“We Real Cool” A poem by Gwendolyn Brooks

1. “We Real Cool”A poem by Gwendolyn Brooks

2. Today’s Journal Prompt How can poets use syntax* to create meaning? *Grab a dictionary if you need to…

3. Today’s Objectives(what I want you to learn) • What is enjambment, and how is it used by poets to create meaning? • How does Gwendolyn Brooks use enjambment to create meaning in “We Real Cool?”

4. “We Real Cool” 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.

5. “We Real Cool” 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.

6. Enjambment: Enjambment, in poetry, is the continuation of a sentence or clause over a line-break. The following is an example of enjambment: We real cool. We Left school. We

7. “We Real Cool” http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15433

8. Objective 1 Assessment • Repeat the “close-reading” process we just practiced on a new poem (be sure to note and analyze the enjambment): We Old Dudes We old dudes. We White shoes. We Golf ball. We Eat mall. We Soak teeth. We Palm Beach; We Vote red. We Soon dead. 2. Write a paragraph comparing the “We” in this poem with the “We” in “We Real Cool”

9. Objective 2 Assessment • Write a poem about yourself that mimics the style of the two we have looked at today. Your poem must replace “we” with “I,” be of equal length & style, and create meaning through the use of enjambment. • Write a brief paragraph discussing your use of enjambment, and how you used the technique to create meaning in your poem.