1. 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

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

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

4. #2
What do you think the father does for a living? Why was only one of his knuckles battered?

5. #3
Why do you think the mother in this poem is so unhappy? IS she unhappy?

6. 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?

7. #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?