Poems aren’t as hard as you might think.

Presentation on theme: "Poems aren’t as hard as you might think."— Presentation transcript:

1 Poems aren’t as hard as you might think.
Reading Poetry Poems aren’t as hard as you might think.

2 Learning Goals Understand how author’s organize poems to help me comprehend the deeper meaning of the text. Use the strategy of close reading to help me break down the information into digestible pieces.

3 Poems 101 Poems tend to pack a lot of meaning into very few words.
Poetry tends to be more personal than other forms of literature. Poetry communicate what the heart wants to say, what the society needs to hear. Many people are afraid of poetry because they find its language or symbols difficult to understand.

4 The Process to Understanding Poetry
Before Reading Set a purpose Preview Plan During Reading Read with a purpose Connect After Reading Pause and Reflect Reread BR: Set a purpose – What is the poem about? What’s the mood or feeling of the poem? What meaning can I take from the poem? Preview – Title and name of poet, structure and shape of the poem on the page, any rhymes, words and names that are repeated or stand out, the first and last lines Plan – read the poem several times (1st for enjoyment, 2nd for meaning, 3rd for structure and language, 4th for mood and tone) DR: Enjoyment – respond to the poem as if you would respond to a friendly conversation Meaning – explain the lines in your own words Structure and Language – think about why the author chose a certain structure or a certain word Mood and Tone – read the poem for feeling; look for words that express emotion Connect – try to connect the poem to your own life AR: Pause and Reflect – do I have a clear understanding of the poem? Can I remember any specific words, images, or phrases? How would I express the “big idea” of the poem? What mood or feeling did the poet create? Reread – you gain the most from the poems that you read the most.

5 Common Poetic Devices Figurative language Descriptive language
Connotations Denotations Tone Mood Repetition Alliteration Assonance Rhymes Rhythm or meter Figurative language: nonliteral meaning of words (similes, metaphors, personification, etc.) Descriptive language: imagery – stimulate your senses Connotation: the feeling suggested by or associated with the word Denotation: the meaning you will find when you look up the word in a dictionary Tone: the author’s attitude toward the subject Mood: the feeling the poem conveys Repetition affects both the music and meaning of the poem. Alliteration: repetition of the same sounds at the beginnings of words Assonance: repetition of vowel sounds Rhythm or meter: the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a poem (the beat)

6 Elements of Poetry Alliteration Allusion Consonance
Figurative language Free verse Hyperbole Imagery Inversion Lyric Metaphor Mood Onomatopoeia Personification Repetition Rhyme and rhyme scheme Rhythm Simile Stanza Symbol Tone Allusion: refers to something with which the reader is likely to be familiar, such as a person, place, or event from history or literature or some aspect of culture Consonance: the repetition of identical consonant sounds that come after different vowel sounds (half rhyme – words almost rhyme but they don’t) Inversion: placing a sentence element out of its normal position to emphasize or create a certain mood and alter the rhythm Symbol: something concrete that stands for something else, such as an idea or emotion