‘We Real Cool’

‘We Real Cool’ by Gwendolyn Brooks

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. 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. 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? 4 What do you notice about the structure of this poem? Look at the pattern of syllables, words, lines and stanzas. 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? 7 What is unusual about the punctuation in this poem? Why do you think the poet decided to do this? 8 Does this poem connect in any way to any other text you have studied? How does it connect? ACT IVITY WRITING 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. ACT IVITY ©The Educational Company of Ireland

‘Refugees’ by Brian Bilston

PRE-READING: COMMUNICATING

1 Do any of these photos shock you? Why? Why not? 2 Which country, do you think, hosts the most refugees in the world? 3 What is the reason for it being the top hosting country? 4 If you look at the top three countries of origin for refugees what, do you think, is the biggest reason people become refugees? 5 What do you think being ‘internally displaced’ means? 6 Do you agree or disagree with the statement: ‘A place should only belong to those who are born there.’ Why? Why not? 7 Watch the animated version of the poem: edco.ie/8v8a 8 What did you think was powerful about the animation?©The Educational Company of Ireland