1. What do you notice about the people in the picture?
Objective: Determine how McKay’s word choice helps shape my understanding of America in the late 19th and 20th centuries.
Let’s go back in time.
What do you notice about the people
in the picture?
The bottom half of the picture?
How might the people on the bottom
of the picture feel about the top half
of the picture?
Claude McKay

2. An author’s word choice shows: _______________________________.
Objective: Determine how McKay’s word choice helps shape my understanding of America in the late 19th and 20th centuries.
An author’s word choice shows: _______________________________.
For example:
1. My girlfriend is curious about my activities.
2. My girlfriend is nosy about my activities.
1. How are these sentences different?
2. Which word choice shows a neutral or positive tone?
3. Which word choice shows a negative tone?
how they feel about a particular topic

3. Get a handout & 2 different marker colors.
Objective: Determine how McKay’s word choice helps shape my understanding of America in the late 19th and 20th centuries.
Directions:
Get a handout & 2 different marker colors.
To the right of the title, use 1 of the markers to write a “+” and the OTHER MARKER to write a “-.”
Write this vocab key to the left of the title:
Read the intro in the grey box at the top.
Read America by Claude McKay to get a feel for what the poem’s about.
In the empty space at the bottom, draw 3 emojis to show how the speaker feels about America.
Read America, using your “+” marker to underline positive words.
Read America, using your “-” marker to underline negative words.
On the back, answer the EQ:
Turn it in.
(Attempt to) log in and take your midyear scrimmage.
vigor - energy
malice – intense hatred
jeer – make fun of
err – to make a mistake
individual words
Essential Question:
How does McKay’s word choice affect the meaning of the poem? Cite strong and thorough textual evidence in your response.