ANSWER ON A SHEET OF PAPER—UP TO 3 PEOPLE IN A GROUP My Papa’s waltz ANSWER ON A SHEET OF PAPER—UP TO 3 PEOPLE IN A GROUP

First step: read and annotate What’s going on in the poem? How do the different participants feel about what’s happening?

How old is the boy? How do you know? #1 How old is the boy? How do you know?

#2 What do you think the father does for a living? Why was only one of his knuckles battered?

#3 Why do you think the mother in this poem is so unhappy? IS she unhappy?

How do you think the father perceived the dance? #4 Do you think that, for the boy, this dance was happy, scary, or somewhere in between? How do you think the father perceived the dance?

#4 Some readers believe this poem is about an unsafe home environment. What lines or details support this interpretation? Some readers believe this poem is about a warm, close moment between a father and son. What lines or details support this interpretation?