Uncommon Schools Change History.

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Date:

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5th Text Analysis, Week 32 – Days 1+2

Directions: Read and annotate this passage. Then, jot a note on the theme or claim, depending on the genre.

I Love the Look of Words

Maya Angelou

from My Soul Looks Back in Wonder, edited by Tom Feelings, Dial Books, NY, 1993

Popcorn leaps, popping from the floor

of a hot black skillet

and into my mouth

Black words leap,

5

snapping from the white

page. Rushing into my eyes. Sliding

into my brain which gobbles them

the way my tongue and teeth

chomp the buttered popcorn.

10

When I have stopped reading,

ideas from the words stay stuck

in my mind, like the sweet

smell of butter perfuming my

fingers long after the popcorn

15

is finished.

I love the book and the look of words

the weight of ideas that popped into my mind

I love the tracks

20

of new thinking in my mind.

Discussion Notes:

Theme/Claim Revision:

Directions: Answer the following questions using your annotations & notes from discussion. Remember to follow all of your POE steps!

POE Reminders:

Set up your scratch paper.
Label evidence that answers the question.
Make a prediction.
Slash the trash.

1. According to the second stanza, what happens to the ideas from words once the speaker is finished reading?

A. The ideas are forgotten immediately to make room for new ones.

B. The ideas remain in the speaker’s mind long after the book is closed.

C. The ideas are shared with others, just like sharing a bowl of popcorn.

D. The ideas cause the speaker to feel hungry for a real snack.

2. Based on the poem, what can the reader infer about why the speaker compares words to "buttered popcorn"?

A. The speaker thinks reading is a messy activity that requires a lot of cleanup.

B. The speaker only chooses to read books when they are eating popcorn.

C. The speaker finds reading to be an enjoyable and satisfying experience.

D. The speaker believes that words are hard to digest, just like kernels of corn.

3. What do lines 16 through 19 of the poem mainly suggest?

A. The speaker has a deep appreciation for how reading changes their thinking.

B. The speaker finds books to be physically heavy and difficult to carry.

C. The speaker prefers the way books look rather than what they actually say.

D. The speaker is worried about losing their books while they are traveling.

Word Wonder Analysis

Word Wonder Worksheet

Word Wonder Answer Key

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