Introduction to Poetry: Grades

9 & 10
Ms. Woodhouse

Warm Up: 100 Word Essay

What if George Washington were running
for president today? Write several Twitter
tweets of 140 characters or fewer from his
point of view. They can be serious about
issues, humorous about his adjustment to
21st century social mediaanything you
want.
Or choose your own to write about.

SOL Objectives
Grade 9:
9.3 read and analyze poetry9.3b identify characteristics of lyric poetry 9.3c
use literary terms in describing and analyzing selections9.3f describe the
use of images and sound to elicit reader's emotions.
Grade 10:
read and analyze a variety of poetry. (10.5) compare and contrast the use
of rhyme, rhythm, and sound (10.5A) compare and contrast poets use of
techniques to evoke emotion in the reader. (10.5B) distinguish between
literal and figurative language.(10.5D)identify and analyze poetic device
and technique. (10.5E) analyze diction as related to other elements of a
poem. (10. 5F)interpret and paraphrase the meaning of selected poems.
(10.5C)

Classroom Objectives
Given the Smart Board, power point, and
poetry terminology: students will be able to
judge how poetic devices are used by
analyzing poetry terms in conjunction with
reading poetry illustrated by these terms in
order to write and comprehend poetry; and
complete a poetry quiz with 80% accuracy.

Anticipatory Set: Copy and

Answer
What is your favorite song? How is that
song related to poetry?

Anticipatory Set Continued

Connection: Today, we are going to
analyze poetry terminology.
Relevancy: Each reader brings a different set of
associations to a poem based on the people, places, and
experiences that he or she has known (page 891 text).
In order to share our experiences with others, in
reference to poetry, we must understand poetic
terminology.

Essential Questions: Copy and

Answer As Your Go Through The Power Point

1. What is poetry?
2. How many parts is the human brain
divided into?
How does this fact, concerning the parts of
the brain, relate to poetry? (Name four
ways.)
4. What are sound devices?

Introduction to Poetry
In a poem the words should
be as pleasing to the ear as
the meaning is to the mind.
-- Marianne Moore

The Human Brain

Divided into 2
parts
Each half has its
own function

Left Brain:
Logic
Reality

Right Brain:
Creativity
Emotions

To clarify . . .
When
you are
looking
at big
puffy
Your right brain
clouds . .
tells you, Hey!
.
That one looks like
a bunny.
While your left brain tells you . . .

Its a cloud,
Stupid!

So, which half do you use when

studying poetry?
Here are a few hints:
Poetry requires creativity
Poetry requires emotion
Poetry requires an artistic quality
Poetry requires logic

For the Left Brain:

Recognizing
certain devices
used within a
poem will give the
left brain
something to
concentrate on.

Well start with the sound devices:

Complete This Chart In Your Notebook As You

Read The Power Point.

The repetition of
sounds
Example: hat, cat, brat, fat, mat, sat
My Beard
by Shel Silverstein
My beard grows to my toes,
I never wears no clothes,
I wraps my hair
Around my bare,
And down the road I goes.
Here is another example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGrcdq2viZg

The beat
When reading a poem out loud, you may notice a
sort of sing-song quality to it, just like in nursery
rhymes. This is accomplished by the use of
rhythm. Rhythm is broken into seven types.
Iambic

Monosyllabic

Anapestic

Spondaic

Trochaic

Accentual

Dactylic

Most
Used

Less
Common

These identify patterns of

stressed and unstressed
syllables in a line of poetry.
That means one syllable is pronounced
stronger, and one syllable is softer.

iambic:
anapestic:
trochaic:
dactylic:

unstressed
stressed

The length of a line of

poetry, based on what
type of rhythm is used.
The length of a line of poetry is measured in metrical
units called FEET. Each foot consists of one unit of
rhythm. So, if the line is iambic or trochaic, a foot of
poetry has 2 syllables. If the line is anapestic or
dactylic, a foot of poetry has 3 syllables.

(This is where its going to start sounding like geometry class, so

you left-brainers are gonna love this!)

Each set of syllables is one foot, and each line is

measured by how many feet are in it. The length
of the line of poetry is then labeled according to
how many feet are in it.

1: Monometer
2: Dimeter

5: Pentameter
6: Hexameter

3: Trimeter

7: Heptameter

4: Tetrameter

8: Octameter

*there is rarely more than 8 feet*

She Walks in Beauty

I.
She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all thats best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes:
Thus mellowed to that tender light
Which Heaven to gaudy day denies.

Reading this poem

out loud makes the
rhythm evident.
Which syllables are
more pronounced?
Which are naturally
softer?

II.
One shade the more, one ray the less,
Count the syllables in
Had half impaired the nameless grace
each line to
Which waves in every raven tress,
determine the meter.
Or softly lightens oer her face;
Where thoughts serenely sweet express,
How pure, how dear their dwelling-place.
III.
And on that cheek, and oer that brow,
Examination of this poem
So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,
reveals that it would be
The smiles that win, the tints that glow,
considered iambic tetrameter.
But tell of days in goodness spent,
A mind at peace with all below,
A heart whose love is innocent!

Now try this one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=bF1QzjmeYpY
First, count the syllables.
Second, divide by two. Remember these
groups of two are called feet.
Third, label the meter.
Fourth, listen carefully to the rhythm. Is it
a rising rhythm or a falling rhythm?

The repetition of the

initial letter or sound in
two or more words in a
To the lay-person, these
line.are called tongue-twisters.
Example: How much dew would a dewdrop drop if a
dewdrop did drop dew?

Alliteration

Alliteration

She Walks in Beauty

I.
She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all thats best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes:
Thus mellowed to that tender light
Which Heaven to gaudy day denies.

These examples use the beginning

sounds of words only twice in a line,
but by definition, thats all you need.

Alliteration

Lets see
what this
looks like in
a poem we
are familiar
with.

Words that spell out

sounds; words that sound
like what they mean.
Examples: growl, hiss, pop, boom, crack, ptthhhbbb.

Lets see
what this
looks like in
a poem we
are not so
familiar
with
Onomatopoeia
yet.

Noise Day
by Shel Silverstein
Lets have one day for girls and boyses
When you can make the grandest noises.
Screech, scream, holler, and yell
Buzz a buzzer, clang a bell,
Sneeze hiccup whistle shout,
Laugh until your lungs wear out,

Several other
words not
highlighted could
also be
considered as
onomatopoeia.
Can you find any?

Toot a whistle, kick a can,

Bang a spoon against a pan,
Sing, yodel, bellow, hum,
Blow a horn, beat a drum,
Rattle a window, slam a door,
Scrape a rake across the floor . . ..

Using the same key word

or phrase throughout a
poem.

This should be
fairly selfexplanatory,
but . . .
at risk of sounding
like a broken
record . . .

Valued Treasue
by Chris R. Carey
Time to spend;

Time will eventually

time to mend.

show us the truth.

Time to hate;

Time is a mystery;

time to wait.

time is a measure.

Time is the essence;

Time for us is

time is the key.

valued treasure.

Time will tell us

Time to spend;

what we will be.

time to mend.

Time is the enemy;

Time to cry . . .

time is the proof.

Time to die.

So, which is the repeated key

word or phrase?

Valued Treasure
by Chris R. Carey
Time to spend;

Time will eventually

time to mend.

show us the truth.

Time to hate;

Time is a mystery;

time to wait.

time is a measure.

Time is the essence;

Time for us is

time is the key.

valued treasure.

Time will tell us

Time to spend;

what we will be.

time to mend.

Time is the enemy;

Time to cry . . .

time is the proof.

Time to die.

So, which is the repeated key

word or phrase?

Fairly obvious, huh?

The repetition of one or more

phrases or lines at the end of a
stanza.
It can also be an entire
stanza that is repeated
periodically throughout a
poem, kind of like a chorus
of a song.

Phenomenal Woman
by Maya Angelou
Pretty women wonder where my secret
lies.
Im not cute or built to suit a fashion
models size
But when I start to tell them,
They think Im telling lies.
I say,
Its in the reach of my arms,
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
Im a woman

Remember this

Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,

I walk into a room

Just as cool as you please,

What they see in me.

And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
Its the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing of my waist,
And the joy in my feet.

But they cant touch

My inner mystery.
When I try to show them,
I say,
Its in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,
...
The grace of my style.

Im a woman

Look familiar?

Phenomenal woman,
Thats me.

They try so much

They say they still cant see.

I say,

Phenomenally.

Men themselves have

wondered

Im a woman

That is refrain.

Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,

A comparison between two

usually unrelated things using
the word like or as.
Examples:
Joe is as hungry as a bear.
In the morning, Rae is like an angry lion.

Simile

Ars Poetica
By Archibald MacLeish
Simile

A poem should be palpable

and mute as a globed
fruit,
Silent as the sleeve-worn
stone
Of casement ledges where
the moss has grown
A poem should be wordless
As the flight of birds.
Simile

Lets see
what this
looks like in a
poem we
have never
seen before
in our lives

An implied comparison between

two usually unrelated things.
Examples:
Lenny is a snake.
Ginny is a mouse when it comes to standing up for herself.
The difference between
a simile and a metaphor is
that a simile requires either
like or as to be included
in the comparison, and a
metaphor requires that
neither be used.

When it comes to using a metaphor device in

poetry, a poet can either make the entire poem a
metaphor for something, or put little metaphors
throughout the poem.

The following poem is one big metaphor.

An exaggeration for the sake of

emphasis.
Examples:
I may sweat to death.
The blood bank needs a river of blood.

Giving human characteristics

to inanimate objects, ideas,
or animals.

Example:
The sun stretched its lazy
fingers over the valley.

A word or image that signifies

something other than what is
literally represented.
Examples:
Dark or black images in poems are often used to
symbolize death.
Light or white images are often used to symbolize life.

Using words to create a picture

in the readers mind.

Poetry that follows no rules. Just

about anything goes.

This does not mean that it uses no devices, it just means that this
type of poetry does not follow traditional conventions such as
punctuation, capitalization, rhyme scheme, rhythm and meter, etc
Fog
The fog comes
on little cat feet.
It sits looking
over harbor and city
on silent haunches
and then, moves on.

No Rhyme
No Rhythm
No Meter
This is
free verse.

A reference to another piece of

literature or to history.
Example: She hath Dians wit (from Romeo and Juliet).
This is an allusion to Roman mythology and the
goddess Diana.
The three most common types of allusion refer to
mythology, the Bible, and Shakespeares writings.

Quiz
Click the link below. When you are on the
site, click the green rectangle that says,
Take Quiz. Before leaving this site, the
teacher must record your answers.
http://www.proprofs.com/quizschool/story.php?title=poetry-pretest

Closure: Exit Slip

1. Briefly summarize this power point.
2. What are five key concepts you learned
in this power point.
3. Define poetry.

Do not copy: Poetry should be

read aloud!
Poetry Outloud National Champion 2009
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SJeGjAzvs8
An Evening of Poetry, Music and the Written Word at the
White House, President and First Lady Obama
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUfekqAJHeI
James Earl Jones reciting from Othello by Shakespeare
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=DJybA1emr_g&feature=SeriesPlayList&p=1ECEA36D
759093A1
Billy Collins, The Dead with animation
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuTNdHadwbk