Grade 6, Unit 4POETRY

READING, WRITING, COMMUNICATING

Essential Questions•Why is it possible to have different interpretations of a poem?

•What is unique about how an author arranges words and phrases in poetry?

•Why are life experiences a foundation for writing poetry?

•How do poetic techniques engage readers?

Poetry Unit 4, January 9-31, 2012

Pretest•Week 1• Types of poetry – acrostic, epitaph, haiku• Figurative Language – simile, metaphor, personification, alliteration,

allusion, onomatopoeia,

•Week 2• Types of poetry – sonnet, ode, praise poems• Elements of poetry – irony, imagery, meaning, mood, pattern,

symbolism, tone

•Week 3• Rhyme schemes – end rhyme, internal rhyme, half rhyme

Post-test

What is poetry?• A beautiful form of communication.

•A genre that is open to personal interpretation and might differ from person to person.

Why do we study poetry?•Poetry helps us develop a sense of beauty, a deeper awareness of feelings and nature, and an appreciation for words. We all have a natural interest in the rhythm of poetry and it is fun to recite poems when given the chance!

Roses are red;Violets are blue.

I can write poetry; How about you?

What makes poetry unique?

•The interpretation of a poem can vary from person to person, especially in how on might read it aloud, act out, or emphasize certain aspects in a poem.

•Authors arrange words and phrases in poetry to express emotion and insights and to create writing that is aesthetic in nature, very much like music.

Figurative Language•Hyperbole•Simile•Metaphor•Personification•Alliteration•Allusion•Onomatopoeia

Hyperbole•A very strong exaggerationEx. He is stronger than a giant panda.

Simile•A comparison between two objects using the words “like” or “as.”

Ex. She sings like a nightingale.

Writing Poetry - Similes•Write a poem about an animal, carefully selecting the images and similes to influence the reader’s feelings.

•Choose an animal for which you have strong feelings.

•You might write a poem selecting images and similes that will influence the reader to feel as you do about the animal.

•Use as many senses and similes as possible to describe the animal.

MetaphorA comparison between two objects (without “like” or “as”).

Ex. Jackie is an angel.

PersonificationGives an inhuman thing human qualities

Ex. The sunrise was jealous of her loveliness.

Alliteration• The repetition of the same or similar consonant sounds in words that are close together.

• Example: Silly Sally sashayed on the shore. • Jumping Jorge wears jagging jeans.• Serious Sergio studies studiously.• Active Abby likes activity.• Silly Cindy (note “c” makes /s/ sound) swims in the city.• Cute Cathy (note “c” makes /k/ sound) cannot compete.• Axel absolutely loves apples!• Exceptional Emmanuel excels in efficiency.

Allusion• A reference to someone or something that is known from history, literature, religion, politics, sports, science, or some other branch of culture.

•When you use allusion you are alluding to something for example: • I use loot as a slang name for money.•He went home to his crib.

Onomatopoeia•The use of a word whose sound imitates or suggests its meaning.

•Examples:•Boom, boom, boom•Rattle-rattle•Ho Ho Ho

Elements of poetry

•Irony•Imagery•Meaning•Mood•Pattern•Symbolism•Tone

Irony•In general, it is the difference between the way something appears and what is actually true.

•Verbal irony is irony that is spoken aloud.•Sarcasm is a form of verbal irony.

Imagery•The use of language to evoke a picture or a concrete sensation of a person, a thing, a place, or an experience.

•Examples:•Sight: Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?•Taste: Or crust and sugar over like a syrupy sweet?•Touch: Maybe it just sags like a heavy load.•Smell: Does it stink like rotten meat?•Sound: Or does it explode?

Poetry Exercise- Simile and Sense•Write a poem about a place in nature, using sense images and similes. Choose a place in nature that is vivid in your mind. It may be a place you visited long ago, but you need to remember some details about it. It may be a place in the mountains, by the sea, at a nearby part, by the river or simply up in a tree.

• Use similes and all five senses (taste, smell, sight, sound, touch)

• Avoid cliches i.e. “The sky was as blue as the sea.”

• If you cannot remember all of the details, start with what is clear in your mind and invent the part that is missing. (This is common practice among writers.)

Meaning•What is the poem about?

Mood•The feeling created in the reader by the poem or story.

Symbolism• The use of person, place, thing or event that has meaning in itself and that also stands for something more than itself.

• Example:The eagle is a bird, but it is also the symbol for American freedom, liberty and justice.

Poetry Exercise-Symbolism•Write a symbol poem choose some aspect of nature to represent a human trait or global issue.

•Discuss how natural phenomena, such as a river, valley, rock, flower, shell, mountain, wind or snow storm might stand for anger or joy (emotion) greed or compassion (human trait), or war and peace (global issues).

•Using wind as an example, a morning breeze could represent peace and harmony; hurricane winds could represent the combat of war; and tornadoes could symbolize nuclear explosions.

Pattern•A combination of the organization of lines, rhyme schemes, stanzas, rhythm, and meter.•There are many different patterns in poetry.

Tone•The attitude a writer takes toward the subject of a work, the characters, or the audience.

•What is the tone of GustavKlimt’s famous painting“The Kiss?”

Rhyme Schemes•End Rhyme•Internal Rhyme•Half Rhyme

Rhyme Schemes – End Rhyme•The rhyme occurs at the end of the verse lines. • It is the most common rhyme form.•Example:

Now my days are lonely,And night-time drive me wild,In my heart I’m crying.I’m just Miss Blue’es child!(Langston Hughes)

Rhyme Schemes – Internal Rhyme•The rhyme occurs within a line of verse.

•ExampleThe splendor falls on castle walls

And the snow summits old in story:The long light shakes across the lakesAnd the wild cataract leaps in glory.

(Alfred, Lord Tennyson)

Rhyme Schemes – Half Rhyme•The rhyme is imperfect and approximate, not “dead on.”

•Example:I was the slightest in the House-

I took the smallest room-At night, my little Lamp and Book-

And one Geranium(Emily Dickinson)

Types of Poems•Acrostic•Epitaph•Haiku•Sonnet•Ode•Praise poems

Acrostic• The first letters of each line are aligned vertically to form a word. The word often is the subject of the poem.• Example:• Bright• Caring• Middle• School

• P• R• I• D• E

Haiku•Presents a vivid picture and the poet’s impression, sometimes with suggestions of spiritual insights. •The traditional Haiku is three lines longs: the first live is five syllables, the second line is seven syllables, and the third line is five syllables.

•Example:What’s in my headphones? (5)Nothing but Hip-Hop music, (7)

Jay-Z, Tupac, Nas! (5)

Epitaph•A brief poem written to be inscribed on a gravestone.

Sonnets•A sonnet is a poem which consists of the following building blocks:1. A sonnet has 14 lines.

2. Each line in a sonnet has a special rhythm.

3. Each line in a sonnet has a special length.

4. In a sonnet there are five iambs to each line. This is called a pentameter. Therefore, sonnets are written in iambic pentameter.

Ode•Exalts (celebrates) and addresses a person or thing•Intensity and sense of exaltation (celebration)

Poems of Praise•These poems contain a lushness of language or a piling up of images, a great exuberance for the subject, even exaggeration (hyperbole).

•The idea is to convey the intensity of feeling with specific language.

Essential Questions•Why is it possible to have different interpretations of a poem?•Poetry is a genre that is open to personal interpretation and might differ from person to person.

•What is unique about how an author arranges words and phrases in poetry?•Authors arrange words and phrases in poetry to express emotion and insight and to create writing that is aesthetic in nature, very much like music.

Essential Questions•Why are life experiences a foundation for writing poetry?•Life experiences are a foundation for writing poetry, because poems are a unique perspective or commentary on life.

•How do poetic techniques engage readers?•Poetic techniques engage readers with meaning and imagery created by word choice, figurative language, repetition, rhyme, etc.