How to read a poem Mrs Ford ELA

How to read a poem…. Mrs. Ford; ELA

Read it through and read it carefully, both aloud and in your head. Let it settle and stew in your brain and keep reading it over and over….

NOW, THINK! How does it make you feel? Worried confused happy sad

NOW, THINK! What would its argument be? Is there any argument? Do stanzas mark seperate ideas? What was the poet trying to do in writing this poem?

How does a poem do what it does?

WORDS • Look for meanings, sounds, and connotations • Look up the words, even ones you recognize and know

TONE • Does the poem have a certain tone or emotion? Happy? Sad? • Does this change at all throughout?

SOUND • Read it aloud, can you hear any patterns (do not disturb your neighbor) • Can you hear any rhyme or meter? • Do any words stand out to you because of their sound?

PERSPECTIVE • Who is speaking in the poem? Is anyone listening? • Are the poet and speaker the same? • Does the speaker ever change or shift?

TECHNIQUES • Look for similes, alliteration, metaphor, and imagery. Do they repeat at all? • Are there any patterns in the techniques?

CONTEXT • What do you know of the poet? • How did they live? What did they achieve in their life?

Number the lines in each poem, and label the rhyme scheme if there is one. Read the poem several times. Circle any unknown words. Summarize each stanza. Annotate the poem by noticing and labeling any literary devices, figurative language, symbolism, imagery, etc. Identify the major theme of the poem, and provide evidence to support your choice. Identify your favorite line or phrase from the poem, and explain why you chose it as your favorite. Choose one of the unknown words you circled and develop a definition (in your own words!) based on context clues from the poem.