Love That Dog

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. How would you define the word “poem?” What is an example of a poem that you know? What makes your example a poem, as opposed to another form of writing? Explain.

Teaching Suggestion: This Short Answer question invites students to consider the theme What Makes a Poem from their own experience. Jack’s understanding of poetry changes throughout the course of text, from a narrow and gendered viewpoint in the beginning to embracing many of the creative and unique elements of the form by the end of the novel. Students may benefit from accessing the links below, which provide definitions for important words related to poetry, including syntax and stanza.

• This guide from SuperSummary introduces poetry writing and analysis.
• “10 Important Elements of Poetry” from Poemanalysis.com reviews literary components that help readers understand the message of a poem.

2. Throughout history, poetry and other forms of writing have been used to raise awareness about important topics. How does writing amplify the power that each person has? How can writing one’s opinion, as opposed to just talking about it, lend insight into another way of thinking? Explain.

Teaching Suggestion: This Short Answer question invites students to consider the theme Voices Have Power in the context of creative writing. Jack learns that writers can have power by evoking emotion in the reader. In particular, Walter Dean Myers’s “Love That Boy” marks a turning point for Jack as he begins to develop his own voice and writing style. This question may be used as an entry point to discuss the power of voice in poetry from historically underrepresented communities (i.e., race, gender, ethnicity) to take the focus away from poetry as a white male-dominated field.

• “Using Writing as a Learning Tool” from the University of Waterloo explores the purposes of writing and includes sample activities in this teacher-facing resource.
• Amplify Student Voices: Equitable Practices to Build Confidence in the Classroom is a teacher-facing resource in the form of a book and classroom guide that explores the ways educators can amplify marginalized voices through more inclusive education techniques.

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before reading the text.

Consider a poem that you are familiar with. What is the poem about, and how does it make you feel? Why? Who do you think would enjoy reading this poem? Explain.

Teaching Suggestion: This Personal Connection Prompt invites students to connect with the theme The Purpose of Poetry within the same context of Jack’s trajectory in the text. Initially, Jack is not impressed with the poetry in Miss Stretchberry’s class; he does not understand the choice of language, the structure, or the meaning of many of the poems. As the text progresses, however, he begins to highlight certain aspects that he enjoys and eventually establishes his own voice as a poet. This Personal Connection Prompt segues directly to the Discussion/Analysis Prompt.

Differentiation Suggestion: For advanced classes who want to explore the benefits of poetry, the following questions may be added to the above prompt: What are the advantages of learning, writing, and/or reading poetry? What are the advantages of teaching poetry in the classroom? Are there any disadvantages? If so, what?