ELA 8 Standard 3 8-30
8/30/02
5:45 PM
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Standard Indicator
8.3.1
NAEP
Name That Poem
Purpose
Students will be able to identify and describe different types
of poetry and to articulate the relationship between the purpose
and characteristics of the poems.
Materials
Activity
A. Pre-Activity Preparation
1. Compile five poems, each one illustrating one category named
on the BLM Name That Poem.
2. Choose a selection from each poem that hints at its form. Write
either the title or author of the poem at the top of each selection.
3. For each pair of students, make one set of poems containing all
of the five selections.
B. Pre-Activity Discussion
1. Have students brainstorm all the types of poetry that they know.
2. List the types of poetry students suggest and write descriptions
of each type on the chalkboard. Add to their suggestions other
types of poetry you will be addressing in class.
3. Tell students that different types of poetry have different
techniques and types of messages and compare two of the forms
that students have chosen. Explain that they will have to pay
close attention to the messages and techniques of some mystery
poems in order to guess their forms.
(continued)
ACTIVITY
Play Name That
Poem with other
selections. Write the
names for the types of
poetry you will be using
on the board and go
over the characteristics
of each. Read a poetry
selection to student
teams. Have each team
guess the form of the
poem and explain its
choice. The team gets
three points for a
correct answer and
one point for a good
explanation.
meeting
individual
NEEDS
For students who have
English as a new
language, have poems
available by authors
from the various
countries represented
in class (in the native
language as well as
English, if possible).
Discuss special forms
of poetry that were
created in each country.
Standards Link
8.5.2
Standard 3 / Activity 1
Indiana English/Language Arts Grade 8 Curriculum Framework, October 2002
page 71
Standard 3
For the teacher: chalk, chalkboard, correction tape or scissors
For each group of 2 students: selection from one of each of the following
forms of poetry: ballads, sonnets, odes, epics, and elegies (e.g., parts
of “Ode on a Grecian Urn” by Keats, “Shall I compare thee to a
summer’s day” by Shakespeare, the first lines of The Iliad by Homer,
poem 57 entitled “Elegy” from Amores by D.H. Lawrence, the ballad
“Barbara Allen”)
For the students: copies of Black Line Master (BLM) Name That Poem,
pencil, paper
extending
THE
ELA 8 Standard 3 8-30
8/30/02
5:45 PM
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Activity (continued)
C. Name That Poem
1. Distribute the BLM Name That Poem to students. Discuss
with the class the various categories of poems on the chart.
2. Divide students into pairs and give each team a set of the five
selections you have compiled.
3. Explain to students that each selection matches one category on
the BLM and that if they find the correct answers, one selection
should fit into each category.
4. Have students record the title or author of each selection in
the appropriate place on the BLM. In the third column, have
students write why they made the choices they did.
Standard 3
D. Apply What Students Have Learned
1. When the groups finish, discuss the findings of each group
and/or pair.
2. Have each group read at least one of the poems cited aloud
and describe its characteristics and purpose.
Classroom Assessment
Basic Concepts and Processes
After students have completed the activity, ask them the following
questions:
What is a ballad? What is an ode?
How are the characteristics and the message of [insert
poem title] related?
If you want to write a poem describing your heroic deeds
in the last soccer game of the season, which form would
you choose and why?
page 72
Standard 3 / Activity 1
Indiana English/Language Arts Grade 8 Curriculum Framework, October 2002
ELA 8 Standard 3 8-30
8/30/02
5:45 PM
Page 73
Name:
Name That Poem
Directions: Use the clues below to match
the poem selections with the correct form
of poetry. There will be one selection that fits
each category. When you find a poem that
meets the criteria, write it in the box below.
Type and Description
Title or Author
of Poem
Reasons for Putting
This Poem Here
Ballad: a poem that tells a story,
often set to music; older ballads
often have sad or dark themes
Elegy: mournful poem
for the dead; speaker is filled with
longing for a person who is gone
Epic: long poem that tells about
the deeds of a hero and often
begins with the poet calling
to a source of inspiration to help
tell the tale
Sonnet: rhymed poem
of 14 lines (an English sonnet
has this rhyme scheme: abab
cdcd efef gg)
Ode: a poem of varied line
lengths praising something
or someone the poet thinks
is extraordinary
Standard 3 / Activity 1
Indiana English/Language Arts Grade 8 Curriculum Framework, October 2002
Black Line Master 1
page 73