Notes for Poetry Unit
What is figurative language?
Figurative language is writing or speech meant to be understood imaginatively instead of
literally. Many writers, especially poets, use figurative language to help readers see things in
new ways. Figurative language includes such literary techniques as hyperbole, irony, metaphor,
personification and simile.
Hyperbole – is an exaggeration
Irony – Occurs when words say one thing but mean something else; usually the opposite.
Sometimes called sarcasm
Metaphor - compares by stating one thing is something else to help the reader get a better
mental picture
Personification – means giving human qualities to something that is not human
Simile – compares two things by using a connective word. Usually these words are as, like, than
or a verb such as resembles.
Types of poetry
Narrative – is a verse that tells a story (ex. Birches)
Lyric - is highly musical verse that expresses the emotions of the speaker (ex. The Bells)
Dramatic – a poem that relies heavily on dramatic elements such as monologue (speech by a
single character) or dialogue (conversation involving two or more characters) (ex. In my 64th
Year)
Free Verse – is poetry that avoids use of regular rhyme, rhythm or division into stanzas
What are sound devices?
Rhyme – is the repetition of sounds at the end of words.
End Rhyme – The rhyme occurs at the end of lines
Internal Rhyme – is the use of rhyming words within lines
Slant Rhyme – (also called half rhyme, near rhyme or off rhyme) is the substitution of
assonance or consonance for true rhyme. The pairs world/boiled and bear/bore are
examples
Alliteration – is the repetition of initial consonant sounds (ex. “And the silken sad uncertain
rustling of each purple curtain.”)
Assonance - is the repetition of vowel sounds in stressed syllables that end in different
consonant sounds (ex. “weak and weary”)
Consonance – is a kind of slant rhyme where the ending consonant sounds of two words match,
but the preceding vowel sound does not, such as in the words “wind” and “sound”
Onomatopoeia – is the use of words or phrases that sound like the things to which they refer.
(Ex. Pow, clink, woof)
Plan for Poetry Unit
Day 1&2 : Similes (Tues & Wed)
1. Read the definition of Simile in the Poetry Packet and discuss examples.
2. Read “Dream Deferred” by Langston Hughes in the Poetry Packet and answer the
questions
3. Use the simile writing prompt to write a poem that uses similes.
Day 3: Similes/Metaphors (Friday)
1. Read “A Simile” by N. Scott Momaday (p.98) from the text book and answer the questions
on p.101 (Recall 1a, 2a; Interpret 1b, 2b)
2. Read the definition of Metaphor in the Poetry Packet and discuss
3. Read “Metaphors” by Sylvia Plath in the poetry packet and answer the questions
Day 4: Metaphors (Monday)
1. Write an extended metaphor abut a friendship or other relationship you have with
someone. An extended metaphor is a point-by-point presentation of one thing as
though it were another. Your poem should be at least 4 lines long. (Ex. Your love is the
sun that makes me feel warm and safe each day. It pushes away any dark clouds that
other people try to bring into my life. When a little bit a rain does fall, I know that the
sun will be strong enough to return. Please don’t ever take my sunshine away.)
2. Read “Metaphor” by Eve Merriam (p.99) from the text book and answer questions on
p.101 (Recall 3a, 4a; Interpret 3b, 4b)
3. If you finish all this before the end of the hour, write your extended metaphor on a
colored sheet of paper and illustrate it.
Day 5: Metaphors/Irony (Tuesday)
1. Read “Metaphor” by Eve Merriam and answer questions out loud
2. Give students time to share their extended metaphors
3. Read the definition of irony and discuss
4. Read “The Grocer’s Children” and discuss
5. Write a poem that uses irony. You may model it after “The Grocer’s Children” but you do not
have to. (Ex. The Teacher’s Child; The Football Coach’s son; The Butcher’s Children; The
Accountant’s Son; The Doctor’s Children)
Day 6: Irony (Wednesday)
1. Share the irony poems
2. Read “Oh No” in the poetry packet and answer the questions.
3. Read “A Story that Could be True” (p.577) and answer Recall 1a-3a and Interpret 1b-3b
Day 7: Irony/Personification (Thursday)
1. Discuss the answers to “Oh No” and “A Story that Could Be True”
2. Read about Personification in the poetry packet and discuss. Each student must give one
example of personification verbally.
3. Read “The Secret” and discuss the answers
4. Have students read “The Wind” and answer questions
Day 8: Personification (Friday)
1. Discuss what a couplet and a Stanza are. Show students an example of each using the poem
“The Wind”
2. Choose 3 things (not animals) that might be easily personified. (Ex. Clock; sun; cloud). Make a
graphic organizer for each thing that shows how it might perform human-like actions. Follow the
example below.
Thumped the
branches
Wind
Kicks the
leaves
3.
Kicks the
leaves
Choose one of the ideas you came up with in activity 5 to write a poem
that uses
personification. The poem should be written in couplets and contain 3 stanzas.
Day 9: Personification continued (Monday)
1. Share poems using personification
2. Give notes on sound devices (assonance, consonance, alliteration, onomatopoeia, end rhyme,
internal rhyme)
3. Read “Courage” by Anne Sexton (p.758-759) and answer the questions on page 760 (Recall,
Interpret, Analyze, and Synthesize)
4. Look back at the poem and list any examples of figurative language that we have studied so far.
Day 10: Rhyme Scheme, Limericks (Tuesday)
1. Discuss the answers to “Courage”
2. Ask students to give you lyrics from songs. Write them on the board and then as a class try to
figure out what types of figurative language and sound devices are being used.
3. Read the Limerick from the poetry packet. Discuss rhyme scheme. Figure out the rhyme scheme
for the poem.
4. Write a limerick poem that uses end rhyme
Day 11: Imagery & Hyperbole (Wednesday)
1. Share limericks
2. Discuss imagery and hyperbole
3. Have students complete the hyperbole worksheet
4. Read “The Portrait” in the poetry packet (p.20) and discuss the imagery in the poem. Identify
the various sound devices. Give students a few minutes to do this, then share as a group.
5. Write a poem that follows that same pattern as this poem. The ending lines should read…”In my
64th year I can still…….” You need to fill in the blank. You should be writing about a very
memorable moment. It can be happy or sad or scary. The poem should be 15 lines long.
Day 12: Symbol (Friday)
1. Share 64th year poems
2. Discuss symbolism
3. Read “Birches” p.108 and answer questions 1a-4a and 1b-4b. Also answer Understanding
Literature Questions about symbol and metaphor and simile.
Day 13: Repetition (Monday)
1. Discuss answers to “Birches”
2. Listen to “The Bells” and read along on pages 81-84.
3. As a group discuss the questions in the blue boxes (p.81-84)
4. Have students work on questions at the end of the story
Day 14: The Epic (Tuesday)
1. Discuss Epic Poetry
2. Read “The Odysssey” in class outloud. Read p.125-134 and have students answer the questions
in the blue boxes
Day 15: The Epic Continued (Wednesday)
1. Discuss the questions in the blue boxes.
2. Continue reading p.135-143 and have students answer the questions in the blue boxes.
Day 16: The Epic Continued (Thursday)
1. Discuss the answers to the blue boxes
2. Have students complete questions on p.146 1a-4a and 1b-4b and the Understanding Literature
Questions over epic and personification
Day 17: Figurative Language Book (Friday)
1. Hand out instructions and rubrics for the Figurative Language Books
2. Have students form their groups and begin planning what they will put on each page.
Day 18&19: Using computers to make Figurative Language Books (Monday & Tuesday)
1. Make books in the library
Day 20: Review for Test (Wednesday)
1. Review the various sound devices and figurative language. Have students give definitions &
examples
3. Have students find sound devices in the Song Lyric handout and discuss
Day 21: Test (Thursday)