4.1 Read About
4.1A How Do You Know It's a Poem?
How do you know it's a poem?
Some poems have structure and some do not. Sometimes, a poem is divided into verses called stanzas. The following poem has 3 stanzas – each in a blue box. Notice the space (break) between the stanzas. That is how the reader knows one stanza is ending and another beginning. (Read the poem aloud. It is quite funny!)
As you work through this lesson, you will read the following collection of poems about poems. Yes, you read that correctly - poems about poems! After each one, you will complete the responses for How Do You Know It's A Poem? in your Learning Guide, then return to this lesson. First, open the poems. Then follow along in this lesson with the reading and responses.:
1. Jeremy Bloom - Vital Question:
The first poem, Vital, is from a book by Gordon Korman in which a character named Jeremy Bloom mistakenly signs up for poetry class. Jeremy tackles the task of writing about homework, cleaning his room, measly allowances, and more.
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Read the poem and respond in your Learning Guide. |
2. What's a Poem?
Charles Ghighna, also known as "Father Goose" has written and published more than 100 books!
According to Charles Ghigna:
"You are a poet whenever you tell the world who you are, what you think, and how you feel. Finding poetry in the world and sharing it makes us all feel alive. It fills us with hope and wonder. It celebrates life. It shines light into the corners of the world and turns the overlooked and the common into little gems to behold. Poetry is everywhere! It’s in the smile of a friend and in the sound of the wind. It’s in the scent of the meadow and in the skyline of the city. It’s in the setting sun as she pulls her purple curtain across the backdrop of the world. Poetry is music, theater, dance, art and literature. Poetry is winter, spring, summer, and fall. Poetry is laughter and tears, faith and fears. Poetry is life!" (Source: http://charlesghigna.blogspot.ca/2010/07/poem-is-little-path-poems-about-poetry.html)
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Read the poem and respond in your Learning Guide. |
3. Inside a Poem
Author Eve Merriam wrote picture books and a number of books of poetry for children. Did you know you could win awards for poetry? In 1981, Eve Merriam was named the winner of an Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children.
Think about the following questions as you read, Inside a Poem.
- Do poems have to rhyme?
- Do they have a beat?
- Can you feel poetry?
- What phrases stand out?
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Read the poem and respond in your Learning Guide. |