How do you read a poem with
rhythm?
Casey at the Bat
by Ernest Lawrence Thayer
The outlook wasn’t brilliant for the
Mudville nine that day…
In this lesson, you will learn how to read
a poem with rhythm by identifying
couplets.
Let’s Review
Poems have stanzas.
“Casey at the Bat”
by Ernest Lawrence Thayer
The outlook wasn’t brilliant for the Mudville nine that day:
The score stood four to six with just an inning left to play;
And so, when Cooney died at first, and Burrows did the same,
A sickly silence fell upon the patrons of the game.
A straggling few got up to go, leaving there the rest
With that hope that springs eternal within the human breast;
For they thought if only Casey could get one whack, at that
They'd put up even money, with Casey at the bat.
Let’s Review
Poems can have rhyming words.
bat - hat
shirt - dirt
air - there
A Common Mistake
Missing the rhyme patterns
STOP
A Common Mistake
Poetry can have a beat.
“Rhythm”
Core
CoreLesson
Lesson
“Casey at the Bat”
by Ernest Lawrence Thayer
The outlook wasn’t brilliant for the Mudville nine that day:
The score stood four to six with just an inning left to play;
And so, when Cooney died at first, and Burrows did the same,
A sickly silence fell upon the patrons of the game.
A straggling few got up to go, leaving there the rest
With that hope that springs eternal within the human breast;
For they thought if only Casey could get one whack, at that
They'd put up even money, with Casey at the bat.
Where are the
rhyming
words?
Core
CoreLesson
Lesson
“Casey at the Bat”
by Ernest Lawrence Thayer
What do I notice?
The outlook wasn’t brilliant for the Mudville nine that day:
The score stood four to six with just an inning left to play;
And so, when Cooney died at first, and Burrows did the same,
A sickly silence fell upon the patrons of the game.
A straggling few got up to go, leaving there the rest
With that hope that springs eternal within the human breast;
For they thought if only Casey could get one whack, at that
They'd put up even money, with Casey at the bat.
Couplets
Core
CoreLesson
Lesson
“Casey at the Bat”
by Ernest Lawrence Thayer
The outlook wasn’t brilliant for the Mudville nine that day:
The score stood four to six with just an inning left to play;
And so, when Cooney died at first, and Burrows did the same,
A sickly silence fell upon the patrons of the game.
A straggling few got up to go, leaving there the rest
With that hope that springs eternal within the human breast;
For they thought if only Casey could get one whack, at that
They'd put up even money, with Casey at the bat.
Core
CoreLesson
Lesson
1
Look for rhyming words at the end of lines.
2
Identify couplets.
3
Prepare to read with rhythm.
In this lesson, you have learned how to
read a poem with rhythm by identifying
couplets.
Guided Practice
Find rhyming words and identify couplets in the next two
stanzas of “Casey at the Bat.”
Then, read it out loud with rhythm.
But Flynn preceded Casey, and so likewise did Blake,
But the former was a pudding, and the latter was a fake;
So on that stricken multitude a death-like silence sat,
For there seemed but little chance of Casey's getting to the bat.
But Flynn let drive a single to the wonderment of all,
And the much-despised Blake tore the cover off the ball;
And when the dust had lifted, and they saw what had occurred,
There was Blake safe on second and Flynn a-hugging third!
Extension Activities
Find a rhyming poem of your choice.
Do you see any patterns in the rhyming words?
Try reading the poem out loud with rhythm. Tap your
hand to keep a beat!
Extension Activities
Read a rhyming poem, but read it without ANY rhythm.
How did that change the way you understood the poem?
Extension Activities
Count the syllables in each line of “Casey at the Bat.”
Do you notice any patterns or similarities?
How do you think that helps keep a rhythm?
Extension Activities
William Shakespeare was famous for writing wonderful
couplets with a set rhythm called iambic pentameter.
Research what iambic pentameter is.
Then practice reading his couplets out loud!
Quick
QuickQuiz
Quiz
Read the next two stanzas of “Casey at the Bat” with rhythm by
finding rhyming words and identifying couplets.
Then from the gladdened multitude went up a joyous yell,
It bounded from the mountain-top, and rattled in the dell,
It struck upon the hillside, and rebounded on the flat;
For Casey, mighty Casey, was advancing to the bat.
There was ease in Casey's manner as he stepped into his place,
There was pride in Casey's bearing, and a smile on Casey's face;
And when, responding to the cheers, he lightly doffed his hat,
No stranger in the crowd could doubt 'twas Casey at the bat.