Book Summary
Making Changes: Poems about Great African-Americans is a collection of poems about several influential and talented African Americans. These individuals include Gwendolyn Brooks, Thurgood Marshall, Mae Jemison, and Condoleezza Rice. Approximate book level: T.

Build Background
Read the title of the book. Ask students to name famous African-Americans they know of. Discuss the accomplishments of these individuals and why each person can be considered influential. 

Discuss poetry's rhymes and rhythms. Write the word great on the board. Invite students to identify words that rhyme with great. Write these words on the board. Remind students that not all ending sounds of rhyming words are spelled the same. (For example, great and rate rhyme but have ending sounds that are spelled differently.) 

Explain that rhyming poetry follows a beat that is based on syllables. Write the title of each poem in the book on the board. Have students practice clapping the syllables in each word on the board. Ask volunteers to come to the board and put a slash mark between the syllables in each word. If necessary, remind students of the rules for dividing words into syllables (VCV: between the consonant and vowel; VCCV: between the two consonants; compound words: between the two words).

Preview the Poem
Show students the front and back covers of the book. Discuss the photos. Turn to the title page. Discuss the photo and the information on the page (title of book, author's name). Ask students to explain what the topics of these poems might be based on the photos and what they already know based on the title of the book. Explain to them that thinking about what they already know will help them understand and enjoy the book. 

Remind students about the presence of rhyme in some poetry. Read page 3 and ask students to tell you the two rhyming words at the ends of the first and second lines (before and door).

During Reading
Have students listen as you read the poems. Tell them to clap or raise their hand whenever they hear the second word of a rhyming pair. Read the poems expressively and emphasize the words that rhyme in each pair of sentences.  

Use think-aloud strategies to remind students to use what they already know to help make sense of the poems. React to parts of the poems with facial expressions and gestures. 

Allow students to stop and ask questions during reading, especially if they do not understand something. Invite students to share how they connected to prior knowledge while reading or listening to the poems in the book.

After Reading
Reader Response
Ask students what they thought of the poems. Have volunteers summarize the collection of poems or describe their favorite poem. 

Comprehension
Ask specific questions that allow students to demonstrate their understanding of the poems.

• How do you think the author feels about the individuals featured in these poems?
• What do you think the author's purpose was for writing this book? Why?
• How would you characterize each of the individuals in the book? Why?