Poetry
a genre like no other . . .
Roses are
red. . .
Essential questions
• What is poetry?
• How is it different from other forms of
literature?
• What are the elements of poetry?
What is poetry?
•Like all other writing, poetry is when an
author wants to share an idea, a feeling, an
experience or a story, and so the author
writes it down. We’ve seen authors share
these things in other genres such as novel,
short story, autobiography, biography and
drama (or play).
How is poetry different
from other genres?
• Poetry is a different kind of writing
because:
• it doesn’t have to follow the usual
grammar or punctuation rules
• it doesn’t have sentences put together in
a paragraph
• sometimes the lines rhyme
What are the elements of poetry?
• Poetry has its own special elements or “parts”.
They are:
• VERSE--(also called stanza).
This is how the
poem is divided (kind of like its paragraphs)
• RHYME--poetry often has lines or words that
rhyme
• RHYTHM--(meter) the “music” or “beat” of the
poem. You can find the rhythm if you clap while
you read the poem.
• IMAGERY--this is words the author uses to paint a
Let’s find these
elements in a poem
•How doth the little crocodile
•Improve his shining tail,
•And pour the water of the Nile
•On every golden scale!
•How cheerfully he seems to grin,
•How neatly spreads his claws,
•And welcomes little fishes in,
•With gently smiling jaws!
VERSE
RHYME
To find the Rhythm,
read it and clap it
•How doth the little crocodile
•Improve his shining tail,
•And pour the water of the Nile
•On every golden scale!
•How cheerfully he seems to grin,
•How neatly spreads his claws,
•And welcomes little fishes in,
•With gently smiling jaws!
What about the imagery?
•To find the imagery, think about this question as you read it:
“What
kind of sensation do the words create for you--a picture, a smell, a
taste, a texture, or a temperature?” Now read on and decide . . .
How doth the little crocodile
Improve his shining tail,
And pour the water of the Nile
On every golden scale!
How cheerfully he seems to grin,
How neatly spreads his claws,
And welcomes little fishes in,
With gently smiling jaws!
Let’s Look at another example. . .
•It's Dark in Here by Shel Silverstein
•I am writing these poems
•From inside a lion,
•And it's rather dark in here.
•So please excuse the handwriting
•Which may not be too clear.
•But this afternoon by the lion's cage
•I'm afraid I got too near.
•And I'm writing these lines
•From inside a lion,
•And it's rather dark in here.
Do you see the
elements?
Verses/stanzas? Only 1
•I am writing these poems
•From inside a lion,
Rhyme? Which lines
•And it's rather dark in here.
•So please excuse the handwriting
have this?
•Which may not be too clear.
•But this afternoon by the lion's cage Rhythm? Let’s read it
•I'm afraid I got too near.
•And I'm writing these lines
and clap it
•From inside a lion,
•And it's rather dark in here.
Imagery--is it a picture,
a smell, a taste, a texture,
or a temperature?
closure
• Do you remember our Essential
Questions? You should be able to
answer them now. . .
• Tell someone what poetry is.
• Tell your shoulder partner how poetry
differs from other genres.
• Tell your four fingers the elements of
poetry.