Strategies
Figures of Speech in Poetry
My students will be able to read and critically analyze poetry because they will recognize key figures of speech, such as simile, metaphor, personification, hyperbole. In addition to understanding sounds of language in poetry, middle school students should also be able to identify and write figures of speech. Similes are easy to locate in poetry because they compare two unlike objects by using the words "as" or "like". An example of simile is: Her hair was as long as a horse's tail.
A metaphor also compares two unlike objects, but the words "as" "like", or "than" will not appear in the comparison. Here is an example of metaphor:
Her eyes were diamonds glistening when she spoke.
Personification gives human qualities to objects or animals and adds flavor to the writer's style. Here is an example of personification:
The dust choked me as I entered the smoky room.
Forms of Repetition in Poetry
Understanding repetition is a huge part of understanding most poetic forms. Repetition can be seen within or at the end of a line of poetry or it can be a line that is repeated at intervals in the poem. I use various forms of repetition to teach voice in my classroom. Repetition is also rhyme. The repeated line strategy works well with my students , whether we are using it for poetry or prose. In Come Sunday, Nikki Grimes includes a poem entitled "Jubilation," which uses the repeated line strategy:
"Jubilation"
Rock-a-my-soul
I gently sway and
Rock-a-my-soul
I close my eyes and
Rock-a-my-soul 5
Alliteration, another form of repetition, repeats consonant sounds at the beginning of words. You will find that alliteration adds to the rhythm of poetry or prose, and catches the reader's attention visually and auditorily. To assist students grasp the understanding of alliteration, I begin with the use of pieces I heard in school which are cliché now, but still get the point across quickly and enjoyably for students.
She sells sea shells by the sea shore.
How much wood would a woodchuck chuck, if a woodchuck could chuck wood?
Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.
Onomatopoeia is another auditory trick of language that flavors the writer's work and grabs the reader's attention. When we write words that sound like the thing or sound of the thing they represent, we are using onomatopoeia. When I want my students to grasp the meaning of onomatopoeia, I simply tell them to recall the old cartoon shows with Batman and Robin. In each episode of the cartoon, the characters would maybe hit someone or slam something down and words like "Slam" or "Wham" would come across the television screen in huge brightly outlined letters. This would give both a visual effect and a sound effect and were a highlight of the show. After I give the Batman and Robin example, I provide some additional examples for students to figure out. Here are some of their examples which students should grasp rather easily:
The bacon in the skillet sizzled a sweet song.
"Achoo." I have an awful cold.
I am convinced not only that my students will be able to unlock their inner speaker's voice after progressing through this unit, but also that [their] speaker's voice will take hold in their other forms of writing. This study will impact the way my students write and respond to narration, exposition, and persuasion. This curriculum unit is also designed to increase the rigor in my classroom as well as in my school. My students will read and comprehend texts which increase in complexity as we prepare to graduate from Georgia Performance Standards and Performance Based Assessments to Common Core Standards and quarterly assessments. As we make this transition, how can I assist my students with reading and responding to more complex texts?
First, the teacher must expose students to rich sonnets and other poems in which students can determine voice and speakers in poetry. The teacher must choose avenues for students to analyze work that is challenging, and provide opportunities for students to unravel the difficulties which most often frighten them from attempting the level of reading and interpretation that is required for advancement to high school work. It is therefore imperative that students be given challenging reading material to read and interpret for understanding the speaker and implied speaker in poetry. This will pave the way for students to further research the culture and background of the authors which will lead to better understanding of the poetry.
Reading Strategies
TP-CASTT
I will use a variety of strategies to check for comprehension as students move through each of the [poetry assignments. One strategy is a graphic organizer for poetry called a TP-CASTT. This type of graphic organizer allows my students to transfer information from one format to another format to assist with comprehension of the text. The TP-CASTT is a tool I use to measure a student's ability to analyze poetry. First, I provide a title (T). Next I ask my students to make a prediction as to what the poem is about based on the title. After that, I will read the poem or a student will read it before the class. Next, we will move to the P, which represents paraphrase. My students will take a stab at the literal meaning of the poem in their own words. The number of sentences in the paraphrase should match the number of sentences in the poems. This strategy is highly recommended for poems written in the 17th and 19th centuries. This is also the time when I will ask the student to summarize the poem. I will ask them to make a distinction between paraphrase and summary. The next step is looking at the vocabulary [and literary devices] used in the poem. The C in TP-CASTT indicates connotation. Although the requirement is to look at connotation, it is especially helpful to have students identify the denotation of the words first Not only will my students look at the emotional overtones in the vocabulary words used in the poems, but [at this time they will also look for any literary devices used that help contribute to the meaning or denotation of the vocabulary used in a poem. These include but are not limited to imagery, metaphor, simile, personification, and symbolism. At this point sound devices can also be analyzed, such as alliteration, onomatopoeia, rhythm, and rhyme. Next, we look at the A in the TP-CASTT, which indicates the speaker's attitude as it elucidates the meaning. This is where you want the student to consider tone. Now the teacher moves to S in TP-CASTT, which represents any shifts of thought in the poem. This is where I instruct my students to look for key words, key changes in number of stanzas, irony, changes in diction or punctuation. Now we return to the title again, as indicated by the first T in the acronym. This time the title should provide retrospective insight concerning the meaning. Finally, we look at the second final T and examine the poem for theme. This is where I ask my students what the poem's overall meaning is and what the poet wants the reader to take away with him or her from the poem. In other words, what is the overall idea the poem is trying to convey to all readers?
Marking the text
Marking the text is an excellent tool that I use to assist my students with reading comprehension of any text. This is an active reading strategy that gets them used to identifying key passages. The three major components of this strategy are numbering paragraphs, underlining passages, and circling. In addition to marking, the reader also annotates the text for specific components such as main idea, literary devices, vocabulary, etc.
Marking the text is used as a strategy any time the student reads printed or photocopied text that can be written on. It is not for use when reading from the textbook; hence I make sure there are throwaway copies available for the students when this strategy is being employed.
After my students have numbered the paragraphs, I want them to begin the circle stage of the process. I instruct the students to circle key words or phrases. Sometimes they ask "What are the key phrases"? I would instruct them to look for any repeated words, things defined by the author, anything used to explain an idea, a central idea or concept or anything that I deem relevant to the task.
Many times I ask my students to look for key signal words. If I am using the activity for Grammar, I have [them] look for parts of speech. In other instances, students use marking the text to remind them to look for definitions, explanations, and specific dates.
Anticipation Guides (Before Reading)
Kylene Beers, in When Kids Can't Read What Teachers Can Do, suggests many strategies for assisting struggling readers with comprehension. One of her suggestions is the use of an Anticipation Guide as a pre-reading strategy. When you really want your students to get interested in poetry, use an anticipation guide. This is a comprehension strategy used to build curiosity and activate a student's prior knowledge about a topic before reading the text. When my students use an[anticipation guide, it stimulates their interest in the topic, and sets a purpose for reading. To create an anticipation guide, I begin by writing down four or five controversial statements about the theme of the poem. My students declare the statements true or false. I provide the anticipation guide before the students read the poem, and I allow free discussion and agreement or disagreement on the topic. The anticipation guide should be given before the actual reading takes place.
Close Reading (During Reading)
A close reading is another excellent strategy I use when I want to give my students a better opportunity for comprehension. I read the passage word for word to the students and sentence by sentence, or line by line. This strategy helps [them] gain a better understanding of a text by going back and forth in it re-reading it carefully. Each time the student re-reads the text him or her gains additional knowledge and comprehends more.
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