a separate sheet of paper, write your paragraph.
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Read on Your Own
Read the poems independently three times, using the skills you have
learned. Then answer the Comprehension Check questions.
First Read
Second Read
Third Read
Practice the first-read skills you learned in this lesson.
Practice the second-read skills you learned in this lesson.
Think critically about the poems.
Lady Icicle
by Emily Pauline Johnson
Visualize Think about
what Lady Icicle looks
like. Circle the words
that help you form a
picture in your mind.
One detail has been
circled for you.
Speaker Think about
who the speaker is in
this poem and how
he or she feels about
Lady Icicle.
5
Little Lady Icicle is dreaming in the north-land
And gleaming in the north-land, her pillow all a-glow;
For the frost has come and found her
With an ermine1 robe around her
Where little Lady Icicle lies dreaming in the snow.
10
Little Lady Icicle is waking in the north-land,
And shaking in the north-land her pillow to and fro;
And the hurricane a-skirling2
Sends the feathers all a-whirling
Where little Lady Icicle is waking in the snow.
ermine white fur from an animal in the weasel family
a-skirling making a shrill or sharp sound like a bagpipe
1
2
Poetic Structure
Underline pairs of
words that rhyme.
Think about the
poem’s rhyme scheme.
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15
Little Lady Icicle is laughing in the north-land,
And quaffing3 in the north-land her wines that overflow;
All the lakes and rivers crusting
That her finger-tips are dusting,
Where little Lady Icicle is laughing in the snow.
20
Little Lady Icicle is singing in the north-land,
And bringing from the north-land a music wild and low;
And the fairies watch and listen
Where her silver slippers glisten,
As little Lady Icicle goes singing through the snow.
25
Little Lady Icicle is coming from the north-land,
Benumbing all the north-land where’er her feet may go;
With a fringe of frost before her
And a crystal garment o’er her,
Little Lady Icicle is coming with the snow.
Figurative Language
Think about what Lady
Icicle’s “benumbing”
feet are a metaphor for.
Poetic Structure
Think about how the
stanzas build on one
another, contributing
new information and
telling the story.
quaffing drinking
3
Lady Icicle / Snow-Flakes 45
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Snow-Flakes
by Fannie Isabelle Sherrick
Figurative Language
Draw a box around
the metaphors in
the second stanza.
Visualize what they
compare.
Speaker Think about
how the speaker feels
about snowflakes.
Critical Thinking
Think about the
author’s main
message, or theme,
in the poem.
I wonder what they are,
These pretty, wayward things,
That o’er the gloomy earth
The wind of heaven flings.
5
10
15
20
Each one a tiny star,
And each a perfect gem;
What magic in the art
That thus has fashioned them.
What beauty in the flake
That falls upon my hand;
And yet this tiny thing
My will cannot command.
No two are just alike,
And yet they are the same;
I wonder if my thought
Could give to each a name.
Unlike the fragile flowers
That love the sun’s warm rays,
These snow-flakes love the cold,
And die on sunny days!
So dainty and so pure,
How beautiful they are;
And yet the slightest touch
Their purity may mar.
25
They must be gazed upon,
Not handled or caressed;
And thus we hold afar
The things we love the best.
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Comprehension Check
1. Reread the fourth stanza of the poem “Lady Icicle.” Describe what
you visualize as you read. What words help you visualize the scene?
2. Read this stanza from the poem “Snow-Flakes.”
So dainty and so pure,
How beautiful they are;
And yet the slightest touch
Their purity may mar.
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What does the word mar mean? What context clues help you
understand the word?
3. Reread the poem “Snow-Flakes.” How does the fifth stanza build on
the first four stanzas and also introduce a new idea?
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4. Reread the last stanza of “Snow-Flakes.” For what are snowflakes
a metaphor? Explain the metaphor using details from the poem.
5. Read this dictionary definition of the word wayward from the
second line of the poem “Snow-Flakes.”
way•ward (‘wa-w rd) adjective. 1: turning or changing irregularly;
2: flighty
6. Think about both poems. How are the speakers similar? How
are they different? Find details from each poem to support
your response.
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What part of speech is wayward? Which syllable is stressed? Use
wayward in a sentence.
48 Lesson 2 • Poetry
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