Teenagers Poetry Analysis Packet
Poetry Study Unit
“Teenagers” by Pat Mora — Student Pages
Name:
Period:
Week of October 19
Text Anchor: The poem is on the screen. It has 14 lines and 3 stanzas.
Every answer needs a line number
Day 1 Making Inferences
Learning Target
I can explain an inference about a speaker by naming the clue in the text and the thing I already know.
Inference Equation
Clue in text + What I already know = Inference
1 Box 1 — We do this one together
Clue (line and word):
Something I already know:
My inference:
2 Box 2 — Your turn. Pick any line from 1 to 5.
Clue (line and word):
Something I already know:
My inference:
Word Bank: alone • private • hiding • growing up • angry • sad • quiet • changed • worried • shut out
Sentence Starters: My clue is in line ___. The word is ___. I already know that ___. So I think the speaker feels ___.
3 Box 3 — Write two inferences about the speaker. Each one needs a line number.
Inference 1:
Inference 2:
Day 1 Exit Ticket
Fill in all four blanks completely
My clue is in line . The word is . I already know that . So I think the speaker .
Day 2
First Read: Speaker & Action
Name: Period:
Learning Target
I can describe who the speaker is and what happens in the poem by citing words from specific lines.
Key Rule: The speaker is a parent. Write that at the top of your notes.
Warm up — Three words from the poem
| Word | What it means | Write this |
|---|
| pace | to walk back and forth in a small space, usually when you are worried | One time a person might pace: |
| | |
| code | a way of talking that only certain people understand | One thing you and friends say adults wouldn't get: |
|
| familiar | known to you already, something you recognize | One familiar thing in this room:
|
Part A — Every answer needs a line number
Cite specific words
| Question | Line | Words from that line |
|---|
| 1. Where is the mother standing in stanza 2? | | |
| | |
| 2. What does she hear? | | |
|
| 3. Which line tells you a long time has passed? | |
|
| 4. In stanza 3, what are the children doing? | |
|
Part B — What kind of person is the speaker? Use two line numbers.
Word bank: lonely • worried • patient • loving • shut out • confused • proud • sad • hopeful • missing them
Sentence starters: The speaker is a ____. In line ____ she ____. That shows she feels ____. In line ____ she ____.
Day 2 Exit Ticket
1. The speaker in “Teenagers” is .
2. I know because line says .
Day 3
Simile and Metaphor
Name: Period:
Learning Target
I can identify a simile and a metaphor in the poem by finding the two things being compared.
Simile: comparison using like or as.
Metaphor: comparison with no like or as (says one thing is the other).
Warm up — Write S (Simile) or M (Metaphor)
| Sentence | S or M |
|---|
| The hallway was as quiet as a library. | |
| |
| My little brother is a tornado. | |
|
| Her backpack felt like a bag of bricks. |
|
| That test was a brick wall. |
|
| He ran like he was late for everything. |
|
Part A — Two are done for you. Find the other two.
| Line | S or M | Thing 1 | Thing 2 | What they share |
|---|
| 14 | S | her children | pearls | beautiful, but hard and closed |
| 7 | M | their talk | a secret code | you need a key to get in |
| 11 | | | | |
| | | | |
|
|
|
| 3 |
|
|
|
|
Word bank for last column: open • closed • shut out • beautiful • valuable • hard • secret • bright • turning toward • growing • locked
Sentence starters: Line ___ compares ___ to ___. It is a ___ because it uses ___. They are both ___.
Part B — Which comparison tells you the most about how the speaker feels? Three sentences.
Day 3 Exit Ticket
Line compares to . This is a . They are both .
Day 4
Close Read: Connecting Image to Feelings
Name: Period:
Learning Target
I can explain what a comparison shows about the speaker by connecting the image to her feelings.
Focus Sentence Frame
“The comparison in line ___ shows the speaker feels ___ because ___.”
Warm up — Think of one person you have known since you were little who has changed a lot. (No names)
They used to be like:
Now they are like:
Part A — Write a because sentence for two of these
| Line | The comparison | The speaker feels ____ because ____ |
|---|
| 3 | lips treated as doors that shut | |
| | |
| 7 | their talk called a code | |
|
| 11 | young faces compared to sunflowers |
|
| 14 | grown children compared to pearls |
|
Word bank: shut out • left behind • lonely • proud • amazed • sad • locked out • replaced • loving • small
Sentence starters: The comparison in line ___ shows she feels ___. It shows that because ___. She used to ___. Now she ___.
Part B — Pick the two comparisons that tell you the most about the speaker. Six sentences.
For each one: state the line number, what it compares, and what it shows about her.
Day 4 Exit Ticket
The comparison in line shows the speaker feels because .
Day 5
Literary Analysis Paragraph
Name: Period:
Learning Target Culminating Writing Task
I can analyze the speaker’s character by citing two examples of figurative language and explaining what each one shows.
The Prompt
In the poem “Teenagers,” a parent talks about her teenage children and how they have changed over time. How does the poem show the speaker’s character? Identify examples of figurative language that help the reader understand the speaker. Respond using evidence from the text.
Warm up — Rewrite this run-on as three separate sentences:
“The speaker feels shut out she calls their talk a code she cannot understand it anymore.”
Line 3 lips treated as doors that shut
Line 7 their talk called a code
Line 11 young faces like sunflowers
Line 14 grown children like pearls
Part A — Plan it first
<table class="w-full text-xs border border-slate-200 rounded overflow-hidden"><tbody class="divide-y divide-slate-200 bg-white"><tr><td class="py-1 px-2.5 font-bold text-indigo-900 w-24 bg-slate-50">Claim</td><td class="py-1 px-2.5 text-slate-700">The speaker is a mother who<span class="inline-block border-b border-slate-300 w-96"></span></td></tr><tr><td class="py-1 px-2.5 font-bold text-indigo-900 bg-slate-50">Evidence 1</td><td class="py-1 px-2.5 text-slate-700">In line <span class="inline-block border-b border-slate-300 w-10"></span>, she<span class="inline-block border-b border-slate-300 w-80"></span></td></tr><tr><td class="py-1 px-2.5 font-bold text-indigo-900 bg-slate-50">Reasoning 1</td><td class="py-1 px-2.5 text-slate-700">This shows <span class="inline-block border-b border-slate-300 w-24"></span>because<span class="inline-block border-b border-slate-300 w-72"></span></td></tr><tr><td class="py-1 px-2.5 font-bold text-indigo-900 bg-slate-50">Evidence 2</td><td class="py-1 px-2.5 text-slate-700">In line <span class="inline-block border-b border-slate-300 w-10"></span>, she<span class="inline-block border-b border-slate-300 w-80"></span></td></tr><tr><td class="py-1 px-2.5 font-bold text-indigo-900 bg-slate-50">Reasoning 2</td><td class="py-1 px-2.5 text-slate-700">This shows <span class="inline-block border-b border-slate-300 w-24"></span>because<span class="inline-block border-b border-slate-300 w-72"></span></td></tr></tbody></table>
Word bank for claim: feels shut out • misses her children • is proud • feels left behind • loves them from a distance • is lonely • is amazed by them
Part B — Now write the paragraph
Check before you turn it in
My first sentence says what kind of person she is. I used two different line numbers. I used the word because at least twice. Every sentence has a period.
