PoetryHow to Read, Analyze, and

Understand Poems

Students will learn to identify the poetic elements used by poets to help create

meaning in poetry.

Students will learn to identify the structural elements of poems that help “shape” meaning and convey feelings.

Students will use biographical information to make connections between the poet

and the poems.

Students will write their own poems to share feelings, ideas and experiences.

What Are Poems?

What do you already know about poems and poetry?

How are poems different from other forms of literature?

How are poems the same as other forms of literature?

Do you like to read poetry?

Do you like to write poetry?

What do you hope to learn about poetry during the next few weeks?

What Do You Care About?

Who is or has been an important person in your life?

What things or possessions are important to you?

How do you feel about each person and thing?

Why do you feel the way you do?

How can you turn your thoughts into poem to express how you feel?

Read the following poems

• “First Lesson” pg. 625

• “My Father’s Song” pg. 624

• “Mother to Son” pg. 194

• “Papa Who Wakes Up Tired in the Dark” pg. 193 *SS*

• “Those Winter Sundays” pg. 195

• “Women” pg. 681

• “Women’s Work” pg. 498

• “Fifteen” pg. 672

Step One

Complete the Poetry Chart• Start with the poems you

understand the best.

• Try to complete each section of the chart even if you aren’t sure of the answer or information needed.

• Use the information on the text to help you complete any section(s) that you are unsure of or do not fully understand.

• Identify any problems or questions with a “?” symbol.

Step Two

Your Poetry

Write poetry to share ideas, feeling, or experiences that you think are important

and meaningful to you.

Use the techniques and elements you have learned to help you convey your thoughts and feelings in your poems.

Make sure to really “work” on your poems over the next several days to

refine your poetry skills.

Make sure you are selecting the words you use carefully and arranging them in

the poems to create your meaning.

Author’s Purpose

What Does The Poem Mean?

Analyzing a poem gives you a better understanding of how the poet used words,

language, poetic/literary elements, and structure to give meaning to the poem.

The next step is to explain how effectively the poet used these elements to convey his

or her thoughts and feelings.

On the back of the poem write a explanation of how well you think the poet used the

different elements to convey his or her ideas.