8th Grade

PLEASE GET YOUR JOURNAL

What is Poetry?• Poetry is words arranged in a rhythmic pattern

with regular accents, like beats in music.• Words are carefully selected for sound, accent

and meaning in order to express ideas and emotions in an imaginative way.

Types of Poetry• Narrative:-tells a story-has a plot, characters, conflict, problem, setting, etc.-Ballad is one example of this poetry

Types of Poetry• Lyric:-deals primarily with feelings-is usually, but not always, shorter than a narrative poemExamples:-limerick, sonnet, free verse, blank verse

Rhyme• This term refers to the rhyme pattern in a poem.

• Schemes are labelled according to their rhyme sounds.

Rhythm• A musical quality produced by the repetition

of stressed and unstressed syllables• When you string a lot of words together, you

start seeing patterns.

• Simile – a comparison is made between two objects which are mostly unlike but resemble each other in some aspect.

• The comparison always contains the words like or as.

• Example: The cat’s fur was as fluffy as cotton.

Figures of Speech

Figures of Speech• Metaphor – two things are compared without

the use of the words like or as.

• Example: The ballet dancer was a feather as she danced.

• Alliteration – the repetition of a consonant sound, usually at the beginning of two or more words.

• Example: She sells seashells by the seashore.

Figures of Speech

• Personification – a non-human object is given human qualities or characteristics.

• Example: The sidewalk stretched across the field.

Figures of Speech

• Onomatopoeia – the sounds of word imitate the sound from real life.

• Example: The bang of the pistol started the race.

Figures of Speech

• Hyperbole – great exaggeration is used.

• Example: There are a million things on my mind!

Figures of Speech

Blackout Poetry

“I like to think of blackout poems like those old Word Search puzzles we used to do in elementary school – a field of letters with hidden messages to find.” -Austin Kleon, word artist

Blackout Poetry• Read through your copy of “Twas the Night

Before Christmas”• Use the copy of the poem to create a shape

that is unique or symbolic to the poem. • The words you choose to leave exposed

should compose a poem. • Use your imagination, make sure it flows and

makes sense – and is school-appropriate.

Blackout Poetry• Don’t worry about messing up – if you like it –

it’s all good! • This is supposed to be fun!• Scan the poem for an “anchor” word to build

your poem around. • Next, look for connecting words.• Remember, your poem will be read from left to

right, top to bottom. Don’t confuse your reader. • Lastly, turn your poem into a work of art –

illustrate around your words.

Blackout Poetry

Blackout Poetry

Blackout Poetry

Limericks• 5 lines• Lines 1, 2 and 5 are

longer (8-9 syllables)• Rhyme with each other• Lines 3 and 4 are

shorter (5-6 syllables)• Rhyme with each other• Main purpose is to

amuse

LimerickWrite this poem down. Label the rhyme pattern at the end of each line.

Label how many syllables each line has at the beginning the line.

Cinquain• Five line poem• Line one has one word which is

actually the title. • Line two has two words which

describe the title. • Line three has three words

ending in “ing” which describe the typical actions of the subject.

• Line four has a four word phrase describing your reactions to or main impression of the subject.

• Line 5 has one word which can be a repetition or synonym of line one.

CinquainWrite this poem

down. Now label each line and what each one is.

Haiku• A traditional 3 line Japanese

poem• 17 syllables in total• 5 syllables in lines 1 and 3• 7 syllables in line two• Does not rhyme• Often deals with nature • Usually has contrasts

Haiku Write these

poems down. Now label each

line and write the syllable count for each line at the end of the line.

Sonnet• Follows a very specific pattern• 14 lines (10 syllables)• The first 8 lines form one group called an

octave. The poet uses these to pose a problem or describe a situation.

• The last 6 lines form another group called a sestet. The poet uses them to answer the problem or provide a conclusion.

• Shakespeare is one of the most famous sonnet writers.

Sonnet http://www.pbs.org/shakespeare/educators/language/lessonplan.html

After Turkey Day, the garbage bags sat;My dog was tempted by the tasty sight.

He tore them open, gorged big, and grew fat,But first he made a mess and caused some blight.

He ate some hot sauce and blueberry pies,Then laid around and moaned out loud in pain.

I worried in my heart of his demise,And tried to scrub the purple carpet stain.

He slowly came around and waddled slow,His belly wide and nearly to the floor.So sad to see my hungry doggy growSo portly wide, he barely fit his door.

He survived, but still he is more than stout.I’ve learned. Next time I’ll take the garbage out!

Shakespeare Sonnet 18Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?Thou art more lovely and more temperate:Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,And summer's lease hath all too short a date:Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,And often is his gold complexion dimmed,And every fair from fair sometime declines,By chance, or nature's changing course untrimmed:But thy eternal summer shall not fade,Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st,Nor shall death brag thou wand'rest in his shade,When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st,So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,So long lives this, and this gives life to thee

Shakespeare Sonnet 18 OOOOH Baby I think I shall compare you to a summer dayBut, you know, you're prettier and even better, even calmBecause sometimes it gets windy and the buds on the trees get shaken

offAnd sometimes summer doesn't last very longSometimes it's too hotAnd everything gorgeous loses its looksBy getting hit by a truck Or just because everyone and everything gets old and ugly and shabbyBUT (and here's the turn) you're going to keep your looks for ever Your beauty will last for everI'm going to make sure that you never lose your good looksAnd that nasty old Death can never brag about owning youBecause I shall write this poem about youAs long as men can breathe (are you breathing?) As long as men can see (are you looking at this poem?)Then this poem lives, and it gives life and memory to your beauty.

Rhyming Activity• Rhyme each one of these lines - be mindful of

syllables as well. 1. My feet were screaming at me to stop2. The boxes were piled as high as my head 3. Today is the day the tornado hit4. Lotion is the best thing for my hands5. The earthquake left the street in shambles6. Snow cones make me happy

Narrative Poems

• A poem that tells a story • They can be long or short• Has a beginning – middle – end • Can have several different rhyme patterns

The Dog and His Boy

The dog owned a boy, and one fine day,

They went to the store to buy the boy some treats,

The dog walked the boy every single day,

The boy and the dog loved one another,

• Today I wrote this poem,• but I'm not sure if it's good.• It doesn't have the things• my teacher says a poem should.

• It doesn't share the feelings• I have deep inside of me.• It hasn't any metaphors• and not one simile.

• It's missing any narrative.• Alliteration too.• It isn't an acrostic,• diamante, or haiku.

• There's nothing that's personified.• It doesn't have a plot.• I'm pretty sure that rhyming• is the only thing it's got.

• It sure was fun to write it,• and I think it's long enough.• It's just too bad it's missing• all that great poetic stuff.

• I put it on my teacher's desk• and, wow, she made a fuss.• She handed back my poem• with an A++++!• --Kenn Nesbitt

Spoonerism• a verbal error in which a speaker accidentally

transposes the initial sounds or letters of two or more words, often to humorous effect, as in the sentence you have hissed the mystery lectures, accidentally spoken instead of the intended sentence

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vexdVbSb4K0

Spoonerism

Blank Verse• Unrhymed• Written in iambic pentameter (5 beats of

syllables each per line, unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable)

• Usually used for serious topics

Free Verse• Does not try to follow any rigid requirements

or obey conventional rules• The lines may vary in length from on word to

several.