1. Understanding how poets create poetry
Miss Hannah Donhardt, Year 8 CORE

2. Dead Poet's Society - Why do we read and write poetry?
2 minutes

3. Quiz
10 minutes

4. The Sounds of Poetry
Poems are read for their beauty and the reader’s enjoyment
This enjoyment spurs from the poet’s writing
In order to be successful, poets use a range of techniques, forms and styles
Alliteration
Rhyme
Rhythm
Onomatopoeia
Assonance, consonance
From a young age, we are exposed to poetry: think nursery rhymes, chants and songs.
2 minutes

5. Alliteration
Alliteration is the name given to words used close together which contain the same consonant sound, usually at the beginning of the word.
Reasons for using alliteration:
To draw attention to particular words
To make the words catchy and easy to remember
To make them sound amusing
To create a musical combination of sounds.

6. Where does alliteration occur?
Nursery rhymes: Jack and Jill, Little Miss Muffet
Advertising: Coca Cola, Tim Tam
Expressions we use: Silly Season, Rights and Wrongs
Write down as many examples of alliteration that you can think of.

7. Night, And the yellow pleasure of candle-light … Old brown books and the kind fine face of the clock Fogged in the veils of the fire – it’s cuddling tock. The cat, Greening her eyes on the flame-litten mat; Wickedly wakeful she yawns at the rain Bending the roses over the pane, And a bird in my heart begins to sing Over and over the same sweet thing – Safe in the house with my boyhood’s love, And our children asleep in the attic above.

8. Rhyme Rhyme is the use of words with identical final sounds.
Rhyme is often catchy and can help with remembering things
Kinds of rhyme:
Full: The major final sounds are identical. E.g. Wild Child
Near or part: The final sounds are similar but not identical. E.g. Dimmer and Thinner
Eye: the words look the same but don’t sound the same. E.g. Furry and Hurry

9. Sun/hung
Feign/rain
Wonder/thunder
Bough/though
Wood/flood
Above/glove
Though/cough
Love/move
Cloud/howled
Speak/break

10. Onomatopoeia Words that imitate sounds
List as many words that you can that are examples of onomatopoeia

11. Activity
Add an onomatopoeic word which reflects the sound made by each of the following:
E.g. The leaves rustled
The surf _________
The volcano ________
The fire __________
The kettle ________
The baby __________
The ambulance __________

12. Activity Squishy Words – Alastair Reed Squiff Squidge Squamous Squinny
Squelch
Squash
Squeegee
Squirt
Squab
Activity
Write your own onomatopoetic poem (similar to Squishy Words) titled “Crackly Words” or “Monster Words”.

13. Consonance & Assonance
Consonance and Assonance are names for special cases of near or part rhymes.
In consonance, the consonants sound the same
In assonance, the vowels sound the same
Example:
Simmer, summer – Consonance
Summer, thunder - Assonance

14. Assonance, Consonance, or Rhyme?
Song, sang
Fete, gate
Hike, chide
Hail, tale
Laugh, bark
Giggle, gaggle
Choose, lose
Bird, bored

15. Word pictures in poetry
Similes, metaphors, personification, imagery, symbolism and allusion are figures of speech that poets can use to draw strong images in the reader’s mind.
Through drawing these ‘images’, the message of the poem can be easily received.

16. Simile
A simile is a figure of speech in which one thing is said to be like another.
Finish these sentences:
As light as a …
To sink like a …
As white …
As blind as a …
To laugh like a …

17. Lightning
Sometimes I am like the lightning. Fierce. Crackling. Phosphorescent with anger. Hurting whoever I please.
(title)
Sometimes I am like _________
(one word, an adjective)
(one word, another adjective)
(a phrase)
(another phrase)

18. Metaphors
A metaphor is like a simile but it goes a step further and makes a direct comparison between two things.
For example: Her hair was as smooth as silk.
Metaphors are used in poetry to add visual images and thus making it more vivid and meaningful.
Write down as many metaphors that you can think of.

19. Personification
Personification is a figure of speech that gives human characteristics to animals, ideas or inanimate objects.
For example: the sun peeped over the horizon.
Other examples to try:
Street lights
Houses with blinds down
Flowers
Chocolate
Kettle
Love is

20. Imagery The use of word pictures to express ideas is called imagery.
Can appeal to one of many of the senses through sensory writing and using figurative language such as similes, metaphors etc.

21. Explain the following:
To keep your chin up
To put your best foot forward
To have your hair stand on end
To turn over a new leaf
To close your eyes to something
To be on your toes.

22. Symbolism & Allusion
A symbol represents something other than its literal meaning
An allusion is a reference in words to something in which most people are expected to understand.
Many allusions in poetry are to the Bible, historical events or characters, mythology and well-known writers such as Shakespeare.

23. Write a poem or paragraph on the following image.
You must include:
At least one simile
At least one example of personification
Appeal to at least two of the senses