All About
Poetry…
Keep a Poem in Your Pocket
Keep a poem in your pocket
And a picture in your head
And you’ll never feel lonely
At night when you’re in bed.
The little poem will sing to you
The little picture bring to you
A dozen dreams to dance to you
At night when you’re in bed.
So…
Keep a picture in your pocket
And a poem in your head
And you’ll never feel lonely
At night when you’re in bed.
-Beatrice Schenk de Regniers
How Poets Work:
Poets LOOK closer
Poets play
with SOUND
Poets make
COMPARISONS
Song lyrics


In the top box, write down your favorite song
lyric (DO NOT use explicit lyrics).
In about a sentence, explain what is so
appealing to you about that song lyric in the
bottom box.
Poetry
It is difficult to give poetry a definition.
A poem is an emotional experience.
It is a thought or feeling, transmitted by
the imagination into images and
expressed in a beautiful and usually
patterned language.
Lyric Poems
Lyric poetry can be sung to musical accompaniment (in ancient times,
usually a lyre). Lyric poetry expresses the thoughts and feelings of the
poet. “Musical in sound”….
Ode to Joy
by Buster Baxter
I've had cabbage, lettuce, blackberries
Pasta, oats and strawberries
Bagels, beans and hot dogs
Eggplant, ham and cheese logs
I've had pumpkin and potato
Truffles and tomato
Diced, sliced, cubed and riced
Boiled and fried
Soaked and dried
Burgers, tacos, ice cream too
Radishes red and berries blue
Despite all this, I'm feeling thinner...
Still, that was lunch, now what's for dinner?
What is Lyric Poetry?

Lyric poetry expresses the personal thoughts
and feelings of a single speaker.
–
–
Have a melodious, song like structure
Use imagery, sound devices, and figurative
language
“Poetry . . . is. . . a speaking picture
. . . ” —Sir Philip Sidney
Ignoring the “love element” for a
moment…

What makes this line romantic?
–
–
Focus on individual emotion
Comparison and link to nature
My love for you is like a red,
red, rose
The Natural Element

Comparisons are often made to nature…
why?
–
–
“Nature” a creative and controlling force in the
universe
An inner force or the sum of such forces in an
individual.
Okay, so what makes it Lyrical?

Expresses the thoughts and emotions of one
speaker…
–
–
“MY”
First person
Words and emotions create the tone
of the poem

What is the tone?
What techniques are used?




Simile or Metaphor?
Imagery?
Alliteration?
Rhyme?
What words are used?



Love
Red
Rose
COMPARISON
LOVE
ROSE
Can you replace any of the words
and achieve the same effect?



Yellow, white, pink?
Tulip, daffodil, lily?
Like, hate, tolerate?
So…how do words hold power?
Explain.
Try the same thing with “Firework”


List the words that are particularly emotional.
Identify the speaker’s central message
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGJuM
BdaqIw
COMPARISON
POTENTIAL
FIREWORK
Can you replace any of the words
and achieve the opposite effect?


Sinking ship, falling rain?
Explain why these would create the opposite
effect of “firework.”
TRY IT!
Replace words from the stanza below to
capture a mood other than the one presented
in Katy Perry’s song.
You don’t have to feel like ________________
You’re ____________, cannot _____________
If you only knew ________________________
After a ______________ comes a __________

Rhyme
Rhyme is the likeness of sound at the end
of words.
We piled, with care our nightly stack
Of wood against the chimney-back
The oaken log, green, huge, and thick,
And on its top the stout back-stick.
- “The Hearth Fire” by John Greenleaf Whittier
Rhyme Scheme
We piled, with care our nightly stack (A)
Of wood against the chimney-back (A)
The oaken log, green, huge, and thick, (B)
And on its top the stout back-stick. (B)
- “The Hearth Fire” by John Greenleaf Whittier
When reading a poem, use a different letter to keep
track of each rhyme sound. That is the poem’s
rhyme scheme.
Rhythm/ Meter
Rhythm is a pattern of stressed syllables and unstressed
syllables. Also called meter. A rhythm can make a poem
sound serious or silly.

Sisters Heart to Heart – by Joanna Duchs

From the time that we were little,
I knew you’d always be
Not just a loving sister
But a caring friend to me.
A shoulder I could cry on,
A helping hand in times of need,
A cheerleader to lift me up,
My angel in both word and deed.
We told each other secrets;
We giggled and we cried.
We shared our joys and sorrows-We were always side by side.
We have a very special bond;
I knew it from the start.
You’ll have my love forever-We’re sisters, heart to heart.



Quick Write

Make a list of the things that you do during
an ordinary day. What is the first thing you do
in the morning? What is the last thing you do
before bed? What is your favorite part of the
day?
Quick Write Example





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
Hit snooze
Brush my teeth
Plug in my
straightener
Drive to school
Flip open my computer
Curse the school’s
internet
Grade papers








Teach lessons
Drive to get my son
Cook supper
Wash dishes
Wash clothes
Take a hot bath
Put together lunches
Fall asleep
Name five activities listed by the
speaker of “Woman Work.”

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

Child care
Sewing
Shopping
Cooking
Gardening
Ironing
Cutting cane
House cleaning
Tending the sick
Picking cotton
Name five activities listed by the
speaker of “Daily.”








Planting seeds
Folding shirts
Cooking
Making beds
Addressing envelopes
Typing
Dusting
Doing laundry
Catalog poems


A catalog poem brings together many
different images and presents them for your
attention. It wants you to enter the poem and,
with your imagination, share an experience
with the speaker.
The repetition of images in a catalog poem
creates a rolling rhythm when the poem is
read aloud.
How would you describe the tone
(emotional quality) in each poem?
“Woman Work”
“Daily”
How would you describe the tone
(emotional quality) in each poem?
“Woman Work”
“Daily”
• The tone of “Woman Work” is
• The tone of “Daily” is content.
desperate and resentful. She
She speaks of “making perfect
says “I’ve got…to [do]” the things
white square[s]” of the t-shirts
she mentions and then she
and describes her efforts as “The
makes pleas to nature for relief
hands are churches that worship
from her work.
the world.”
Apostrophe (addressing someone
or something directly)
The second through fifth stanzas of “Woman
Work” use apostrophe. What things does the
speaker address? What does she ask for?
 She speaks to the elements
 She asks them for relief from her daily
struggles.
Metaphor
The last two lines of “Daily” are not part of the
poem’s catalog. What is the poet saying about
daily work in these lines?
 Each day of work is valuable and meaningful.
Imagery Chart

Using the notes from your Quick Write,
create images of what you do every day. Use
at least one image for each of the five
senses.
Sense
Sight
Sound
Taste
Touch
Smell
Image
Imagery Chart Example
Sense
Image
Sight
Stare at a screen that endlessly circles clockwise
Embrace the red of my grading pen
Sound
Cease the buzzing of my clock
The chipper of my children telling me of their day
Taste
Create a minty freshness with my toothbrush
A tangy bite of freshly seasoned meat
Touch
Sink into my heated seats
The soft touch of my fuzzy comforter
Smell
The scent of burnt hairspray wafts from the straightener
A hint of lavender from billowing bubbles
Assonance
Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds
followed by different consonants. “Tune” and
“June” are rhymes; “tune” and “food” are
assonant.
Example: mad hatter
And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side
Of my darling, my darling, my life and my bride.
--Edgar Allan Poe, "Annabel Lee"
Consonance
Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds.
Example: east, west
Ralegh has backed the maid to a tree
As Ireland is backed to England
And drives inland
Till all her strands are deadened.
Repetition
Repetition is the recurring use of a sound, a word, a phrase or
a line. It is used to appeal to our emotions and to
emphasize important ideas.
Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening – Robert Frost
Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
Parallelism
Repeating the same idea over and over to
emphasize a point.
 Keeping words and phrases in the same
grammatical structure.
Example:
The lazy and sluggish snake
Bit the merry and cheery little girl,
Making her all sad and mournful

YOUR TURN!!!
Expand your notes for the Quick Write into a catalog
poem that lists the things you do every day. Choose
images that make your day come alive for the reader.
 Begin your lists in one of the following ways
– “I’ve got”…
– “These/This”…
 Keep your poem in consistent meter (keep the lines
approximately the same length with the same number
of syllables).
 Use at least one line of assonance or consonance.
 Keep your poem in parallel structure.
Example
“A Day in the Life…”
I’ve got to pull myself from my cozy comforter,
Endure the grit from my mint-infused toothpaste,
Swath myself in professional clothes,
Then sink into the heated seat to get to school.
Where I’ve got to herd chatting kids into their seats,
Bleed my grading pen onto their papers,
Invent plans that will enlighten their minds,
While enduring the buzz from my ancient projector.
Then I’ve got to race to practice to pick up the kids,
Concoct a dinner from miscellaneous hodgepodge,
Switch the stacks of reeking laundry to wash,
Before I fall into bed to do it again.
Mood
Mood is the overall emotion created by a work of
literature. Look at these two different moods:
1)
Winter Garden
Stark naked flower stalks
Stand shivering in the wind.
The cheerless sun hides its black light
Behind bleak, angry clouds,
While trees vainly try
To catch their escaping leaves.
Carpets of grass turn brown,
Blending morosely with the dreary day.
Winter seems the death of life forever.
2)
Spring Garden
Stunningly dressed flower stalks
Stand shimmering in the breeze.
The cheerful sun hides playfully
Behind white, fluffy, cotton-ball clouds,
While trees whisper secrets
To their rustling leaves.
Carpets of grass greenly glow
Blending joyfully with the day.
Spring brings life to death.
Images

An image is a single word or phrase that
appeals to one of our senses. An image
can help us to see color or motion, to hear a
sound, smell an odor, feel a texture or
temperature, or even taste a flavor.
Example:
Through broken walls and gray
The winds blow bleak and shrill;
They are all gone away.
Imagery and Mood

An image can be so fresh, so powerful, that it can
speak to our deepest feelings. It can make us feel
joy, grief, wonder, horror, love, or disgust.
“Lost”
Desolate and lone
All night long on the lake
Where fog trails and mist creeps
The whistle of a boat
Calls and cries unendingly,
Like some lost child
In tears and trouble
Hunting the harbor’s breast
And the harbor’s eyes.
-Carl Sandburg
Practice

To see how images can be drawn from all
sorts of things we observe in life, create two
images for each of the following categories.
Have one image suggest something pleasant
and the other suggest something unpleasant.
Try to include images that suggest how a
thing looks, smells, tastes, sounds, or
feels to the touch.
Practice
Images
Animal images
Flower images
Water images
Sky images
Earth images
City images
Country images
Pleasant
Unpleasant
Read “Starfish” on page 477
Answer each of the following questions in
complete sentences:
1.
2.
3.
Terrariums are small enclosures or containers that house
plants or animals. Why does the speaker, seeing the starfish
in the sand imagine that they have formed terrariums with
their bodies?
What does the image of the approaching darkness contribute
to the feeling of the poem?
List the images that appeal to our sense of sight and touch.
Sight
Touch
Symbolism


The use of a word or object which represents a
deeper meaning than the words themselves
It can be a material object or a written sign used to
represent something invisible.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
-from “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost
This represented or
symbolized Dr.
Seuss’s views of
WWII. It shows a bird
that represents Uncle
Sam, sitting in a chair
while bombs are
exploding all around
him.
Bird = American
Government
Said a bird in the midst of a blitz
“Up to now, they’ve scored very few hitz,
so I’ll sit on my canny
Old Star Spangled Fanny…”
And on it he sitz and he sitz.
-Dr. Seuss
Find the symbols
My school is a jungle. My teacher is Tarzan. He is always
swinging through the classrooms making sure that everyone
is working together in harmony. My friend Cole is like a
monkey in the jungle. He likes to jump across seats and eat
bananas. My other friend Laura is a giraffe. She is tall and
slender and can look out above the tops of everyone’s head
and see what is going on down the hallway. Finally, I am a
rhinoceros. I am not as big as one, but I am good at
charging through an assignment to get it done quickly with
no messing around. Together we make up the jungle bunch
in Mr. Heaton’s seventh grade English class.
Find the symbols
My school is a jungle. My teacher is Tarzan. He is always
swinging through the classrooms making sure that everyone
is working together in harmony. My friend Cole is like a
monkey in the jungle. He likes to jump across seats and eat
bananas. My other friend Laura is a giraffe. She is tall and
slender and can look out above the tops of everyone’s head
and see what is going on down the hallway. Finally, I am a
rhinoceros. I am not as big as one, but I am good at
charging through an assignment to get it done quickly with
no messing around. Together we make up the jungle
bunch in Mr. Heaton’s seventh grade English class.
Four leaf clover

luck
Heart

Love
Eiffel Tower
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Romance
Paris
France
Dove

Peace
Purple or blue ribbon
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Winner
Bravery
Gold star
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Good behavior
Excellence
Teacher’s pet
Smiling face

Happiness
Skull and bones
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Death
Poison
Danger
Pirate
Turtle

Slowness
Dollar sign
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Money
Wealth
Debt
What something costs
Creating Symbols
Write a symbol to represent the following:
 Birthday party
 Vacation
 Spanish class
 Fast car
 An artist
Creating Symbols
Write what your group
identified for each of the
following symbols.
Birthday party
Vacation
Spanish class
Fast car
An artist
Quick Write
Pick a special day of the year. Write down what
you might hear, see, taste, smell, or touch on
that day. Try to find images that reveal the way
you might feel at a particular moment on that
special day.
Your
special
day:
Hear
See
Taste
Smell
Touch
Haiku
This is a form of Japanese poetry. A haiku has only
three lines (triplet), with five, seven and five
syllables. A haiku usually describes a season of the
year or some aspect of nature.
Cold as a snowball
Chilled colder than the white snow
A lonely goodbye.
--------------------------------------------Some snowflakes descend
To blanket a barren branch
Others kiss the earth.
Traditional Haiku

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
Present images from everyday life—usually
two contrasting images
Present comparisons that are not stated
directly.
Contain kigo, or words associated with a
particular season.
–
–
–
For example, snow indicates winter.
Evening showers means that it is summer.
Frog suggests spring.
Traditional Haiku


Present a moment of discovery or
enlightenment
Contain images that serve as a starting point
for the reader’s own thoughts and
associations.
Punctuation in Haiku


Colons, dashes, and exclamation points
indicate a shift in subject or mood.
The period indicates the completion of the
poem.
Haiku Continued
I am first with five
Then seven in the middle -Five again to end.
17 syllables
1st line—five syllables
2nd line—seven syllables
3rd line—five syllables
Images—numbers
Subject—the form of haiku
Haiku (translated)
Get out of my road
and allow me to plant these
bamboos, Mr. Toad.
--Miura Chora
The old pond;
A frog jumps in:
Sound of water.
--Matsuo Basho
A morning glory
Twined round the bucket:
I will ask my neighbor for water.
--Chiyo
A dragonfly!
The distant hills
Reflected in his eyes.
--Kobayashi Issa
Questions to analyze
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Which of the four haiku follow the rule of five
syllables in lines 1 and 3, and seven
syllables in line 2?
Describe the images in Chora’s haiku.
Describe the images in Chiyo’s haiku.
Describe the images in Basho’s haiku.
Describe the images in Issa’s haiku.
Which haiku relies most on the sense of
hearing?
Questions to analyze
7. What season of the year does Chora’s haiku
describe? What word indicates that season?
8. What season of the year does Chiyo’s haiku
describe? What word indicates that season?
9. What season of the year does Basho’s haiku
describe? What word indicates that season?
10. What season of the year does Issa’s haiku
describe? What word indicates that season?
Find the two contrasting images
Poet
Contrasting images
Miura Chora
1.
2.
Chiyo
1.
2.
Matsuo Basho
1.
2.
Kobayashi Issa
1.
2.
In the poets’ shoes…




In Chora’s haiku, do you wait for the toad to
move, or do you poke it?
In Chiyo’s haiku, do you ever use that bucket
for water again?
In Basho’s haiku, what might you be doing
before the frog jumps in?
In Issa’s haiku, for how long are you able to
see the hills?
YOUR TURN!!!
Write a haiku celebrating the special day you
made notes about for the Quick Write. You
must limit your haiku to three lines and
seventeen syllables. Be sure you also use the
following criteria:



Bring two images together, usually for a contrast.
Use a word describing the season or weather
Present a moment of discovery.
Similes and Extended Similes


A simile is a comparison using “like” or “as.”
When a writer uses a simile across more
than one line or even throughout an entire
work, it is called an extended simile.
Practice
Complete each of the following “starters” with a vivid simile. If the
comparison isn’t obvious, add details to make the comparison
clear.
Clever like…
As dull as…
Crunchy like…
As sticky as…
Sweet like…
As lonely as…
As comfortable as…
As sharp as…
As blue as…
Quick like…
Acrostic Poetry
An acrostic poem is one in which
certain letters, often the first letter
of every line, form a name or a
theme.
Apples are yummy.
Pretty and juicy.
Please pick only when ripe.
Licking jelly apples are fun.
Eat them day and night.
With a partner
Use the power of similes to create vivid and moving images in an
acrostic poem that would be put into a time capsule. Try to capture
the essence of what it means to be a youth in today’s culture. Each
line should create a simile or metaphor.
For example:
“Teach”
Telling students what to do can be like whispering into a hurricane.
Exemplary pupils are as exciting as crystals found in a deserted mine
All students are like unpolished gems; in need of tender care.
Children are like rays of sunshine that light our way.
Harrowing though it can be, teaching is like looking into the future.
Freshmen
F
R
E
S
H
M
E
N
“Participating in the Poem”
Lesson 15: Work with a
partner to read and
analyze the poems.
Be sure to use complete sentences.
Hyperbole
Exaggerating to show strong feeling or effect.
Examples
I will love you forever.
My house is a million miles from here.
She’d kill me.
Practice
http://www.youtube.co
m/watch?v=M0xNVAy
1gkQ

As you listen to the
song, keep track of
hyperboles that
occur in the lyrics.
Onomatopoeia

Onomatopoeia is the use of words that
imitate sounds.

Wham! Splat! Pow! I am in trouble now!
Practice
http://www.youtube.co
m/watch?v=ciKxKP4EeQ

As you listen to the
song, keep track of
onomatopoeia that
occurs in the lyrics.
Idioms

An idiom is a phrase where the words
together have a meaning that is different
from the dictionary definitions of the
individual words.
Practice
Identify the literal and figurative meanings of
the following idioms and idiomatic phrases.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Kill two birds with one stone
On the ball
Cut corners
To hear something straight from the horse's mouth
Costs an arm and a leg
The last straw
Take what someone says with a grain of salt
Sit on the fence
The best of both worlds
Put wool over other people's eyes
Limericks
The limerick takes its name from Limerick, Ireland. It is humorous
and full of nonsense. It is a five line poem that consists of a
triplet & a couplet. They often contain hyperbole,
onomatopoeia, idioms and other figurative devices.
 The 1st, 2nd & 5th lines rhyme, with 3 beats per line
 The 3rd & 4th lines rhyme, with two beats per line.
 The last line is usually the punch line (the heart of the joke)
There once was a student at school (A)
Who would not conform to the rule (A)
He used all his time (B)
To write funny rhyme (B)
And limericks he used as his tool. (A)
Another Limerick…
There once was a man with no hair.
He gave everyone quite a scare.
He got some Rogaine,
Grew out a mane,
And now he resembles a bear!
You Try a Limerick
1.
Complete this limerick with words that rhyme.
There once was a princess named Meg
Who accidentally broke her _____
She slipped on the ______
Not once, but twice
Take no pity on her, I _________.
2.
Write a limerick using these five words: kangaroo,
zoo, too, pouch and ouch.
Writing Limericks with Hyperbole



Get out your “Hyperbole” and “I Would
Rather…” worksheets.
Write two limericks that uses hyperbole
based on each of your worksheets.
Your limerick must follow these criteria:
–
–
–
–
–
–
Five line poem
AABBA rhyme scheme
Three beats in the first and second lines,
Two beats in the third and fourth lines,
Three beats in the fifth line,
Underline the hyperboles.
Example:
I love my Miss Me jeans
They are so great for teens.
They sparkle and shine;
They are all mine,
And make me look good when I lean.
Example:
Juliet was such a queen
She acted like a teen
With a deep sigh
She wanted to die
Now only her grave can be seen.
Rhythm and Meter


Rhythm, or the repetition of sound
patterns is what give poems their musical
quality.
This regular pattern is also called meter.
–
You can hear meter just as you can hear the
steady beats of a heart.
Rhyme



Rhyme is often the first thing we notice about
a poem.
Rhyme is the repetition of accented vowel
sounds, and all the sounds following
them.
Approximate rhyme occurs when the
repetition of accented vowel sounds is
followed by sounds that are very similar,
but not exactly the same.
Use this chart to analyze poems
“I Wandered Lonely
as a Cloud”
Rhyme scheme
Approximate rhyme
Simile
Personification
Metaphor
Strong emotion
Speaker
“The Courage That
My Mother Had”
Read “I Wandered Lonely as a
Cloud” and “The Courage That My
Mother Had” on pages 533 & 537
Use the chart to
analyze these poems
as you read.
Drawing conclusions
1.
What details did each of the poets leave out
of the poems?
2.
What details contradicted the poems?
3.
What lesson is the reader supposed to draw
from the poem?
Introduction

Your challenge is to think and express
yourself through poetry in a CREATIVE way.

Today you will define what a shape poem is
and you will learn how to create one.
What is a shape poem?

takes the shape of the subject of the poem


exp. if the poem is about a tree, it would be shaped like a
tree
uses simple objects for the shapes

exp. hearts, houses, animals, etc.
Examples of Shape Poems
More Examples
How do you write a shape
poem?

Think of a poem topic

Try to pick a topic that can be supported by a shape (abstract ideas
might be harder to use)

Draw an outline of the shape (you can keep the outline there or delete
it later)

Arrange your words within the shape (they can be just within the shape
or outline it)

Work with the look of the words until you find a look you like

Write out a final copy to turn in
How to draw a shape poem
Pitter
Try putting words
Patter
in different
Pitter. Patter.
orders→
Draw your
shape ↑
Add words→
The rain falls
gently on my
steel roof top.
Slowly at first,
but the tempo
picks up. Soon
it will be a
thrashing of
rain.
Shape Poems
This is a shape
poem. Ideally, it
should describe
the shape it is,
and rhyme, but
as you can see,
this one doesn't.
But this will give
you the idea:
FUNNEL
Here is a little poem ... well, maybe it's not so little, but it
certainly is a poem ... although, come to think of it,
this doesn't really rhyme, so maybe it's not
a poem either; but anyway, here it is,
and as you can see, it is of course
funnel shaped, and before too
long, quickly comes to
the point, and right at
about this place
down here
at the
end
!
More Shape Poems
"Idea: Old Mazda Lamp, 50-100-150 W" By John Hollander
What to do next?

Brainstorm ideas of what you
could write about with your
shoulder partner. (5 minutes)

If you have any questions, ask!
Conclusion

You have learned how to create a shape poem. You saw how
to create and draw a shape poem. Here is your chance to
demonstrate what you have learned by creating a shape poem.
It can not be like any of the poems you already saw as
examples.

Here are the requirements:
Hint: Your poem must be about the shape you draw or create.

1.
2.
3.
You may use whatever materials you wish
Follow the rubric – the shape must relate to the poem.
Once you have created your object, you will present it to the
class, Most important of all, have fun!
Rubric:
5
Exceeds
expectation
Shape Is Creative
Poem is related to
shape
Words Spelled
Correctly
Neatly done –
Presentation,
anyone can
read the poem
4
Meets
expectation
3
Approaches
expectation
2
Developing this
skill
1-0
Does not meet
expectation
Narrative Poems
A NARRATIVE POEM tells a story and can be
about anything. Sometimes the poem's lines
have a rhyming pattern. Sometimes they
don't rhyme at all.


Narrative poems have all of the elements of a
short story: a narrator, characters, a plot, and
usually a setting—but it also has the
characteristics of poetry.
Narrative poems rely heavily on imagery and
figures of speech to touch your emotions and
capture your imagination.
THEME in Narrative Poetry
Poems, like short stories, have themes, or
central ideas.
 Often these themes are developed in
metaphors and similes to save space as
they connect to unlike things in imaginative
ways.
Practice…
Jimmy Goes to the City
by Arthur Read
Jimmy was a happy ape
Until some hunters caught him
He liked the jungle better than
The city where they brought him
The city was louder
The city was meaner
Even the dirt in the jungle was cleaner
So Jimmy made a daring escape!
The hunters were suddenly minus one ape!
He climbed the tallest building
Because from there he'd see
How far away the jungle was
From the middle of the city.
Jimmy jumped into a passing plane
But the pilot didn't wait for him to explain
Jimmy flew back to the jungle
And told his ape friends in their lair
"The city's okay for a visit
But you couldn't make me live there."
Use the poem to complete the following
chart:
Narrator
Characters
Plot
Setting
Imagery
Personification
Theme
Quick Write
Think about the word exile, and brainstorm with
your group for two minutes about the images it
calls to mind.
Read “Exile” on page 306

As you read summarize
the story told by filling out
a story map.
Story map:
“Exile”
Narrator
Main characters
Settings
Narrator’s
problem
Main events
1.
2.
3.
Analyzing “Exile”
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
How would you describe the relationship between the speaker and Papi?
Choose three details (words, phrases, or images) that illustrate the speaker’s
feeling of danger or fear.
As the family flees, what is associated with the idea of going to the beach?
Why does the beach scene in the store window represent America for the
speaker?
What details in the poem help convey the sense that the speaker and her family
don’t “fit in” when they get to the United States?
At the end of the poem, the speaker says that she and Papi are like “two
swimmers…/eager, afraid, not yet sure of the outcome.” What is she saying
through the use of this simile?
How would you state the theme of this poem? (What is the point the speaker is
making about her experience of immigrating the United States?)
Found Poetry Activity


Read the non-fiction article assigned to your group.
As you read, keep a list of interesting words, phrases, and
images.
Reading:
“How to Eat a
Guava” pgs. 625626
“Poe’s Final
Days” pgs. 222223
“Kennedy’s
Assassination”
pgs. 728-729
“Feeding Frenzy”
pgs. 122-123
“Romeo and
Juliet in Bosnia”
pgs. 1035-1036
“Wounded and
Trapped” pgs.
701-702
Notes:
Keep track of as many notable details as you
can find in the text.
Interesting Words:
Interesting Phrases:
Vivid Images:
Found Poem Directions
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
With your group choose, 12-13 quotes from the
assigned reading notes that you took.
Use the quotes to create a poem in whatever order
you feel is appropriate to reflect the
mood/atmosphere/tone of the article OR a
character’s perspective/feelings.
** You can repeat quotes, but must have at least
12-13 different quotes.
Give your poem a title.
Copy the poem neatly onto unlined paper…using
colors, images, etc. as you see fit for creativity.
Ballads
Ballad Poems are poems that tell a story like a narrative
poem and often have a repeated refrain. A ballad is usually
about love and often sung like a lyric poem.
They usually have:
 Four line stanzas (quatrain)
 Rhyming
 Repetition
The Ballad of the Green Beret:
http://youtu.be/LH4-tOqLH94
http://www.brownielocks.com/balladofthegreenberetsWAVE.html
Love stories
Most often, ballads are stories about love, but
they can be about anything that has deeply
affect the poet. Ballads are regal ways to share
any heartfelt experience, whether it is painful or
one that is positive.
First impressions
The first line of a ballad is the most important
because it introduces the reader to the story. In
order to reel the reader in, it might be a good
idea to open up the poem with a question or
use the word “you” so that the reader feels like
they are truly inserted into this moment in your
life. This way, the reader can directly relate to
and feel the emotions you describe in the
poem.
Rhyme Time
Most commonly, ballads have four groups or
stanzas, of three lines with an AAB rhyme
scheme where the first two lines rhyme and the
third line is different.
CHORUS
Something that makes a ballad a unique type
of poem is that they have choruses. Typically,
the third line of each stanza is the chorus, so
you need to make sure that line is something
that is relevant throughout the entire story,
because it will be repeated many times. So,
your poem’s rhyme scheme will most likely look
like AAB CCB DDB EEB, with the same line at
the end of each stanza.
Sing a song
Since ballads tell stories while using rhyme and
repetition, they are great for turning into songs.
Maybe you can try putting music to your new
poem and sing it to the class?
Ballad Activity


Read the non-fiction article assigned to your group.
As you read, keep a map of the story’s action and how the
characters interact using a story map
Reading:
“Feeding Frenzy”
pgs. 122-123
“Romeo and
Juliet in Bosnia”
pgs. 1035-1036
“Wounded and
Trapped” pgs.
701-702
“How to Eat a
Guava” pgs. 625626
“Poe’s Final
Days” pgs. 223224
“Kennedy’s
Assassination”
pgs. 728-729
Story map
Element
Narrator
Characters
Setting
Plot
Theme
Imagery
Similes/Metaphors/Personification
“___________________________”
Extra! Extra!
Your groups will be writing and performing a ballad using the article assigned to
you.
EACH GROUP MEMBER

Is responsible for writing one stanza of the ballad

Is responsible for performing one stanza of the ballad.
Ballads must be

Summative of the action in the article

Coherent stories

Original and creative
Extra credit will be given to class members or groups who sing (or “rap”) their
ballads.
Free Verse
Free verse is just
what it says it is poetry that is written
without proper rules
about form, rhyme,
rhythm, meter, etc. In
free verse the writer
makes his/her own
rules. The writer
decides how the
poem should look,
feel, and sound.
Notice: i is not capitalized and there aren’t
“normal” sentences….It’s free verse.
Winter Poem
once a snowflake fell
on my brow and i loved
it so much and i kissed
it and it was happy and called its cousins
and brothers and a web
of snow engulfed me then
i reached to love them all
and i squeezed them and they became
a spring rain and i stood perfectly
still and was a flower
- By Nikki Giovanni
More Free Verse…
A Dream
I dreamed the clouds were dragons.
Billows of fluff, not fire
Came toward me.
I needed not my sword.
Practice
Find elements of poetry in the world around
you.
List ten names. Which syllables are stressed? Which are not stressed? How
many “beats” does each name have?
List three political slogans or commercial slogans or jingles with rhyme and
alliteration. Identify rhyme by underlining the words and alliteration by
underlining the similar beginning sounds.
Identify two exact rhymes and two approximate rhymes to go with each of
these words: ocean, wash, warm, beard, power.
List three examples of personification in songs that you hear on the radio.
Describe the following scenes using onomatopoeia:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
–
–
A rainy, windy night
A cat munching on dry cat food