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Unit 5
Reading Poetry
OBJECTIVES
Listen and respond to poems.
Identify how meaning is conveyed through word choice.
Read poetry fluently.
Connect ideas and themes across texts.
Model Fluent Reading
Explain that this poem is written in a casual, conversational tone. As you read the poem aloud, have students listen for words or phrases they might use in a conversation with a friend.
Discuss the Poem "My Friend in School"
1 Compare and Contrast
• Inferential
How are the speaker and Johnny Tse different?
Possible response: They are different because they eat different foods and can speak different languages.
2 Compare and Contrast
• Inferential
What do the speaker and Johnny Tse have in common?
Possible responses: They both like to play video games, snack, and watch cartoons. They both like to laugh.
Discuss the Poem "My Friend in School"
3 Alliteration • Critical
What consonant sound is repeated in the last four lines? How does this sound help show the action being described?
The /w/ sound is repeated. Possible response: This repeated sound mimics the sound of laughter, or of people trying to talk while laughing.
4 Author's Craft • Critical
Why do you think the poet chose not to use commas and periods?
Possible response: He wanted to make it sound like a person talking.
Assonance
Explain that poets often use assonance, or the repetition of
vowel sounds, to create a musical effect. They can also use this technique to draw attention to important words in a poem. To illustrate, read aloud the
beginning of the third stanza on
p. 277: My friend in school / is Johnny Tse / he's Chinese / and likes to sneeze . . . . Point out that in these lines, the long e sound is
repeated in the words Tse, he's, Chinese, and sneeze. Then, explain that the repetition of this strong vowel sound draws the readers' (or listeners') attention to several of the poem's key words and ideas: Johnny's name, his culture of origin, and something he especially
likes to do.
EXTEND SKILLS
UNIT 5
Poetry
My Friend in School
My friend in school
is Johnny Tse
he’s Chinese
and likes to sneeze
and when he does that
in school or outside
we laugh and laugh
and people wonder what
and wonder why and
what’s so funny all the time
My friend in school
is Johnny Tse
which sounds like C
or see or sea
or sí (that’s Spanish
if you didn’t know)
I go over to his house
to play video games
he comes over to my house
to eat and to watch cartoons
which is Japanese—
                     not Chinese
and I don’t like it too much
’cause you gotta kick real high
but I like the clothes
you have to wear
My friend in school
is Johnny Tse
you say it like
the letter C
he’s Chinese
I like that ’cause I learn
new things from him
like different foods to eat
new words to speak
and—oh yeah—
     karate!
by Tony Medina
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Practice Fluent Reading
Give partners photocopies of “My Friend in School,” and have them add slash marks to the poem to show where its natural pauses occur. Students can then use the marked-up poem to take turns reading it aloud. Encourage students to use an informal, chatty tone as they read—as if they were describing a school friend to a cousin who lives far away.
Audio CD AudioText
WRITING POETRY
Have students write a poem about a friend or playmate outside of school. The poem should describe what the two friends have in common, and also how they are different. Invite students to read their completed works aloud.