(1) Poetry Lesson 2
(2) Poetry Lesson 2
When we read chapter books, picture books or
short stories, we usually see full sentences very
often written in paragraph form. There can be
many sentences and/or many paragraphs in the
books we read.
Some poets may use: short sentences/one word
in a line of poetry/a few words linked together/
a longer line.
Using a chapter book, open up to any page and show
students the layout of the text on the page. Point out the
paragraphs and many sentences on each page.
When we read poems it is important to know
how to read the actual text in order to
understand the poets’ meaning. Poetry can be
read like a traditional story (left/right,
top/bottom)
Poetry can have a mix of different lines that
are grouped together. These groups of lines
are called “stanzas.” Stanzas work like direction
signals that tell the readers how to read the
poem.
These special “instructions” from the poet help us
make sense of the poem and allow us to hear
the special sound of the poem when we read it
aloud or in our heads.
(3) Poetry Lesson 2
(4) Poetry Lesson 2
Let’s look at a few poems and see how poets set
them up to show us how to read them for
meaning with the right sound.
Did you notice the way the poems are organized
into lines and stanzas has a big impact on the
way they are read?
Display:
“dear bird” and “dear turtle” from dear world
-emphasize stanzas and size of stanza
-some have 4-5 lines
-others have 1 or 2
The organization affects the way they sound
and whether the poem will make sense to
readers.
Summer(p.20) August Heat (p.28) Boardwalk in Winter (p.60)
What did you notice as I read the different
lines or stanzas?
-emphasize the length of lines
-white space
-placement of text
-number of stanzas in each
Turn and talk and discuss what I did with my voice
then I came to the end of a line or stanza or when I
came across white space.
(Turn and talk discussion notes cont. on next note)
(5) Poetry Lesson 2
(6) Poetry Lesson 2
(Turn and talk cont.)
Now you’ll get an opportunity to try practicing
those instructions using some new poems from
our collections.
During the Turn and Talk encourage students to think about
the pausing in your voice, the quickness of reading certain
lines versus stretching out thoughts, stopping quickly, reading
faster or slower, etc.
The way a poem is organized on the page allows the
readers to know exactly how to read it so it sounds
right.
Pausing after line breaks, taking longer breaths
between stanzas, and paying attention to white space
lets the sound of the poem come through clearly. All
the techniques used by poets give the readers
“instructions” on exactly how their words should be
read and heard.
Work with a partner to read your poems aloud,
paying close attention to the line breaks,
stanzas, and white space as you read.
Make sure you really pay attention to the poet’s
instructions so the poem will make sense and
sound the way the poet meant it to be heard.