WRITER’S NOTEBOOK Session 8
Writer’s Notebook: Session 8 Teaching Points The line is the most important unit of meaning in a poem. Poets revise line breaks to explore emerging poems. Line breaks add emphasis to important words that impact the poem’s meaning. Poets create line breaks to help a reader read the poem. In some ways, the line breaks are like the notes on a musical score, which show a musician how to sing or play the music.
Writer’s Notebook: Session 8 Active Engagement Line breaks emphasize words. These words include the last word on the line, first word on the line, single (or few words) on a line, and repeated words consciously placed at the beginning, end, or middle of a line. The last word on the line has power. It is the most important word on the line. Therefore, most poets use nouns and verbs. Specific words are best. Instead of flower, use carnation. Instead of car, use Mustang
Writer’s Notebook: Session 8 Active Engagement Using one word on a line creates even more emphasis and power. Some lines that are shorter than others have more emphasis. Repetition adds emphasis. Poets often use the repeated word at the beginning of the line (as in litany poems). Hughes’ poem is a good example of this.
Writer’s Notebook: Session 8 Active Engagement Pair up and look for words emphasized by line breaks in one of the 2 Langston Hughes poems. Next look for words placed in other ways to create meaning Make note of each with written explanations in the margins.
Writer’s Notebook: Session 8 Independent Practice 1. Select a poem from your writer’s notebook and redraft it once or twice with line breaks that emphasize words. 2. Try the breaks one way and then re-draft the poem trying the line breaks a different way. 3. Then, pair up with a partner and read both versions aloud 4. Discuss both with the partner, and decide which you prefer.
Writer’s Notebook: Session 8 You are to Complete/Submit 1. Active Engagement: Annotated Hughes Poem (1) 2. Independent Practice: Revised Version of your poem