I, Too, Am America

Langston Hughes
1994 By The Estate of Langston Hughes
Simon and Schuster, 2012
Grade Level: 3
Lexile: 390L
Fountas & Pinnell: D
Suggested Reading: Read Aloud
2013 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award

                                   powerful, inspiring, moving, encouraging, courage

Winner of the Coretta Scott King illustrator award, I, Too, Am Americablends the poetic wisdom of Langston Hughes with visionary illustrations from Bryan Collier in this inspirational picture book that carries the promise of equality.
I, too, sing America.
I am the darker brother.
They send me to eat in the kitchen
When company comes,
But I laugh,
And eat well,
And grow strong.
Langston Hughes was a courageous voice of his time, and his authentic call for equality still rings true today. Beautiful paintings from Barack Obama illustrator Bryan Collier accompany and reinvent the celebrated lines of the poem "I, Too," creating a breathtaking reminder to all Americans that we are united despite our differences.

Teaching Strategies:

Key Vocabulary:
Ashamed
Darker Brother

Before Reading Strategy: The students will create an anticipation guide. Given the students prior knowledge of the Civil Rights Movement, they will create an anticipation guide on their prediction of what this poem will be about. 

During Reading Strategy: The students will perform an echo reading with the teacher, the teacher will read one line of the poem and have the students repeat. The students should pay close attention to the inflection and tone that the teacher reads with because it will mirror the emotions of this poem. 

After Reading Strategy: The students will perform a found poem activity using I, Too, Am America and another Langston Hughes poem of their choice. The students will take phrases from these poems and create one of their own. 

Writing Activity: The students will write a journal entry in the shoes of Langston Hughes or who they believe the narrator of this poem is. The students will write a journal entry making sure to stick to the era, and write their emotional reaction to the world around them. 

Langston Hughes Reads "I, Too"

Biography and Poetry Collection