Poetry Structure 7th Grade Unit

Name:

Start Date:

Goal End Date:

 

Know

Understand

Do

·       What is a sonnet, soliloquy, ode, elegy, ballad, and limerick  

·       Domain-specific poetry terminology : stanza, meter, diction, form, syntax

·        

·       how the author uses the structure of a poem to contribute to its meaning

·       identify the meter of a poem.

·       what is author’s purpose for writing the poem

·       spoken poetry often adds to its meaning.

·       how to analyze a poem including a sonnet.

·       Compare and contrast poetry of different forms

·       Analyze the author’s purpose for writing with a specific style or form quoting accurately from the text

·       Analyze how visual and multimedia elements contribute to the meaning, tone, or beauty of a text

·       Recite poetry written by you or someone else

 

 


7th Grade Reading List

 

 

1.     The Cremation of Sam McGee
      by Robert Service

2.     Seal by William Jay Smith

3.     Three Haiku by Matsuo Basho

4.     Martin Luther King
       by Raymond Richard Patterson

5.     The Ballad of Moll Magee
       by William Butler Yeats

 

 

 

6.     Miracles by Walt Whitman

7.     I’m Nobody by Emily Dickinson

8.     A Flea and a Fly in a Flue
       by Ogden Nash

9.     Ode to the Forgotten
       by Mizz Midnight Fire

10. Into My Own by Robert Frost

 

 

1. Introduction: Listen to “The Power of Poetry” and “Punching Words” found at this site.

 

2. Poetic Meter lesson and practice – Learn how to evaluate and determine meter in poetry.

3. Annotate the poem “Dreams” by Langston Hughes to show the meter used by the poet. Use the symbols explained in the above lesson. Then answer the questions to the right.


 Dreams

Langston Hughes, 1902 - 1967

Hold fast to dreams

For if dreams die

Life is a broken-winged bird

That cannot fly.

 

Hold fast to dreams

For when dreams go

Life is a barren field

Frozen with snow.

 

1. Explain the metaphor in line three of the first stanza. Can a broken wing ever heal? How does this imagery affect the theme?
2. Explain the metaphor in this second stanza. How is it similar / different than that in stanza one?
3. What is the rhyme scheme of this short poem?
4. Analyze this poem in terms of form and structure. How does this support the theme and tone? What effect does personification have on this theme?

4. Now read the following poem:

What happens to a dream deferred?

Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore--
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over--
like a syrupy sweet?

Maybe it just sags 
like a heavy load.

Or does it explode?

5. Annotate the poem using the following steps:

bullet identify the rhyme scheme
bullet identify the meter and any examples of straying from the meter
bullet if the poem is difficult, summarize each stanza
bullet circle important words, ambiguous words, and words you need to look up
bullet circle examples of figurative language
bullet write questions
bullet write down insights.

6. Understanding the sonnet: watch the lesson in the first link, choose a sonnet from the second link, and complete the interactive chart below.

Understanding the format of a sonnet: How to write a sonnet: 3 things to remember

Traditional Sonnets for Analysis: This page features links to the text of traditional sonnets.

Interactive Sonnet Characteristics Chart: Using this online tool, enter information about sonnets you are analyzing, including the number of lines and stanzas, lines per stanza, rhyme scheme, meter, and other observations including what the VOLTA  (turn) is. If this online tool doesn’t work, create a Word/Pages document with a table to document the above information.

7. Understanding the Soliloquy: Watch the series of lessons to understand the use of the soliloquy.  Now, keep reading to understand the ‘aside’ and ‘monologue.’

bullet A soliloquy is a long speech given by a character that is alone on stage in order to reveal his or her thoughts. Soliloquies contain some of Shakespeare's most famous lines and are excellent candidates for analysis. Hamlet's "To be or not to be" soliloquy is the most famous example. Ask yourself these questions when reading soliloquies:

Why does Shakespeare use soliloquies to reveal characters' thoughts?

Why is it important that the character is alone on stage during the soliloquy?

bullet A monologue is a long speech given by a character to another character. It is similar to a soliloquy, insomuch that it reveals a character's thoughts. Some of Shakespeare's more famous monologues occur in Romeo woos Juliet. Ask yourself  these questions when reading monologues:

How would this monologue be different if it were a soliloquy?

What effect, if any, does this monologue have on other characters?

bullet An aside is a comment made by a character to the audience or another character that no one else can hear. Trebonius' aside in Julius Caesar reveals to the audience that he plans on killing the Roman ruler.

Examples:

Shakespeare: Scene from Hamlet
Found On: Performance Excerpts
Video Length: 00:03:00

Shakespeare: Scene from Much Ado About Nothing
Found On: Performance Excerpts
Video Length: 00:08:45

FROM THEORY TO PRACTICE

8. Go back to this site to listen to various poems read aloud. Choose at least five to listen to.  “Sonnet 55,” “The Road Not Taken,” and “Fire and Ice” are some of my favorite.
Now, write a short paragraph describing your favorite poem from this site. Why is it your favorite? How did it speak to you? What made it stand out above the others? Was it the speaker or the words themselves? Was it the tone or the rhythm or was it the symbolism and theme?

9. Create a short (three-minute) video demonstrating how the world might be perceived through the selected character’s eyes (choose any character from the Wizard of Oz.). It should be a point-of-view segment. You may work in groups, but the groups should be small enough for all members to benefit. Keep in mind shot composition and framing in video production.

10. From the reading list for 7th grade found above, choose two poems to analyze. Use everything you’ve learned so far to explain how the stanzas / form fit together to provide the overall structure and intent of the poet. Include in your analysis word choice, rhyme scheme, tone, theme, etc. 

11. Now it’s your turn! Be purposeful in your form and structure. Make sure it matches your tone, content, and theme. Plan a rhyme scheme and layout. Be prepared to explain to your peers why and how you wrote the poem in this format.