OH,

CAN YOU SEE

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W. TODD KANEKO

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INSTRUCTIONAL

NOTE

Feel free to modify, add, or select specific questions from this bellringer to best fit your instructional goals and available time. Adjust as needed to align with your lesson focus or classroom pacing.

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Also, some of the materials in these bellringers contain sensitive subject matter and/or language. Please preview the resources beforehand and make any alterations as needed.

BELLRINGER FOCUS: VARIOUS

• Read “Oh, Can You See” by W. Todd Kaneko.
• Go to http://bit.ly/3UlfBM1 to access the poem.
• Answer the following question(s):
• How does the repetition of the phrase “America is…” function throughout the poem, and what effect does it have on the speaker’s attitude of national identity?
• Examine the poem’s use of contrasting imagery. How do these contrasts shape the speaker’s relationship to memory and place?
• Choose one line that best reflects the emotional weight of the poem. How does the language in that line contribute to the overall tone?

CREATIVE WRITING EXTENSIONS

• Write your own version of “America is…” using places and moments from your life.
• Describe a sound that reminds you of where you’re from.
• Write a short poem or paragraph that blends memory and location.