TOUCHSTONES 1 ‘We Real Cool’ by Gwendolyn Brooks THE POOL PLAYERS. SEVEN AT THE GOLDEN SHOVEL.
d
We real cool. We Left school. We
Ire la n
Lurk late. We Strike straight. We Sing sin. We Thin gin. We
of
Jazz June. We Die soon.
om pa ny
READING
1 Summarise what the poet thinks the young men feel about themselves in six words. The words do not have to make a sentence. ACTIVITY
2 Practise your annotation skills in your activity book (see page 26), using the prompt boxes to guide you. 3 Who is the speaker in this poem?
C
4 What do you notice about the structure of this poem? Look at the pattern of syllables, words, lines and stanzas.
na l
5 What do you notice about the rhyme and rhythm in this poem? 6 How do you know that the poet thinks differently to the young men? Which line specifically leads you to think this?
at io
7 What is unusual about the punctuation in this poem? Why do you think the poet decided to do this?
Ed
uc
8 Does this poem connect in any way to any other text you have studied? How does it connect?
WRITING
©
Th
e
ACTIVITY
Write your own version of ‘We Real Cool’. Use the writing frame in your activity book (see page 27) to help you structure your poem if you like.
Writing Tips Think about what teenagers in your area might do instead of going to school. How would they fill their day? How do you think they feel about themselves? What do you think might become of them? Make sure the words you choose reflect the slang used in your area.
64 00_Touchstones1_Book.indb 64
08/03/2022 10:14
