Page 34 - SpringBoard_CloseReading_Workshop_Grade6_Flipbook

25 He cannot rest until a spirit-dawn
Shall come;—the shining hope of Europe free;
The league of sober folk, the Workers’ Earth,
Bringing long peace to Cornland, Alp and Sea. Cornland, Alp: fields, mountains
It breaks his heart that kings must murder still,
30 That all his hours of travail here for men travail: work involving
Seem yet in vain. And who will bring white peace That he may sleep upon his hill again?
Second Reading: vocabulary in Context
Now that you have read the poem silently, listen and follow along as your teacher reads the poem aloud. As you read along with your teacher, circle words and/
or phrases (other than the underlined words) that you do not know or that you feel are important to the meaning of the poem. Diffuse these words/phrases for comprehension.
Check your Understanding
1. Pair with another student and use context clues and reference resources to
determine the meaning of any new words you need to define. Choose six words from those that have been underlined, bolded, and/or that you have circled, and paraphrase the definition to show your understanding.
2. Choose two or three of the words you have examined that you think are important to your understanding of the poem. Use the words to summarize the central ideas in the poem and show how these words contribute to your understanding of the poem.
Third Reading: Text-Dependent Questioning
Now read the poem again, this time reading to respond to the Key Ideas and Details interpretive questions. Write your responses to each question and highlight or underline the textual evidence that supports your answer. During class discussion, you may also want to annotate the poem to record new or different meanings of
the text.
Background Information: “Abraham Lincoln Walks at Midnight” was written in 1914 by American poet Vachel Lindsay in response to the death and destruction caused by World War I. It pays tribute to Abraham Lincoln by imagining his ghost walking the streets of his former hometown of Springfield, Illinois, where the poet also lived. A sculpture of Lincoln, based on this poem, stands in front of the West Virginia State Capitol.
difficult or painful effort
Close Reading Workshop 3 • Close Reading of Poetry 33
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