PoetryPoetryPoetryPoetryGrade 5Grade 5

What is Poetry?• Poetry is a kind of writing, usually in

verse. Poetry verse is set out in short lines with words put together in rhythm or rhyme or both. Poetry is about a writer sharing with the reader an experience or strong feelings. Poems are written with words chosen for their sounds and beauty as well as their meaning.

Poetry is…• A way to express yourself creatively• Poets often write in short lines and

use patterns of rhythm and rhyme. • Some poets, however, feel free

from following any rules and experiment with words, shapes, language, and subjects.

• Poets write about anything and everything-from silly to serious.

Elements of Poetry• Poets have many tools that they can use in

writing poems. These tools add to the poem’s sound, meaning, and emotional effect on the reader. Some of the elements poets use are:

• Free Verse• Rhyme and Rhyme Scheme• Stanza• Tone and Voice• Mood• Simile• Metaphor• Alliteration• Onomatopoeia• Personification

Free Verse• Free verse is a type of poetry that does not

use rhyme or regular rhythms. It’s “free” and sounds natural, just like everyday conversation.

• Example:I never dreamt

that tender blossomswould be brown

Or precious angelscould come down

to live in the gardenof my giving heartBut here you are

brown angel

Poets use free verse because it allows them to experiment with shapes and sounds of poetry.

Rhyme and Rhyme Scheme

• When two words rhyme, they sound the same at the end. Poems often use rhyme, usually at the ends of lines.

• A rhyme scheme is a pattern of rhymes in a poem.

• Rhyme schemes are labeled according to their rhyme sounds.  Every rhyme sound is given its own letter of the alphabet to distinguish it from the other rhyme sounds that may appear in the poem. 

For example, the first rhyme sound of a poem is designated as a.  Every time that rhyme sound appears in the poem, no matter where it is found, it is called a.  The second rhyme sound to appear in the poem is designated b.  Every other time that rhyme sound appears in the poem, no matter where it is found, it is called b.  The third rhyme sound to appear would be c, the fourth d, and so on, for as many rhyme sounds as appear in the poem.

The following short poem illustrates the labeling of a rhyme scheme.

                  There once was a big brown cat      a                  That liked to eat a lot of mice.        b                  He got all round and fat                 a                  Because they tasted so nice.          b

Rhyme Schemes

Example of Rhyme and Rhyme Scheme

“Ten Minutes till the Bus” by David L. Harrison

Ten whole minutesTill the bus

Scads of time,What’s the fuss?

Two to dress, One to flush,Two to eat,

One to brush, That leaves four,To catch the bus,

Scads of time, What’s the fuss?

Stanza• In poetry, groups of lines are

called stanzas. Stanzas often have four, five, or six lines. Two line stanzas are called couplets.

• Poets use stanzas to give their poems structure and to help emphasize their different ideas.

“First and Last” by David McCord

A tadpole hasn’t a pole at all,And he doesn’t live in a hole in the wall.

You’ve got it wrong: a polecat’s notA cat on a pole. And I’ll tell you what:

A bullfrog’s never a bull; and howCould a cowbird possibly be a cow?

A kingbird; though, is a kind of king, And he chases a crow like anything.

There are four stanzas in this poem. These two-line stanzas are called couplets.

Tone and Voice• A poet’s attitude toward the subject

of the poem is called the poem’s tone.

• As a reader of poetry, you want to know who is speaking in a poem. The speaker in a poem or the speaker’s feeling or attitude is called voice.

Mood• Poetry touches your emotions. The

mood colors the whole poem and creates a feeling in the reader. The length of the sentences, the words that are chosen, and the sounds of the words all work to create the mood of a poem.

What is the mood of this poem?

Spring Garden

Stunningly dressed flower stalksStand shimmering in the breeze.The cheerful sun hides playfully

Behind white, fluffy, cotton-ball clouds,While trees whisper secrets

To their rustling leaves.Carpets of grass greenly glowBlending joyfully with the day.

Spring brings life to death.

Figurative LanguageWhat is Figurative Language?

• Whenever you describe something by comparing it with something else,you are using figurative language. 

• Some examples of figurative language are:

– Similes– Metaphors– Alliteration– Onomatopoeia– Personification

Simile• A poet uses the words like or as to

compare two things in a simile. • For example:

The baby was as cute as a button.

The rain falls like the sun,rising upon the

mountains.

Metaphor• A metaphor is a direct comparison

between two things. It does not use the words like or as. It states that one thing is another.

• Example:Brian was a wall, bouncing every

tennis ball back over the net.

Alliteration• Alliteration is the repetition of the

same consonant sound at the beginning of several words of a sentence or a line of poetry.

Example:• 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 How many pickled peppers did Peter Piper pick?

Do you know any others?

Onomatopoeia• Poets use language to its fullest.

They choose words not only for what they mean but also for how they sound.

• Onomatopoeia is the use of words that sound like the noises they describe.

• For instance, CRASH! BANG! ZOOM! BUZZ!

Personification• Poets often create strong images by

making nonhuman things seem human. • Personification is a type of figure of

speech that gives human qualities to animals, objects, or ideas.

• Example:“Snowy Benches” by Aileen Fisher

Do parks get lonelyin winter, perhaps,

When benches have onlySnow on their laps?

More Examples of Personification

• The flowers begged for water. • The wind screamed as it raced

around the tree.

• Lightning danced across the sky.