The Elements of Poetry: Teaching the Structure of a Poem
Are you introducing poetry to your students? One of the best ways to
teach poetry is to explore the structure of the poem. These structures are
also known as the elements of poetry. The basic elements of poetry
include meter, rhyme, scheme, verse, and stanza. In order to dive deeper
into poetry, students will first need to understand these structural elements.
In this blog post, you will learn strategies for teaching poetry and ideas for
your elements of poetry lesson plans.
What is the importance of teaching poetry?
If you are preparing students for post-secondary education or for the
workplace, you might be wondering why teaching poetry is important.
Similarly, your students might question the importance of poetry in a
workforce that values hard skills. The truth is, even if your students never go
on to study or write poetry, it is still a very useful skill for them to explore.
You can emphasize to students that various forms of literature and
writing include elements of poetry. Poetry is more than just clever rhyme
schemes; it is a mode of deep and impactful expression. At its core, poetry
is an art – but this art lends itself to other aspects of culture and society. If
you look closely, you can find connections between poetry and politics,
persuasion, marketing, music, medicine, and more!
For example, your students likely agree that persuasion is an important
skill. But do they know that poetic devices lend themselves to great
arguments? In his revolutionary “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” Martin Luther
King Jr. argues for equal rights for African Americans. He captivates his
audience by showing them how inequality in America looks and feels. He
does so through the use of several poetic strategies including imagery,
rhythm, and metaphor.
Poetry can therefore serve as a deep dive into the artful expression of
language. Your students will benefit from studying the elements of poetry in
isolation because it will help them to apply this knowledge to the world
around them.
Strategies for Teaching Poetry
One of my go-to strategies for teaching poetry involves scaffolding
prerequisite knowledge. This includes teaching essential terminology and
simply identifying how poetry is different from other forms of writing.
One way to do this is through inquiry-based learning. Prompt your
students with the following questions:
“What comes to mind when you think of poetry?”
“How is poetry different from a persuasive essay? An expository essay?”
These questions will lead students to common conceptions of poetry, like
the idea that poems rhyme or serve the purpose of entertainment. Your
students may also identify differentiating factors from other forms of
writing like grammar and structure.
You can note their responses on the board. To explore these concepts and
differentiating factors further, you can use this slideshow lesson for
introducing poetry.
Once students begin to identify the characteristics of poetry, you can
introduce them to the basic elements of poetry.
What are the basic elements of poetry?
The basic elements of poetry are important prerequisites to
understanding poetry. These elements include:
Meter: Meter is the rhythmic structure within a poem and is dictated
by the number of syllables and the pattern in which these syllables are
emphasized.
Rhyme: Rhyme is created when the last one or more syllables within
separate words match. A poem is considered to rhyme when the last words
of the lines within the verse share this relationship.
Scheme: A scheme refers to the rhyming pattern within a verse of
poetry. The scheme could contain words that rhyme at each of every line
throughout the stanza, or alternating lines, or in couplets. We often signify
the rhyme scheme using an arrangement of letters.
Verse: The verse of the poem is a way to describe the relationship
between rhyme and meter in a poem.
Stanza: A stanza is a group of lines within the verse of a poem. They
often follow a similar pattern or meter or contain a similar idea, but not
always. They are separated from other stanzas within the poem through the
use of a break or a blank line.
If you teach high school students, you may also wish to teach specific
terms including free verse, blank verse, and rhymed verse. Students will also
benefit from learning about specific styles of poetry
including haiku, narrative poems, limericks, and sonnets.
How to Teach the Elements of Poetry
The elements of poetry are essential terminology. This means that
students will be required to understand these terms to succeed in your
poetry unit. You can help students to understand these terms by creating
a vocabulary word wall. Build this vocabulary wall as a collaborative activity
by assigning different terms to different students. Alternatively, make this a
group activity by having different groups explore a term.
These elements of poetry anchor chart worksheets include templates to
facilitate this activity. These templates will prompt students to explore
different essential terms. Students will also need to find examples for these
elements of poetry. Once completed, these templates will serve as a useful
anchor chart on your classroom bulletin board.
Introduction to Poetry Lesson
All of the strategies and activities mentioned in this blog post are
included in this introduction to poetry lesson. This lesson includes an
introduction to poetry slideshow for Microsoft PowerPoint® and Google
Slides®. You can use this slideshow to activate background knowledge and
explore how poetry differs from different forms of writing.
This lesson also introduces the basic elements of poetry and solidifies
these concepts with key definitions. Students can then explore the
characteristics of poetry in-depth using a vocabulary word wall activity. This
resource includes a comprehensive answer key with definitions and
examples for each of the elements of poetry. You can also use this answer
key as a ready-to-print anchor chart.
Teaching the Elements of Poetry: Tying it together
The elements of poetry are an important core lesson for any English
Language Arts classroom. Whether you are teaching an in-depth poetry
unit, exploring creative writing, or simply identifying poetic devices in
literature, your students will benefit from understanding these structural
elements.
