Teach
Part 2: What Brings a Poem to Life?
Think about the comforting melody of a lullaby, the contagious beat of
a certain song, or those few words in a poem that perfectly capture how
you’re feeling. The power of a poem comes from more than its form and its
speaker. Sound devices, imagery, and figurative language are the elements
that can make a poem simply unforgettable.
Part 2: What Brings a Poem
to Life?
Rhyme and Rhythm Point out that poets
often use rhyme at the ends of lines. Explain
that rhyme helps to connect ideas and to reinforce the rhythm of a poem. Have a volunteer
read aloud the example poem, emphasizing
the highlighted rhyming words and the singsong rhythm.
sound devices
Most poems are meant to be heard, not just read. So, a poem’s sounds are
often as carefully chosen as its words. Poets use these sound devices to
make music, to emphasize ideas, or to remind you of the subjects they are
describing.
Explain that poets use different types of
rhythm. The rhythm of a poem may be regular, or singsong, as in “People” on page 546, or
it may be more natural, like everyday speech,
as in “Losing Face” on page 545.
sound devices
examples
rhyme
The rhyme and rhythm in this poem help
to create a singsong sound.
the repetition of sounds
at the ends of words, as in
thing and sing, cry and sky
Use this activity to help students identify
rhyme and rhythm:
rhythm
1. Ask a volunteer to read aloud “Losing Face”
on page 545.
the beat you hear as you
read a poem aloud. This
beat is affected by which
syllables are stressed ( ) and
which are unstressed ( ).
Stressed words are read with
more emphasis.
2. Have students identify the rhyming words
in the poem (done and won in lines 3 and 4;
well and tell in lines 13 and 20; traced, place,
and face in lines 15, 18, and 23).
3. Work with students to identify the stressed
and unstressed syllables.
repetition
Repetition and Alliteration Explain that poets
use repetition and alliteration to emphasize
certain words or ideas, to create a mood or a
musical effect, and to create meaning. Ask
students to identify examples of repetition
and alliteration in the example poem “People”
on page 546. Possible answers:
the use of a word, phrase,
sound, or line more than
once, such as the repeated
use of The rain and pools
alliteration
the repetition of consonant
sounds at the beginning of
words, such as the s in sleepsong
• Repetition: “Some people . . . and”; “talk and
talk”; “laugh and laugh”
• Alliteration: “birds begin”; “yet you”
CHECK UNDERSTANDING Have students
revisit poems they have read in previous units
and ask them to identify examples of rhyme,
rhythm, repetition, and alliteration.
546
Some people talk and talk
and never say a thing
Some people look at you
and birds begin to sing.
Some people laugh and laugh
and yet you want to cry.
Some people touch your hand
and music fills the sky.
—“People” by Charlotte Zolotow
The repetition in these lines suggests a steady
downpour. The alliteration mimics the rain’s
soothing sounds.
The rain makes still pools on
the sidewalk.
The rain makes running pools
in the gutter.
The rain plays a little sleep-song on our
roof at night—
And I love the rain.
—from “April Rain Song” by
Langston Hughes
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differentiated instruction
for less–proficient readers
for advanced learners/pre–ap
Note Taking Hand out the Note Taking: What
Brings a Poem to Life? copy master. Read and
discuss the first paragraph on page 546. As
a class, complete the first item on the copy
master. Then have students read the rest of
the page and take notes.
Compare and Contrast Have students compare and contrast the rhythm of the poems
on pages 544 and 545. Ask them to explain
how the rhythm of each poem suits its
speaker and its message.
RESOURCE MANAGER—Copy Master
Note Taking p. 16
546
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Reader’s Workshop
model 1: rhyme and repetition
In “Pete at the Zoo,” a young speaker considers an important question:
Do zoo animals ever get lonely? Read the poem aloud, paying particular
attention to the use of rhyme and repetition.
model 1: rhyme and
repetition
Pete at the Zoo
Close Read
1. Answer: stall and all (lines 2 and 4); might
and night (lines 6 and 8)
Poem by Gwendolyn Brooks
5
I wonder if the elephant
Is lonely in his stall
When all the boys and girls are gone
And there’s no shout at all,
And there’s no one to stamp before,
No one to note his might.
Does he hunch up, as I do,
Against the dark of night?
Close Read
1. Examine the words at
the ends of the lines.
Which words rhyme?
2. Notice the repeated
words and phrases in
the boxed lines. What
does the repetition help
to emphasize about
nighttime at the zoo?
model 2: rhythm and alliteration
What kinds of sounds do you associate with fireworks? In this poem,
rhythm and alliteration help you to hear some of these sounds. Read
the poem aloud to get the full effect.
2. Possible answer: The repetition in the
boxed lines emphasizes how quiet, empty,
and lonely it is at the zoo during the night,
“When all the boys and girls are gone”
(line 3).
model 2: rhythm and
alliteration
Close Read
1. Possible answer: The rhythm mimics the
sound of fireworks exploding in the sky.
2. Possible answers: Other examples of alliteration include
• “First / A far thud” (lines 1–2)
• “Its shut black shell” (line 8)
Poem by Valerie Worth
5
10
First
A far thud,
Then the rocket
Climbs the air,
A dull red flare,
To hang, a moment,
Invisible, before
Its shut black shell cracks
And claps against the ears,
Breaks and billows into bloom,
Spilling down clear green sparks, gold spears,
Silent sliding silver waterfalls and stars.
• “cracks / And claps” (lines 8–9)
Close Read
• “Breaks and billows into bloom” (line 10)
1. Stressed and unstressed
syllables are marked in
lines 8–10. Read these
lines aloud, emphasizing
the stressed words.
What does the rhythm
remind you of?
2. The use of alliteration
in the boxed line helps
you to hear the noise
of the fireworks after
they’ve exploded. Find
another example of
alliteration.
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• “Spilling down clear green sparks, gold
spears” (line 11)
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differentiated instruction
for english learners
for advanced learners/pre–ap
Analysis Support: Rhyme Read “Pete at the
Zoo” aloud to students, emphasizing the
rhyming words stall, all, might, and night.
Help students think of a synonym for each
of these words. Then read the poem aloud
again, substituting the synonyms for the
rhyming words. Have students discuss
why the version that uses rhyme is more
appealing.
Analyze Rhythm and Alliteration Ask
volunteers to perform dramatic readings of
“Fireworks,” exaggerating the pauses after
punctuation and emphasizing the alliteration
in lines 8–12. Have them analyze how the
poet creates a sense of increasing speed,
sound, and motion throughout the poem.
Suggest that they consider the effects of line
lengths, the use of commas, and alliteration.
reader’s workshop
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