1. White Space

2. Writers use the white space on a page in order to determine how their poem will look and sound.

3. Poets use white space to: make a break in the information or thought of a stanza slow the poem down encourage the reader to stop and reflect after a thought make the poem look more orderly set off the poem’s final line and give more impact single out a line by surrounding it in silence

4. Think about how poems can look differently if the white space is used in a different way. Lawnmower By Valerie Worth The lawnmower Grinds its teeth Over the grass, Spitting out a thick Green Spray; Its head is too full Of iron and oil To know What it throws Away The lawn’s whole Crop of chopped Soft, Delicious, Green hay.

5. Now look at the same poem as the author intended it to look. Lawnmower by Valerie Worth The lawnmower Grinds its teeth Over the grass, Spitting out thick Green Spray; Its head is too full Of iron and oil To know What it throws Away; The lawn’s whole Crop of chopped Soft, Delicious Green hay.

6. Why do you think the author chose to space the poem the way she did?