Page 40 - SpringBoard_CloseReading_Workshop_Grade6_Flipbook

ACTIvITy 3
Independent Practice
The poem that follows was written by Nikki Giovanni, an African American
poet. Although Giovanni was raised in Ohio, she spent her summers with her grandparents in Knoxville, Tennessee, the setting for this poem. The poem recalls
a number of Giovanni’s childhood memories and includes dated allusions, or references that you may not yet recognize. Pay attention to any unfamiliar allusions and try to make inferences about what they might mean.
First Reading: First Impressions
Read the poem silently to yourself. As you read, think about the meanings of
the underlined words. Look at the definitions in the margin, and also use your knowledge of the words and context clues to help you make meaning of the text.
by Nikki Giovanni
(You never know what troubled little girl needs a book)
At a time when there was not tv before 3:00 P.M. And on Sunday none until 5:00
We sat on the front porches watching
The jfg sign go on and off greeting
5 The neighbors, discussion the political
Situation congratulating the preacher
On his sermon
There was always the radio which brought us
Songs from wlac in nashville and what we would now call
10 Easy listening or smooth jazz but when I listened
Late at night with my portable (that I was so proud of)
Tucked under my pillow
I heard nat king cole and matt dennis, june christy and ella fitzgerald And sometimes sarah vaughan sing black coffee
15 Which I now drink
It was just called music
There was a bookstore uptown on gay street Which I visited and inhaled that wonderful odor Of new books
aCademiC VoCabulaRy
An allusion is a reference to a well-known person, event, or place from history, music, art, or another literary work.
My Librarian, Mrs. Long
A Poem for
jfg sign: an electrically
lit advertisement for JFG brand coffee located at the southern end of Gay Street in Knoxville, Tennessee
wlac: the call letters of a radio station broadcasting from Nashville, Tennessee portable: a handheld radio
nat king cole: a popular American singer and musician
Close Reading Workshop 3
• Close Reading of Poetry 39
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