Poetry
What Makes Poetry Different?
PROSE (regular writing)
•Tends to be longer
VS.
LENGTH
•Paragraphs
•Sentences
•Subject + Predicate + Direct
Object or Prepositional Phrase
•No fragments or run-on
sentences are allowed.
•Always start a new sentence
with a capital letter.
•Correct grammar helps make
the meaning of the message
clear to the audience.
•Depends on the purpose of the
essay e.g. to inform, to
persuade, or to entertain
•Uses a core sentence with
absolutes, appositives, and
participles
POETRY
•Tends to be shorter
•Stanzas
ORGANIZATION
STRUCTURE
PUNCTUATION
CAPITALIZATION
WORD CHOICE
TONE
WRITERS’ TRICKS
•Lines
•Varies, writer has more freedom
•Varies, writer has more freedom
•Varies, writer has more freedom
•Precise word choices (e.g. vivid
verbs and descriptive adjectives)
utilize the 5 senses as well as
speaking to the heart
•Depends on the mood of the
author
•Uses metaphors, similes, rhymes,
repetition, alliteration,
onomatopoeia, and couplets
Poetry Booklet
 Creative Project
– By the end of this Poetry Unit, students
will create a 14-poem “Poetry Booklet”
 Includes:
– Title Page
– Table of Contents
– 14 Poems (typed or neatly rewritten)
 Catchy Titles
 Colorful Illustrations
Poetry Booklet
Table of Contents:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
Diamante (handout from 5th Grade Bible textbook p. 115 “Strong to Gentle”)
Haiku (3 lines about nature, 5-7-5 syllables, make with construction paper)
Concrete (make shape with words and letters w/o using lines or drawings)
Lyric – Best Friend (4 lines, rhyme ABAB)
Lyric – Favorite Food (4 lines, rhyme ABAB)
I Am (handout)
Bio (handout)
Abuelito Who (handout)
Robert Frost’s Trickery (handout)
Shel Silverstein’s Look-a-Like – “Using Humor to Teach a Lesson”
(examples on PowerPoint, a 20-line poem that teaches a
message/moral/lesson in a humorous way
Alliteration (“tongue twister,” words start with same sound)
Onomatopoeia (sound effects)
Spiritual (15 lines free verse)
Free Verse Wild Card = choose your favorite poem that you have written
that is not one of the above poems
Poetry Booklet Reminders
Includes 14 Poems:
1. Diamante
6. I Am
11. Shel Silverstein
2. Haiku
7. Bio
12. Alliteration
3. Concrete
8. Abuelito Who
13. Onomatopoeia
4. Lyric: Friend
9. Spiritual
14. Wild Card
5. Lyric: Food
10. Robert Frost’s Trickery
 Add titles to each poem.
 Remember to write the page number at the bottom of each
page and next to each poem listed in the “Table of
Contents.”
 Draw colorful illustrations on each poem’s page.
 Write your name on the front cover.
Poetry Booklet Template
COVER
INSIDE COVER
Poetry Booklet Template
 Print or neatly rewrite the “Cover” and the
“Table of Contents.”
 Fold 4 pieces of 8.5” x 11” paper in half.
 Use a long stapler to staple in the middle
crease of the page to create the binding.
#1 Diamante Poem
 Structure = allows writers to explore
relationships between opposites
– e.g. good vs. evil, patient vs. hot-tempered,
David vs. Goliath, strong vs. gentle
 Challenge: Write a diamante poem that
begins with the word “strong” and ends with
the word “gentle”
Diamante Format
 LINE 1: STRONG
 LINE 2: _______
& _______
2 ADJ. ABOUT LINE 1
 LINE 3: _______,
_______, _______
3 –ING VERBS ABOUT LINE 1
 LINE 4: _______&_______;
_______&_______
2 NOUNS ABOUT LINE 1; 2 NOUNS ABOUT LINE 7
 LINE 5: _______,
_______, _______
3 –ING VERBS ABOUT LINE 1
 LINE 6: _______&
_______
2 ADJ. ABOUT LINE 1
 LINE 7: GENTLE
#2 Haiku
 A traditional form of Japanese poetry
 Always has 3 lines and 17 syllables
– 1st line = 5 syllables
– 2nd line = 7 syllables
– 3rd line = 5 syllables
 Example
The lightning crashes (5)
Upon expectant earlobes (7)
Making babies cry (5)
A Haiku is . . .
 Haiku is a Japanese verse form that relies on
brevity and simplicity to convey its message.
 It features 3 lines of 5, 7, and 5 syllables.
 A haiku frequently includes natural images or
themes.
 First written in the 17th century, it is based on a
Zen Buddhist philosophy of simplicity and the idea
of perfection that excludes the extraneous.
Haiku Examples
As the setting sun
Melts below the horizon,
Stars applaud her bow
Morning light appears (5)
The new day has awoken (7)
Nature stirs and sighs (5)
Haiku: Take 1 (Rough Draft)
 The bees are buzzing.
 Beautiful flowers are here.
 The flowers smell good.
Haiku: Take 2--Try, Try Again (Final Draft)
 Stinging bees buzzing
 Beautiful flowers found here
 Sweet, scented fragrance
Transform Your Haiku
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Eliminate Being Verbs (is/are/was/were)
Add Action Verbs (e.g. –ing words)
Use Articles Sparingly (e.g. a/an/the)
Use Descriptive Adjectives
Utilize Metaphors (“the sun, a ball of fire”)
How to Make My Haiku
 Write 5 rough draft haikus
– Pick a nature topic
– Remember your syllables: 5/7/5
 Then pick your 1 favorite
 Use construction paper to make the shape of the
theme of your haiku (e.g. lightning bolts, clouds,
rain, tsunami, flowers, trees, plants, mountains,
ocean waves, etc.)
 Then, using your best printing or cursive, rewrite
your favorite haiku on your shape
#3 Concrete Poem
 The shape of the poem suggests its subject
 The poet arranges the letters, words, and
lines to create a visual image
Concrete Poem Examples
WE LIVE IN A SQ
UARE, A PERFEC
TLY SHAPED BO
X. NOTHING IS D
IFFERENT ALL IS
THE SAME. BE DI
FFERENT. THINK
OUTSIDE THE B OX
THE SCARLET LETTER ON A PRINTER
WITH NO COLOR
Love
Can be is the
Evil.
Great
It can
Gift and
Move
the
Weaker
very
Hearts
worst
To a
Horror.
False, Cheating, Adulterous, and Unfaithful
Passion.
Lovers
An
will
Untrue
destroy
Love
dreams.
Will hurt
Never
Most
Trust
Deeply.
Again.
Crying
Springing from
An eternal source
My tears flow forth
Blue droplets of pain
Each more lonely
Than the next
A waterfall of hurt
Takes a suicidal leap
D
i
v
e
b
o
m
b
i
n
g
From my eyes
To the earth below
Sp l a t t e
r
i
n
The same ground you walk on
Which is where
My weeping ways wallow
Freely floundering at your feet
d
i v
e
b
o
m
b
i
n g
d
i g
v
n
e
i
b
b
o m
g
#4-5 Lyric Poetry


Expresses a poet’s thoughts and feelings about
a single image or idea
Use sensory images to create impressions (sight,
sound, touch, taste, smell)


Written in vivid, musical language
Examples
–
–
–
–
“Washed in Silver” – James Stephens
“I’m Nobody” – Emily Dickinson
“Me” – Walter de la Mare
“Song of Myself” – Walt Whitman
“Washed in Silver” – James Stephens
Gleaming in silver are the hills,
Blazing in silver is the sea,
And a silvery radiance spills
Where the moon drives royally.
Clad in silver tissue I
March magnificently by.
“I’m Nobody” – Emily Dickinson
I'm nobody! Who are you?
I'm nobody! Who are you?
Are you nobody, too?
Then there's a pair of us -- don't tell!
They'd banish -- you know!
How dreary to be somebody!
How public like a frog
To tell one's name the livelong day
To an admiring bog!
“Me” – Walter de la Mare
As long as I live
I shall always be
My Self - and no other,
Just me.
Like a tree.
Like a willow or elder,
An aspen a thorn,
Or a cypress forlorn.
Like a flower,
For its hour
A primrose, a pink,
Or a violet –
Sunned by the sun,
And with dewdrops wet.
Always just me.
"Bus Stop“
-Donald Justice
Lights are burning
In quiet rooms
Where lives go on
Resembling ours.
“The Planet of Mars”
-Shel Silverstein
On the planet of Mars
They have clothes just like ours,
And they have the same shoes and same laces,
And they have the same charms and same graces,
And they have the same heads and same faces...
But not in the
Very same
“A Red, Red
Places.
Lyric Poetry
Examples
Rose”
-Scotsman Robert Burns
O my luve's like a red, red rose
That's newly sprung in June:
O my luve's like the melodie,
That's sweetly play'd in tune.
“You’ve Got That Thing”
-Cole Porter
Your fetching physique is hardly unique,
You're mentally not so hot;
You'll never win laurels because of your morals,
But I'll tell you what you've got . . .
The quiet lives
That follow us -These lives we lead
But do not own -Stand in the rain
So quietly
When we are gone,
So quietly . . .
And the last bus
Comes letting dark
Umbrellas out -Black flowers, black flowers.
And lives go on.
And lives go on
Like sudden lights
At street corners
Or like the lights
In quiet rooms
Left on for hours,
Burning, burning.
Sample Format

Total of 4 lines
– 1 stanza of 4 lines each
Make Your Own Lyric Poem
Topic #1 = Favorite Food (fill-in bubbles with sensory words)
SIGHT
TASTE
Favorite Food =
______________
FEEL
SMELL
HEAR
Next Step
 Now use your sensory words as a word
bank to help you write a lyric poem about
your favorite food.
TITLE:_______________
_________________ (a)
_________________ (b)
_________________ (a)
_________________ (b)
Make Your Own Lyric Poem Take 2
Topic #2 = Best Friend (fill-in bubbles with sensory words)
SIGHT
TASTE
Best Friend =
______________
FEEL
SMELL
HEAR
Next Step
 Now use your sensory words as a word
bank to help you write a lyric poem about
your best friend.
TITLE:_______________
_________________ (a)
_________________ (b)
_________________ (a)
_________________ (b)
#6 “I Am” Poem
“I Am” Poem
Meresa




I am happy, yet I feel so alone
I see people I used to know, looking right through me
I hear music, but I know it’s just inside my head
I see a strange face in the mirror




I pretend that I am in love
I feel the weight of the world pulling me down
I touch your smile as it fades into memory
I worry that I can’t do anything right




I understand that you’re my only hope
I dream of something more, filling my empty tears
I try to speak my mind, but something holds me back
I am happy, yet I feel so alone
“I Am” Poem
Lori




I am a great musical performer
I see myself playing in front of large audiences
I hear many glorious tunes blending together
I see myself performing in recitals




I pretend that I am playing in the Hollywood Bowl
I feel the sounds of great classical music
I touch the smooth strings of a cello
I worry about messing up someday




I understand how to make it someday
I dream of many good wishes coming true
I try to do my very best
I am a great musical performer
“I Am” Poem
Daniel




I am an American
I see my country’s flag
I hear patriotic music
I see the red, white, and blue




I pretend to be a U.S. Marine
I feel pride in my country
I touch American soil
I worry about war




I understand that people have died for my country
I dream of world peace
I try to make my country a better place to live
I am an American
Write Your Own “I Am” Poem
_____________




I am . . .
I see . . .
I hear . . .
I see . . .




I pretend . . .
I feel . . .
I touch . . .
I worry . . .




I understand . . .
I dream . . .
I try . . .
I am . . .
write your
name here
These lines will be the same.
#7 “Bio” Poem
#8 Abuelito Who
 Similes
– Often use “like” or “as”
– “Students pounced upon the extra Krispy
Kreme doughnuts like a starved lion upon an
unsuspecting carcass.”
 Metaphors
– Often use “is/was” or “are/were”
– “LeBron James was an airplane, preparing for
takeoff to dunk the ball on the twin towers: Tim
Duncan and David Robinson.”
“Abuelito Who” – Sandra Cisneros
#9 Robert Frost’s Trickery
 Trick #1
– Count Syllables
 Trick #2
– Pick a Rhyme Scheme
Robert Frost’s Trickery
 Trick #1
– Count Syllables
 Frost used 9 syllables in the 1st line and + or – 1
syllable for all other lines in the poem
 Trick #2
– Pick a Rhyme Scheme
 Frost used an A-B-A-A-B rhyme scheme in each of
his 4 stanzas
Your Tricky Challenge
1. Write a 20-line poem on a topic of your
choice. (4 stanzas of 5 lines each)
2. Use 9 syllables in your first line, add or
subtract 1 syllable for all other lines of the
poem. (e.g. if your first line has 9 syllables
then all other lines need to have 8, 9, or 10
syllables)
3. Use an A-B-A-A-B rhyme scheme.
#10 Shel Silverstein’s Look-a-Like
Sick








"I cannot go to school today,"
Said little Peggy Ann McKay.
"I have the measles and the mumps,
A gash, a rash and purple bumps.
My mouth is wet, my throat is dry,
I'm going blind in my right eye.
My tonsils are as big as rocks,
I've counted sixteen chicken pox
 And there's one more--that's
seventeen,
 And don't you think my face looks
green?
 My leg is cut--my eyes are blue- It might be instamatic flu.
 I cough and sneeze and gasp and
choke,
 I'm sure that my left leg is broke- My hip hurts when I move my chin,
 My belly button's caving in,
 My back is wrenched, my ankle's
sprained,
 My 'pendix pains each time it rains.
 My nose is cold, my toes are numb.
 I have a sliver in my thumb.
 My neck is stiff, my voice is weak,
 I hardly whisper when I speak.
 My tongue is filling up my mouth,
I think my hair is falling out.
My elbow's bent, my spine ain't straight,
My temperature is one-o-eight.
My brain is shrunk, I cannot hear,
There is a hole inside my ear.
I have a hangnail, and my heart is-what?
 What's that? What's that you say?
 You say today is. . .Saturday?
 G'bye, I'm going out to play!"






Shel Silverstein
Birth Name: Sheldon Allan Silverstein
Date of Birth: Sept. 25, 1930
Place of Birth: Chicago
Date of Death: Weekend of May 8, 1999
Place of Death: Key West, FL
Shel Silverstein’s Trickery
1. Irony/Sense of Humor
* Irony =
1. The use of words to express something different to
and often opposite from what they mean literally.
Referring to a mess as “a pretty sight” is
an example of irony.
2. A conflict between what might be expected and what
actually occurs: “We noted the irony that the boy who
always complained about the cold weather became a
famous skier.”
2. Teaches a Lesson/Makes a Point
Baseball Bloopers
-Tyler Nichols
We were winning
Nine to eight
When tiny Spencer
Stepped up to the plate
An infield pop-up
Headed straight for Katkov
But Evan waved his hand
“It’s mine so back off”
An easy out
We thought it would be
But Spencer knew
He would hit pitch number three
The ball hit the ground
Between Coby and Evan
Kyle jumped in the middle
The crowd roared, “Heave it
to number eleven
He threw the ball to Thomas
But it flew under his knee
By the time Tanner grabbed it
Spencer rounded base three
Tanner sailed the ball to Steven
But it bounced in the dirt
As Spencer took a dive for home
Steven tagged him on the shirt
As Spencer lay sprawled on the plate
Steven jumped into the air
But when he opened his mitt
The ball was not there
Homework Machine –
by Shel Silverstein
The Homework Machine ,
oh the Homework Machine,
Most perfect contraption
that’s ever been seen.
Just put in your homework,
then drop in a dime,
Snap on the switch,
and in ten seconds time,
Your homework comes out,
quick and clean as can be.
Here it is – “nine plus four?”
and the answer is “three.”
Three?
Oh me…
I guess it’s not as perfect
As I thought it would be. 
Shel Silverstein’s Trickery
1. Irony/Sense of Humor
* Irony =
1. The use of words to express something different to
and often opposite from what they mean literally.
Referring to a mess as “a pretty sight” is
an example of irony.
2. A conflict between what might be expected and what
actually occurs: “We noted the irony that the boy who
always complained about the cold weather became a
famous skier.”
2. Teaches a Lesson/Makes a Point
#11 ALLITERATION
WHAT IS THAT?
 Sounds at the beginning of words are repeated
(usually in the same line)
 “Full Fathom Five” by Billy Shakespeare
IN CLICHES . . .
 sweet smell of success
 a dime a dozen
 bigger and better
 jump for joy
Tongue Twisters
Peter Piper picked a peck of
pickled peppers;
A peck of pickled peppers
Peter Piper picked;
If Peter Piper picked a peck
of pickled peppers,
Where's the peck of pickled
peppers Peter Piper
picked?
More Tongue Twisters
 A big black bug bit a big brown bear, and
the big brown bear bled blood.
 Peggy Babcock packages bags and boxes
of mixed biscuits.
 Freshly fried flying fish is freshly fried fresh
flesh.
 Fritz Fisher fishes fresh fish or fresh fish are
fished by Fritz fisher.
Even More Tongue Twisters
 Bobby blew and blew bright blue bubbles
until breathing, blowing, breathing,
blowing, behold... Bobby became a
bubble, too!
 Fred fed Ted bread and Ted fed Fred
bread.
 Many an anemone sees an enemy
anemone.
 Many a mini-anemone mines an enemy
mini-anemone.
Alliteration in Literature
Robert Frost – “The Death of the Hired Man”
 Mary sat musing on the lamp-flame at the table
Waiting for Warren. When she heard his step . . .
Edwin Markham's “Lincoln, the Man of the People”
 She left the Heaven of Heroes and came down
To make a man to meet the mortal need
A man to match the mountains and the sea
The friendly welcome of the wayside well
WORDSWORTH . . .
 And sings a solitary song
 That whistles in the wind.
Now it’s your turn . . .
 Write a tongue twister using the following
letter for your alliterations:
S
T
R
N
L
J
Next Up?
 Write a 10-line poem about a family member
 Use 3 examples of alliteration in your poem
Write a Headline Poem
 Create a headline poem
using words that you have
cut out from magazines
and/or newspapers. The
poem must:
– contain at least 25 words
– be written in complete
sentences with correct
punctuation
– stick to one central
theme
– contain at least three
clear examples of
alliteration
#12 Onomatopoeia
 a word that imitates the sound it represents
SINGLE-WORD EXAMPLES
 e.g. splash, wow, gush, kerplunk, buzz, crash, whirr, clang, hiss,
purr, squeak, mumble, hush, boom
PHRASE EXAMPLES
 "tinkling" sleigh bells; "clanging" fire bells; mellow "chiming“
wedding bells; "tolling," "moaning," and "groaning" funeral bells.
WHY?
 Such sound devices bring out the full flavor of words.
Comparison and association are sometimes strengthened by
syllables which imitate or reproduce the sounds they describe.
Onomatopoeia
The rusty spigot
sputters,
utters
a splutter,
spatters a smattering of drops,
gashes wider;
slash,
splatters,
scatters,
spurts,
finally stops sputtering
and plash!
gushes rushes splashes
clear water dashes.
-- Eve Merriam
Onomatopoeia
 The formation or use of words that imitate the
sounds associated with the objects or actions to
which they refer
 the imitation of natural sounds in word form
 a.k.a. type of word that sounds like the thing it is
describing
– e.g. “buzz” or “murmur”
– "The fly buzzed past."
– He clattered and clanged as he washed the dishes."
 Old Batman TV Show
– “pow” “bang” “clash”
Match the following sentences to the
onomatopoeia that describes them.
A plate being dropped on the floor.
A balloon being burst.
TINKLE
BANG
A gun being shot.
SMASH
Someone eating crisps.
GROWL
A light being switched on.
A fierce dog.
A small bell being rung.
POP
CRUNCH
CLICK
Onomatopoeia
 Illustrate something in
nature that makes sound
– e.g. waterfall, thunder,
earthquake, hurricane,
chirping bird, hail
 Splash the sound across
your picture by using
sound-effect words
#13
S
P
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“Outside On A Starry Night” -- Elaine Hardt
 Where do you start on a journey of faith?
Start outside on a dark, clear night.
Stand on tiptoe and stretch to the sky
Look up at the bright starry sight.
 See worlds in orbit and suns aflame;
Pause to consider their faraway light.
No mere chance, their place up so high;
God created them -- and you -- by His might.
 Give God the glory for His greatness,
To honor Him is only right.
Reflection reveals His handiwork,
Our Father speaks from the lofty height,
 Not only in His vast creation -He has given His Word to men;
Rejoice, give thanks for amazing grace
And enjoy a starry night again.
S
P
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“TODAY” – Irene Sharp
Give me . . .
ears that hear my brother's cry,
eyes that see his need,
feet that bear me to his side,
hands that heal and feed,
And over and above-filled to overflowing-a heart that gives him love.
S
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“LOVE BADE ME WELCOME”
– George Herbert [1593-1633]
Love bade me welcome; yet my soul drew back,
Guilty of dust and sin.
But quick-eyed Love, observing me grow slack
From my first entrance in,
Drew nearer to me, sweetly questioning
If I lacked anything.
"A guest," I answered, "worthy to be here."
Love said, "You shall be he."
"I, the unkind, ungrateful? Ah, my dear,
I cannot look on Thee."
Love took my hand, and smiling, did reply,
"Who made the eyes but I?“
"Truth, Lord, but I have marred them: let my shame
Go where it doth deserve."
"And know you not," says Love, "who bore the blame?"
"My dear, then I will serve."
"You must sit down," says Love, "and taste my meat."
So I did sit and eat.
“GOD'S WILL FOR YOU AND ME”
S
–Irene Sharp
P
Just to be tender, just to be true,
I
Just to be glad the whole day through,
Just to be merciful, just to be mild,
R
Just to be trustful as a child,
Just to be gentle and kind and sweet,
I
Just to be helpful with willing feet,
T
Just to be cheery when things go wrong,
Just to drive sadness away with a song,
U
Whether the hour is dark or bright,
Just to be loyal to God and right,
A
Just to believe that God knows best,
L
Just in His promises ever to rest—
Just to let love be our daily key,
That is God's will for you and me.
Prayer of St. Francis
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy;
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much
seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
1182-1226
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
S
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SERENITY PRAYER
God grant me the serenity to
Accept the things I cannot change;
Courage to change the things I can;
And the Wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking as He did, this World as it is,
Not as I would have it.
Trusting that He will make all things right if I
surrender to His will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
And supremely happy with Him,
Forever in the next.
—Reinhold Neibuhr (1926)
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The Serenity Prayer
written by Reinhold Niebuhr (1892-1971)
Original, unabridged version
God, give us grace to accept with serenity
the things that cannot be changed,
courage to change the things
which should be changed,
and the wisdom to distinguish
the one from the other.
Living one day at a time,
Enjoying one moment at a time,
Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace,
Taking, as Jesus did,
This sinful world as it is,
Not as I would have it,
Trusting that You will make all things right,
If I surrender to Your will,
So that I may be reasonably happy in this life,
And supremely happy with You forever in the next.
Amen.
#14 Free Verse Wild Card
 For the last poem in your Poetry Booklet,
choose one of your favorite poems that you
have ever written.
– any topic
– any format or style
– rhyming or non-rhyming