How to Read and Annotate Home of the Brave

1. How to Read and AnnotateHome of the Brave

2. Lyrical poetry gives images, impressions, and strong feelings associated to a topic, event, or person. • Narrative poetry, tells a complete story (there is a clear beginning, middle, and end). • In Home of the Brave, the author uses a collection of lyrical poems, when, read all together, tell a complete story. Types of Poetry

3. How a writer conveys their emotions (or story) changes, based on the form they use. • Free verse is when there is no pattern, rhyme, or structure. The natural rhythm of ordinary language is used to emphasize the simple beauty of everyday speech. • In Home of the Brave, the author uses a free verse form. Poetry Form

4. Look at the way the poem appears on the page: • Notice the poem’s form and length. • Think about why the words are arranged on the page this way. • Read the poem aloud: • Pause at the end of a complete thought, not necessarily at the ends of lines. • Look for end punctuation to help you find where each thought ends. • Listen for rhymes, rhythm, and the overall sounds of the words of the poem. Strategies for Reading

5. Visualize the images: • Picture the images and you imagine while reading the poem • Think about the images: do the images remind you of feelings or experiences you’ve had? • Savor the language: • Find phrases or words that stand out. • Analyze the author’s craft. • Think about the theme: • Ask yourself: what’s the point of this poem? • What message is the poet trying to send or help me understand? Strategies for Reading Be like Remy… “Savor the flavors!”

6. Just keep reading! • To fully understand and appreciate the poem, read it several more times. • Read specific parts of the poem again. • Allow yourself to feel the poem: • What emotions do you experience while reading? • What emotions are the characters experiencing? Strategies for Reading Be like Dori… “Just keep swimming!”

7. Since the plot is revealed through a series of poems, there is not complete narrative detail. You will need to be a detective by collecting clues, reading in between the lines, and stringing along details to make sense of the story. How to Annotate the Text

8. Highlighting/underlining words and phrases that stand out to you • Don’t highlight randomly; highlight with a purpose! Annotate the poem by:

9. Asking Questions • Write down the questions that you’re thinking about as you read. • Visualizing • Determining What’s Important • Identify key passages that are important to the story or your understanding. • Analyzing the Author’s Craft • Note how the author uses language creatively throughout the passage. • Identify any figurative language (similes, metaphors, imagery, personification) Applying a varietyof Reading Strategies to interact with the text

10. Making Predictions • Summarizing and Synthesizing • Explain what the text is mainly about. • Making Connections • Note when you make a textself, text  text, or text world connection. • Monitoring and Clarifying • Circle words that are hard to understand, and define them using a dictionary. Applying a varietyof Reading Strategies to interact with the text