This product includes explicit instruction on diction with a scaffolded example from Ernest Hemingway's poem "All armies are the same..." Also included is a close reading activity of Julia Alvarez's poem, "I, Too, Sing América." This activity provides student the opportunity to work with other peers to identify how author's use diction to develop the overall theme of the poem. After completing the peer learning aspect of the activity, students will individually write about their analysis in a structured and well-developed paragraph.