Discovering Poetry by Teacher Superstore

Discovering

Poetry

RIC-0205 6.9/82

Foreword It is my pleasure to introduce this original poetry collection for students and teachers. The themes are contemporary, written for young people in the 21st century. Some of them were written during my travels in Australia, where I am partly resident. Others reflect insights about children’s feelings and worlds gained in my work as a psychologist. I have tried to combine modern themes with classical styles to encourage students to widen their own range of literature awareness and to explore the rhythms and patterns of the English language. It is my hope that these explorations will help to release the creative spirit that lies within every student. Using these poems as stimulus, teachers can guide students towards creative expression through the range of reflective activities on the worksheets. I hope you will have fun together, as I did in writing the poems. Jo Bowler

Contents Teachers Notes _____________________________________________________________________________________________ ii – iii Outcome Links ________________________________________________________________________________________________ iv The Kite ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ 1 – 4 Summer Berries _____________________________________________________________________________________________ 5 – 8

Antarctica _________________________________________________________________________________________________ 9 – 12 Air Raid __________________________________________________________________________________________________ 13 – 16 Camel Ride _______________________________________________________________________________________________ 17 – 20 Atomic Me _______________________________________________________________________________________________ 21 – 24 My Friend/Moving ________________________________________________________________________________________ 25 – 28 Eel Creek ________________________________________________________________________________________________ 29 – 32 Rollerblading/Skateboard Skite _____________________________________________________________________________ 33 – 36 The Pelican _______________________________________________________________________________________________ 37 – 40 A Witchetty Grub in my Sandwich ___________________________________________________________________________ 41 – 44 World Wide Webbing ______________________________________________________________________________________ 45 – 48 The Mosquito _____________________________________________________________________________________________ 49 – 52 Sun, Sea and Sand ________________________________________________________________________________________ 53 – 56 Grandma’s Vintage Car ____________________________________________________________________________________ 57 – 60 Butter Butter Everywhere ___________________________________________________________________________________ 61 – 64

Rhythm and Rhyme Rhythm is the flow of sound that comes from the stress patterns of spoken language. The rhyming patterns of poems also determine the rhythm. The couplet – two lines that rhyme (aa) I didn’t feed my guinea pig today (a) I hope when I get home that she’s okay (a) Alternative rhyming lines (ab ab) They said that the camel would know the way (a) That we’d amble along till we’re there (b) At this pace it’s going to take more than a day (a) And we could be lost anywhere (b) R.I.C. Publications www.ricgroup.com.au

Discovering Poetry

Teachers Notes Discovering Poetry uses 21st century themes to introduce students to a range of classical poetry styles. It encourages students to write their own poems and to explore language in creative ways. Discovering Poetry contains 18 original poems. Each poem is accompanied by a: • • •

page of teacher notes and lesson suggestions; student worksheet on comprehension and word study activities; and structured worksheet for the student’s own poetry writing.

Each poetry unit is four pages long:

The first page is for the teacher. Each poetry unit has detailed teachers notes and lesson suggestions explaining: • themes of the poem(s) • guided class discussion • style of poetry • additional activities – smallgroup work, individual writing • curriculum links • answers

The second page contains the poem(s).

The third page of each unit is a student worksheet that accompanies the poem(s). The activities included here combine comprehension of the theme of the poem and word study activities.

The final page is a structured worksheet for the student’s own poetry writing. The students must extend their thinking about the theme or style of the poem(s). The activities are suited for the middle/upper classroom.

The poems and accompanying lessons can be incorporated into class theme work and ongoing projects. Curriculum links are suggested in the teachers notes. Poems are grouped by theme for easy reference. Each poem and accompanying worksheets can be used as stand-alone units of work within the context of language lessons. The teachers notes contain a range of classroom activities, such as group discussion, individual and group writing and research activities. Links with literature have been given for some of the poems but teachers could consult with the librarian or reading specialist to access other reading material within their school resources or on the Internet.

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Discovering Poetry

Poetic Styles

Literary Terms

The styles below are explained in full in the teachers notes accompanying each unit. For easy reference, the poem titles for each of these styles are shown below. Ballad tells stories of heroes and folktales, often includes rhyming couplets, contains a repeated line Ballade narrative, not a serious topic, contains rhyming with the last two lines in each stanza repeated Doggerel uses rhyme to express an ordinary feeling or sentiment, type of verse used in greeting cards Eulogy admires or praises a person, object or place Lyric usually a short poem with two to three verses directly expressing the poet’s own thoughts and feelings about a particular topic, feeling or situation; in ancient Greece, short poems were written to be sung to the music of a lyre – a stringed instrument made of a tortoiseshell; (also means the words of a song) Monologue poet speaks to himself/herself Nonsense about trivial matters, uses words to make the situation more absurd Nursery Rhyme repeated vowels and internal rhymes, experiments playfully with words and variations on words, can be a nonsense element Narrative tells or recites a story Shape Poem rhyming lines compressed into the outline of the subject, being written so they blend together Sonnet fourteen lines, three stanzas of four lines with a rhyming couplet at the end (a Shakespearean sonnet), often about love N.B. There is also a Miltonic Sonnet (from Milton) that has two verses. Verse one has eight lines and verse two, six lines. Ode usually has the same rhyming pattern (abcb); is the Greek word for song and celebrates or expresses admiration for something

Alliteration A recurring consonant in the same phrase; e.g. Peter’s in a pickle, Susie’s in a stew! Assonance The same vowel sound repeated within a verse; e.g. Gooseberry looseberry; Thin, pin, skin. Homonym Words that have different meanings but identical form; e.g. lie, saw, stake, pole (each has multiple meanings). Homophone Words with the same sound but different spelling and meaning; e.g. peace, piece. Metaphor Making a direct comparison with something through reference to its appearance, actions or manner; e.g. He’s a pig!. Onomatopoeia (pronounced ‘on-o-mat-a-pee-uh’) Where the sound also gives the meaning; e.g. ‘swish’, ‘plop’, ‘crunching’. Personification A metaphor which gives human qualities to something non-human; e.g. The moon was smiling. Simile Two things are compared using ‘like’ or ‘as’; e.g. He was as stubborn as a donkey; She runs like a gazelle. Verse Forms Couplet – two rhyming lines Quatrain – a verse of four lines Sestet – a verse of six lines Octet – a verse of eight lines

Summary Title

Pages

Poetic Style

Main theme

The Kite Summer Berries Antarctica Air Raid Camel Ride Atomic Me My Friend Moving Eel Creek Rollerblading Skating Skite The Pelican A Witchetty Grub in my Sandwich World Wide Webbing The Mosquito Sun, Sea, Sand Grandma’s Vintage Car

1–4 5–8 9–12 13–16 17–20 21–24 25–28 25–28 29–32 33–36 33–36 37–40 41–44 45–48 49–52 53–56 57–60

shape poem nursery rhyme style sonnet lyric ballade monologue narrative narrative – in monologue style ballade lyric lyric ode doggerel narrative ballad eulogy narrative

action poem fruit environment environment animals people and relationships people and relationships people and relationships animals action action animal feelings technology animals/insects environment people and relationships

Butter Butter Everywhere

61–64

nonsense verse

people and relationships

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iii

Discovering Poetry

Outcome Links The activities in this book have been written to develop the following outcomes in language. State National

Strand

Writing Texts Contextual Understanding Linguistic Structures and Features

Reading Context and Text Language Structures and Features Writing Producing Text Skills and Strategies Context and Text Linguistic Structures and Features

Statement

Reading and Viewing Contextual Understanding Linguistic Structures and Features

NSW

Level Outcomes

Texts and Contexts

4.6

Explains possible reasons for people’s varying interpretations of a text.

4.7

With teacher guidance, identifies and discusses how linguistic structures and features work to shape reader’s and viewer’s understanding of texts.

4 4

4.9 4.10

Uses writing to develop familiar ideas, events and information. Adjusts writing to take account of aspects of context, purpose and audience.

4.11

Controls most distinguishing linguistic structures and features of basic text types such as stories, procedure, reports and arguments

RS3.7

Refer to curriculum documents.

RS3.8

3 3 3

WS3.9 WS3.10 WS3.13

WS3.14

3.3

3.4

Reads and views a range of texts containing some ideas and issues of social/cultural interest and more complex text structures and language features and explains possible reasons for different interpretations of texts. Composes a range of texts that include ideas and information about familiar and some unfamiliar topics and applies an understanding of audience, purpose and context. Identifies and analyses features of written language and visual images when reading and viewing independently, a range of texts about familiar and unfamiliar topics. Selects and uses a variety of language aspects when planning and composing a range of well structured fiction, factual and media texts about familiar, new and possible experience. Selects and uses a variety of strategies for locating and recording information and for reading, viewing and critically interpreting a range of written and visual texts.

3.7

3.8

Victoria

Strategies

3.11

Reading Contextual Understanding Linguistic Structures

4 4

4.6 4.7

Writing Texts Contextual Understanding Linguistic Structures

4 4 4

4.9 4.10 4.11

Reading Contextual Understanding Conventions

4 4

R4.2 R4.3

Use of Texts Contextual Understanding

4 4

W4.1 W4.2

Conventions

W4.3

Refer to curriculum documents

Writing

Queensland

Refer to curriculum documents on http://www.qscc.qld.edu.au

South Australian acknowledgment The extracts from the South Australian Curriculum, Standards and Accountability Framework published by kind permission of the Department of Education, Training and Employment, Banksia Avenue, Seacombe Gardens, South Australia, 5047. Phone (08) 8377 0399 NATIONAL OUTCOMES acknowledgment The extracts from the National Statement and Profiles. Permission has been given by the publisher, Curriculum Corporation, PO Box 177, Carlton South, Victoria 3053. http://www.curriculum.edu.au Email: sales@curriculum.edu.au Tel.: (03) 9207 9600 Fax: (03) 9639 1616

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Discovering Poetry

The Kite This poem is about Themes Style

Curriculum Links

flying a kite wind, movement, control Shape poem It has rhyming lines but these have been compressed into the outline of the subject so they blend together. The size of the words in the last line also reflects their meaning. Shape poems can be written about any subject with a simple outline. sport, science (weather)

Page 3 1. (a) possible choices – skimming, billowing, scudding, tacking (b) possible choices – turning, spinning, circling, whirling, wheeling (c) possible choices – swivelling, turning, winding, swinging 2. a red dragon face 3. gusty wind (plummets, rears) but fine as well (hazy blue air) 4. When I think it will nose-dive, it soars up; Pulling the strings I keep it in play 5. The wind drops 6. Teacher check

•

Kite flying requires a balance between control by human hands and the control of the wind and air currents. What other activities require a similar balance, and in what elements? Without describing it, the person flying the kite in the poem is experiencing certain emotions. What are they and what words in the poem suggest this to you?

Small-group Work Kite flying is an ancient sport. Students can use encyclopedias and the Internet to research its history and prepare a report. Make a group design for a kite that will fly. This will require research. Make the kite and fly it!

•

Individual Writing Students write a short story about a kite-flying contest. Write an explanation of how, and why, wind is necessary on Earth.

The old Aesop fable of the contest between the sun and the wind to see which had the power to make a farmer remove his coat.

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Discovering Poetry

The Kite The Kite is a shape poem. It has rhyming lines, but these have been compressed into the outline of the subject being written about so they blend together. The size of the words in the last line also reflects their meaning. Shape poems can be written about any subject with a simple outline.

The K i

It’s sw oo I thin ping and ki bu It circ t will nos cking ov e-d er m les A red and skim ive, it soar y head. W s in t s up drag hen o n face he hazy b instead. on m gri lu e string here. Pu nning do e air. lli wn s and i I keep it ng the i t plu mme n play, ts an rears d till

the

tails

awa y

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Discovering Poetry

The Kite Comprehension and Word Study The poem describes some of the actions of a kite in the wind. Below are some other things that are driven by wind. Find words to describe their movements. An example is given from the poem. Example: The kite plummets, rears, nose-dive, bucking, soars (a) Yacht sails (b) Windmills (c) Weather vanes A metaphor makes a comparison without using ‘like’. What metaphor is used in the poem?

Describe the weather conditions when the kite is being flown. What words in the poem suggest these weather conditions?

The person flying this kite is experiencing excitement. What particular phrases suggest this?

How does nature end this activity of kite flying?

Kites come in many shapes. Draw a different shaped kite and write about it.

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Discovering Poetry

The Kite To write a shape poem you need to include information about a topic through the words you choose. Practise by writing a shape poem about a fruit or vegetable. Choose words that describe the characteristics of the fruit, and how it presents itself to the senses. Practise below by finding words to describe the foods listed.

Draw the outline of your chosen fruit or vegetable in the box below, using a pencil. Write some lines to describe this food and arrange them in order to make sense. Try to include some rhyme. Now fit your lines to the outline you have drawn. The words can run over into the next line. Refer back to the poem The Kite and see how the full stops show the end of each line. Write your completed poem in your outline. Arrange your words to create the correct shape and rub out your pencil line.

Order

Description (draft)

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Discovering Poetry

Summer Berries This poem is about Themes Style

Curriculum Links

the berry fruits of summer taste, texture, variety, sensory pleasure Nursery rhyme style The poem includes repeated vowel sounds and internal rhymes (assonance). It experiments playfully with words and variations on words. There is a nonsense verse element, with a description and monologue section in the last seven lines. health, nutrition

Page 6 1. Real – blueberry, loganberry, boisenberry, gooseberry etc. Imaginary – jackberry, looseberry, wilderberry, snappleberry, glowberry etc. 2. sour/ours, near/earn, more/Rome, eat/tea 3. merry, glow 4. Teacher check 5. Happy, jolly, carefree mood, festive feelings 6. Teacher check

•

What beneficial plants grow wild where you live? What makes them beneficial? What is difficult to cultivate in your area? What fruits and vegetables have to be imported and why? What is genetic engineering? What are the benefits and disadvantages of genetically engineering produce?

Small-group Work Students choose from the following topics: – Noxious weeds – Edible wild food – Composting – Local crop farming Have relevant resources available (library, Internet, topic books) for the students to use to research and write about their topic. Reports or posters can be created and presented to the class.

Individual Writing Students write an original nursery rhyme on a subject of their choice. Students write a short story that begins: ‘I peered through the window and froze! I could hardly believe what I saw growing in there!‘

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Discovering Poetry

Summer Berries Summer Berries is a nonsense poem written in a nursery rhyme style. It experiments playfully with words and variations on words. The effect comes from repetition of the word ‘berry’ and the rhymes inside the lines.

Summer Berries Summer season hot and merry Eat a fat and purple berry Thin berry thick berry Come along and pick berry Blackberry jackberry In a paper sack berry Raspberry blueberry How do you do berry! Loganberry boisenberry Gooseberry loose berry Elderberry youngerberry Wildberry wilderberry crab apple snapple berry Merry little cherry berry Flower berry sour berry Ooh yuk! Sour berry!

Dried berry sweet and airy Growing wild near the dairy Bumble berry rowanberry Bilberry still berry Sloe berry glow berry Luscious luscious strawberries Are there any more berries? I adore strawberries Strawberries strawberries Squashy with no core berries Mouth staining, it’s raining Juice! Juice! Juice! R.I.C. Publications www.ricgroup.com.au

Discovering Poetry

Summer Berries Comprehension and Word Study Some of the berries in the poem are real fruit and some are imaginary. List them.

An anagram is a word composed of letters that can be rearranged to make another word (e.g. pool/loop). Here are two words from the poem that you can use to make anagrams. Write your new word beside each. Find another word in the poem that can also make an anagram.

(a) sour (b) near (c)

Find two different words in the poem that suggest cheerfulness.

Select your own favourite berry and write two sentences to describe it. Try to use either alliteration (starting a group of words with the same letter; for example,light luscious loganberry), or assonance (rhyming vowel sounds; for example, Nan’s a fan for cranberry) in your writing.

Reread the poem and then write a sentence describing the mood of the person saying this rhyme.

Invent a new berry and give it a name and colour. Illustrate it and write a description.

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Discovering Poetry

Summer Berries Plants have many parts, such as stems, leaves, petals, fruits and branches. Think of a plant you know well and write words to describe its parts in the space below.

Write your own nursery rhyme style poem about a plant. Include your nonsense words in your poem.

© R. I . C.Publ i cat i ons •f orr evi ew pur posesonl y• Take one or two of the words from your list above and play with them by creating nonsense words that sound similar. If your first one doesn’t work, try another until you have generated a list of six, eight or more! For example; ‘hairy leaves, fairy leaves’ or ‘drippy nectar, sippy nectar’.

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Discovering Poetry

Antarctica This poem is about Themes Style

the Antarctic environment isolation, ghost towns, coldness, eeriness, hostile climates sonnet

Curriculum links

society and environment – harsh environments, early explorers science – animal adaptation, weather

Page 11 1. surfaces of glass; frozen; green and white; cold and bare 2. snow, stretching; sea to sea; swish of sliding seals; penguins pass; Great surfaces of glass 3. swish, sleek, gliding, stretching, whispering 4. penguin, seal, albatross 5. loneliness, isolation, reinforced by the sensations of coldness 6. Teacher check

Explorers go into new and strange environments. This takes courage and preparation. Brainstorm some famous explorers (e.g. Scott, Amundsen, Hillary) and list words to describe the kinds of environments they faced. What kinds of courage do people need to deal with everyday life? (Examples: facing bullies, trying something new, giving a speech, visiting the dentist.) How can you prepare for these situations?

•

Group students into penguins, seals, albatross, whales, sealions and dolphins etc. Each group brainstorms to generate a list of adjectives, adverbs and verbs relating to their particular creature. These lists then form the basis of group poems. The group task is to create a poem on its topic, illustrate it and display it in poster form. In groups, students research the life of a well-known explorer and write a short illustrated biography.

Individual Writing •

•

Students imagine they are an iceberg whose time has come to break loose from Antarctica. Ask them to tell the story of their adventures. Students write their own sonnets on a theme and topic of their own choice. They will need to decide first whether they will use Shakespeare’s form (three quatrains and a couplet) or Milton’s form (an octet and a sestet).

Antarctica is a Shakespearean sonnet because it has three quatrains and a rhyming couplet. The poet, Milton, also wrote sonnets using a different pattern – an octet (8 lines) followed by a sestet (6 lines). Use the Internet or library to find examples of both kinds.

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Discovering Poetry

Antarctica Antarctica is a modern sonnet. Traditional sonnets date from the 16th century. They have 14 lines. Sonnets can be on any topic but were often about love.

Antarctica

© R. I . C.Publ i cat i ons •f orr evi ew pur posesonl y• Antarctic streets are canyons Great surfaces of glass Where ghosts of lost explorers roam And sleek wet penguins pass Antarctic towns are frozen The air is green and white The only movement’s high above An albatross in flight Antarctic parks are cold and bare There’s nothing here to see But South Pole winter dark and long Snow, stretching sea to sea And the whispering swish of sliding seals Echoes over empty fields

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Discovering Poetry

Antarctica Comprehension and Word Study Write any words and phrases in the poem which describe the extreme coldness of Antarctica.

Alliteration is the repetition of the same consonant in the same line. For example, tropical torrents. Find three examples of alliteration in different lines in this poem. (a) (b) (c) Onomatopoeia is the name for words that sound like their meanings; e.g. crash, bang. Write three examples from the poem.

There are three creatures mentioned in the poem. Write each one below and next to each, write a word that best describes how it moves. (a)

main theme in Antarctica.

The poem talks about Antarctic streets and towns. Draw a picture of how these might look and describe your picture below.

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Discovering Poetry

Antarctica Think of different ways to describe the wind when it blows cold. Fill the wind gust with your words.

Imagine the Antarctic with icebergs, freezing seas and the biting winds. How would it feel to be there? Imagine you are in the Antarctic and complete the sentences. (a)

I feel

(b)

My breath

(c)

I can see

(d)

In the distance

(e)

I am wearing

(f)

Moving around here is

Use these phrases to help you write a poem. Write it in the shape of an iceberg with one word on the first line, two on the second and so on.

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Discovering Poetry

Air Raid This poem is about Theme Style

Curriculum links

the damage caused by plastic bags pollution lyric and narrative A lyric is a short poem, usually with 2–3 verses, directly expressing the poet’s own thoughts. Air Raid is an extended metaphor using personification to compare plastic bags with humans and armies. society and environment – environmental pollution

Page 15 1. Teacher check 2. (a) fluttering (b) formation (c) descending (d) lurking 3. slush, rush, squashed, clog, stifle 4. (a) jellyfish, roadkill; (b) Teacher check 5. pollution of the sea, earth and air 6. Teacher check

Brainstorm different types of waste materials. Group them into categories; for example - recyclable, hazardous, compostable. Should there be laws against littering and dumping? (Why? Why not?) The ideas from this discussion can be collated and used as the basis of a class project such as writing and performing a play or designing posters about recycling plastic bags to be displayed around the school.

Small-group Work • •

Discuss ways in which recycling is done at home and at school. Create an environmental poster using ‘pollution’ words and collage textures. Students write a short poem about aluminium drink cans, using personification, considering what they could compare them with. Ask them to discuss their properties (e.g. sound, flexibility, colour, capacity) and to use these qualities in their poems.

Individual Writing • •

Students write a dialogue between a rubbish bag and a cat, beginning with a few lines to set the scene. Students choose a non-living object and think of ways it could be compared with humans. They should write their ideas in about three short lines, then construct these lines into a poem, using personification in each stanza. They don’t have to rhyme.

Class Project Write a one-act play to be performed. Divide the class into small groups. Each group chooses a type of pollutant (e.g. plastic cargo strapping, bottles, cans, batteries etc.). The group researches how its object contributes to pollution and writes a conversation boasting about how it is the most powerful pollutant in the world. Collate the mini-plays into one bigger play. The whole class then decides on how each individual can help solve these problems and writes a final section.

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Discovering Poetry

Air Raid Air Raid is a short narrative poem in lyric style written to express an idea. It uses a technique called ‘personification’. Personification is a kind of comparison in which nonliving objects are described as having human traits. In this case, the plastic bags have taken on a life of their own.

Air Raid The world is full of plastic bags They’re living everywhere At supermarket checkouts Or fluttering in the air Pale jellyfish against the light They float across the sky Or split or torn, like roadkill squashed On muddy pavements lie

If all these earth-worn groundlings Should join their friends in flight They’ll form a mighty legion And conquer earth by night In parachute formation Descending in a rush They’ll clog the sun, and stifle spring And turn the sea to slush The world is full of plastic bags They’re lurking everywhere Until the time comes to arise And suffocate the air R.I.C. Publications www.ricgroup.com.au

Discovering Poetry

Air Raid Comprehension and Word Study How does the poet give the impression that plastic bags have declared war on the world?

Find words in the poem that match these meanings. (a) moving in the wind (b) arranged in lines (c) coming down (d) loitering Onomatopoeia is when the meaning and the spoken sound of the word are similar; e.g. flutter, rumble. Write three examples from the poem.

Plastic bags are likened to people, but there are two other metaphors that compare them with creatures. (a) What are they?

(b) Which of these comparisons do you prefer and why?

Describe the message of this poem.

Write a letter to your local council asking for information about their policy on recycling. Remember to use formal language! Continue your letter on the back of this sheet.

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Discovering Poetry

Air Raid Write words to describe different kinds of rubbish. (a) Things that can be recycled. Example: glass

shiny, sharp

(b) Things that are biodegradable (they return to the soil) Example: leftover food

smelly scraps

lead, heavy

(b) Write an acrostic poem about pollution.

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Discovering Poetry

Camel Ride This poem is about Themes Style

Curriculum Links

riding a camel alone in a desert heat, isolation, endurance, animal companionship 19th century French ballade The characteristics are: narrative; topic not serious; rhyming and last one or two lines repeated in each stanza. Compare a ballade with the ballad, which started as a four-line folk poem, usually about love, war or death and is often sad. society and environment – harsh environments science – adaptation and survival

Page 19 1. Teacher check (could become the basis for a class poem) 2. hot and baking sun; skin baked to enamel; smells of sweat 3. (a) dismount (b) challenge (c) lurch (d) commands (e) amble 4. Endless and bare; sand as the dominant theme; sandy world 5. Teacher check 6. Answers will vary, but may include boredom, plodding movement, sleepiness or camel’s persistence.

•

There are different kinds of challenges. Give examples of: – other physical challenges – mental challenges (e.g. studying for a test, problemsolving) – social challenges (e.g. making new friends) What kind of challenge do you find hardest? Why?

Individual Writing • •

•

Students write a poem or short story about their relationship with a pet or other animal. Students think of an animal or bird they admire and write a list of words that describe its qualities, appearance, movement, habits and environment. These can be used as the basis of his/her own poem. Students write a short story that begins ‘I had to survive, and I knew there was only one option available to me …’

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Discovering Poetry

Camel Ride Camel Ride is written in the style of an old French ballade - not to be confused with the English ballad. The ballade was popular at the end of the 19th century and the topic was usually light-hearted, with the last line of each stanza repeated. In this modern ballade, the camel rider is alone and isolated but doesn’t seem too worried about it.

Camel Ride I don’t know where I’m going I’ll only know when I’ve been and bare The landscape stretches endless e With sand as the dominant them I’d like to say I own the world ammal But it’s shared with another m A lumpy bumpy mug-a-wumpy Frumpy galumpy camel It was a challenge—I must ha ve been mad! They said I’d be there by dusk So I’m here with a compass, a flask and a beast That smells of sweat and musk We’re under a hot and blazing sun And my skin is baked to enam el On a lumpy bumpy mug-a-wum py Grumpy humpy camel know the way They said that the camel would there That he’d amble along till we’re ore than a day At this pace it’s going to take m And we could be lost anywhere e How I’ll dismount I haven’t a clu mil He needs his instructions in Ta -bumpy! This dumpy frumpy mind-your Humpy galumpy camel ‘Keep travelling nor-nor-east,’ they said They’d be following right behin d me But I can’t see anything else for dust They’re probably having tea And I’m all alone in a sandy wo rld As I lurch along in the saddle On a lumpy bumpy mug-a-wum py Grumpy galumpy camel

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Discovering Poetry

Camel Ride Comprehension and word study List four different words to describe a camel. Next to each, write a rhyming word. Word Rhymes with …

Write three phrases in the poem that emphasise the idea of heat. • • • Find words in the poem that match these meanings. (a) to get off (b) a dare

(c) to move unevenly © R. I . C.Pu bl i cat i ons (d) instructions (e)r to slowly •f orr evi ew pu pwalk os esonl y• Write words and phrases which describe the desert.

Draw yourself riding on a camel in the desert.

What do you think is the effect of repeating the last two lines of each stanza?

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Discovering Poetry

Camel Ride In the poem Camel Ride, the poet describes how it feels to ride a camel. Write words to describe how it might feel to ride the animals below. (a) emu (b) donkey (c) dolphin (d) elephant Imagine you are in a race that you must win to save your town from being destroyed by flood or fire. (a) Choose your animal transport and create two lines for the end of each stanza of your poem. For example, in Camel Ride, the lines are . . . My animal transport is My lines (b) Write a poem about how you and your animal companion saved the town. Use your lines above to end each stanza.

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Discovering Poetry

Atomic Me This poem is about Themes Style

Curriculum Links

individuality, self, uniqueness energy, recklessness, freedom monologue The writer is speaking to himself or herself. It is optimistic in tone, celebrating life, and takes the form of an extended metaphor, comparing the self with atoms and universal energy. Atomic Me is an extended metaphor. (A metaphor is a direct comparison of one thing with another.) There are four stanzas in the poem. A six-line stanza is called a ‘sestet’. Each sestet below ends with two rhyming lines. These are called couplets. For variation and emphasis, the poet has ended with four lines. science – outer space, health – values (selfishness, compassion)

Page 23 1. energy, recklessness, impulse, risk 2. I leap, I’m free; a cosmic blast across your path 3. shooting sparks; force field 4. supplied with electrical energy; Answers will vary but may include given responsibility; asked for payment; prosecuted; filled 5. (a) impulsive (b) unique (c) cosmic (d) blueprint (e) genetic (f) surge 6. Emphasises the impulsive, random nature of the feelings and actions in the poem 7. Teacher check

•

What is the attitude of the person in Atomic Me to herself or himself? What is the attitude to others? Find lines in the poem to justify your opinion. The themes of this poem are energy, freedom and recklessness. What do you think is the dominant theme and why?

Small-group Work •

•

Students write a short group sestet (six-line poem) starting each line with the letters in ‘atomic’. The group decides on the rhyming pattern. They could then make the poem into a collage and present it to the class. As a group, students create actions to Atomic Me and perform it for the class or other classes.

Individual Writing •

•

Students choose a topic and think of some associated idea they can compare it with. For example, the sun – gives life. They could also try a season, an animal or an inanimate object. Students start by making a list of words that apply to both the topic and the idea they have associated with it. They then write a paragraph, making an extended metaphor. Students write a short poem about the human race.

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Discovering Poetry

Atomic Me A metaphor is a direct comparison of one thing with another; for example, he is an angry bull. The poem below is an extended metaphor where the comparison continues in each stanza.

Atomic Me I’m an atom charged with life Electrons flowing through An energetic force field Shooting sparks at you I jump, I leap, I’m free! Wild atomic me!

My genetic blueprint Has come from outer space Molecules combining I am the human race I was meant to be Unique atomic me!

Neutrons, protons, I’m the source Of each impulsive splurge A cosmic blast across your path A wild and untamed surge I’ll do anything you dare I’m here, there and everywhere Molecular, spectacular Wild atomic Supersonic Wild atomic me!

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Discovering Poetry

Atomic Me Comprehension and word study (a) What are the main feelings expressed in this poem? (b) Find three words in the poem to support your opinion.

Assonance is the name for vowels with the same sound in the same line; for example, Abbey adored apples. Write an example of assonance in this poem.

Alliteration is the same consonant repeated in a line; for example, We could smell the salty sea. Write two examples of alliteration in this poem.

(a) Homonyms are words with the same spelling but different meanings. For example, rock, rock. What meaning is given to the word ‘charged’ in the first line? (b) Write another meaning for ‘charged’. You may need a dictionary to help you.

© R. I . C.Publ i cat i ons •f orr evi ew pur posesonl y• Find words in the poem that match these meanings. You may need a dictionary to help you. (a) without thinking (b) the only one (c) of the universe (d) a plan for action (e) hereditary traits (f) a sudden flow What is the effect of the short lines in the last verse?

This poem contains a number of scientific terms. For each one, write a phrase that could have been used instead, to create the same meaning in the poem. R.I.C. Publications www.ricgroup.com.au

electrons cosmic molecules genetic neutrons 23

Discovering Poetry

Atomic Me There are nine planets in our solar system. What do you know about them? Choose one planet and brainstorm words and phrases about it. You may need to research the planet first. Imagine that you are the ruler of a planet. Choose one and write a poem beginning with this phrase: If I ruled . . . . . . (a) Write your ideas in the planets.

(b) Write your poem. Choose from a shape poem, rhyming poem or acrostic poem.

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Discovering Poetry

These poems are about moving home, changing school and making new friends Themes belonging, change, loss, adapting to new circumstances Style narratives—one in monologue form Narrative poems tell or recite a story (My Friend). A monologue is speech addressed to oneself. It states or clarifies feelings and opinions (Moving). Both poems are about change, adjustment, endings and beginnings. Curriculum Links society and environment – experiencing a new culture health – friendship

Page 27 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

•

friendly, bright, helpful, dependable, sociable, clever, confident This person is angry at her/his parents. Doesn’t want to leave home, friends and school. He/She is feeling unsettled and anxious. Positive attitudes to school Teacher check Parents should have asked him/her how he/she felt, before selling the house, which is an important part of his/her security. a b c d – lines one and three rhyme, as do lines two and four. Teacher check Teacher check (a) drey (b) igloo (c) den/earth (d) lodge/teepee/wigwam (e) eyrie (f) shell (g) lodge (h) form

What does it feel like to move away from everything familiar? Brainstorm words to describe feelings. What adjustments would you need to make if you were moving to a new country? (language, diet, customs, shopping). What challenges face immigrant children settling into a new school? What behaviour is helpful to them?

Small-group Work •

Students design an ideal bedroom, deciding what it would contain. They should justify all the contents in terms of their activities and present their joint decisions to the class.

Individual Writing •

•

Students write a page recalling or imagining their own experiences of moving. Ask them if they had to move home and leave friends behind, would their feelings be similar to those expressed in Moving? Or would they be glad to leave? Ask students what it is about Emma that makes other people like her. Who do they admire? Students can then write a paragraph explaining why. They should give the person a fictitious name, to protect his or her privacy.

Use anthologies of poetry in the school library to find two other poems with similar themes. Students can write a paragraph comparing the way each poet has tackled the theme. Create a class poster using the paired titles of all the poems with similar themes that the class can find. Ask the school librarian to help by making these poetry books available for use by the class during a set period.

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Discovering Poetry

My Friend is a short narrative that tells a story. Moving is a monologue—a speech made by one person that expresses an idea or feelings. Both poems are about change, adapting, partings, endings, new beginnings and the feelings that accompany all the changes that go with moving.

My Friend She started after term began But she soon fitted in When others tried to mimic her She kept a friendly grin She didn’t wear the latest gear To her it didn’t matter She didn’t join in the gossip But was always pleased to natter She started coming first in class And no-one seemed to mind The boys were even pleasant Though she left them far behind Now she’s the one who others choose When they are picking teams And everyone asks Emma For new fund-raising schemes Her smile is always ready I’ve never seen her cry She tells me that she does, sometimes, But doesn’t tell me why It didn’t take me long to learn On her I could depend And I can say I’m really proud That Emma is my friend

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I don’t want to move I like our house. It’s cool All my friends live near I even like my school You went ahead and did it! You sold my history You didn’t ask me how I felt Just said how it would be I’ve grown up in this bedroom It’s where I want to stay I don’t want to make new friends In some place miles away Don’t say how great it’s going to be In a new house somewhere I won’t go. No! I will not go! You’ll have to leave me here 26

Discovering Poetry

Comprehension and Word Study Comparing Poems Write three words of your own that describe Emma’s personal qualities. Write a sentence explaining the feelings of the person in Moving.

What is the attitude of these two students towards school?

Which poem do you like better, and why?

The person in the second poem is angry with his/her parents. In this speech bubble, write what specific things is he/she is trying to say to them.

Both poems have the same rhyming pattern in each stanza. What is it?

In the poem My Friend, what do you think the speaker did to help the new girl settle in to school?

Draw a sketch of your own bedroom and write a sentence describing how you feel when you are in your bedroom.

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Discovering Poetry

All animals and creatures have some kind of home or habitat where they feel safe. Write the names for the homes of these animals or people. (a) possum

(b) Inuit

(d) American Plains Indian

(e) eagle

(f) oyster

(g) beaver

(h) hare

A shape poem is written in the outline of the object you are writing about. Choose an animal and find out more about it and where it lives. (a) Write your findings below. My animal is

. Its home is

(b) Use your information to write phrases for a poem. Plan your poem in the box.

© R. I . C.Publ i cat i ons •f orr evi ew pur posesonl y• (c) Write a poem about your animal. You may decide to use the animal’s shape or its habitat as the outline for your writing to create a shape poem.

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Discovering Poetry

This poem is about Themes Style

Curriculum Links

a treacherous creek full of eels danger, the unknown, mystery a ballad in narrative style Ballads have been used for centuries to tell stories of heroes and folktales. They often use rhyming pairs of words (couplets). There are usually four lines in verse and sometimes have a repeated line, as in Eel Creek. science/society and environment – water environments English – myths, tribal legends health – water safety

Page 31 1. Dark, deep; sandfly sleep; glass-green; slipped suddenly; swimming slowly 2. flowing, cascading, rushing, dark/deep 3. tumble, slithered, swimming 4. (a) calling (b) tried/undertook (c) lingering/loitering 5. (a) shallow (b) smooth (c) dull (d) appeared/reappeared 6. cascading, rushing, glistens 7. Answers will vary but may include ceaselessly, incessantly, continually etc. 8. Teacher check

•

What is the effect of repeating the last line of each stanza? (Possible answers: to emphasise the danger in the water; to create a dreamlike effect in keeping with the mystery of the ring wedged in the rock.) Work out the variations in the rhyme pattern of the lines in each stanza. Why has the poet done this? (Possible answers: to prevent the poem from becoming too predictable; to increase a sense of unexpected danger.)

Small-group Work •

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Students work as a group to turn a familiar fairytale into a rhyming ballad; e.g. Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Little Pigs. Present it to the class. Research an Aboriginal Australian legend for students to act out.

Individual Writing •

Students create their own story involving treasure, creatures and a hero or heroine.

The ballads of Banjo Paterson The Lady of Shallott by Alfred Lord Tennyson

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Discovering Poetry

This is a short ballad, written in narrative style. Narratives tell a story. Ballads are meant to be spoken aloud. They often have some repeated rhyme or rhythm.

Eel Creek Don’t go down to Eel Creek Where the water’s dark and deep Where the lurking sandflies sleep And the river winds around Winds around Winds around Flowing to a waterfall Cascading over stony ground Till the rushing torrent drops And the eels tumble down Tumble down Tumble down In glass-green water you can see A silver ring with gemstones three Wedged into a sunken rock And the eels guard it there Swimming slowly Round and round Walk on past that treasure bright Do not reach out for what you’ve found Though it glistens, beckoning, Calling you without a sound Where the river winds around Winds around The last one who attempted it Disappeared and wasn’t found Slipped suddenly and slowly drowned As the eels slithered round Slowly drowned Slowly drowned So don’t go down to Eel Creek Where the water’s dark and deep Where the eels their secrets keep And the river endlessly Winds around Winds around

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Discovering Poetry

Comprehension Alliteration is the same consonant repeated in a line; for example, We could smell the salty sea. Find examples in the poem and write them below.

Adjectives describe nouns; e.g. irritable eel. What four adjectives are used to describe water in the poem?

Verbs are action words; e.g. contemplating. What three verbs describe the movement of the eels in the poem?

Synonyms are words with the same or a similar meaning. Write synonyms for these words in the poem. (a)

beckoning

attempted

(c)

lurking

(a)

deep

(b)

stony

(c)

bright

(d)

disappeared

Onomatopoeia is where the sound of a word also expresses its meaning; e.g. rippling, screech. Write an example from the poem.

Find two other ways to write the word ‘endlessly’ (stanza 6).

Write a short story telling how the ‘silver ring with gemstones three’ came to be in the water and how the eels came to be its guardians. Plan your story below and write it on a separate sheet of paper.

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Discovering Poetry

Find words to describe things in the environment, either harmless or dangerous, that are winding. (a) road (b) snake (c) rope (d) hosepipe (e) power lines Write a poem in the shape below. Choose your own topic, or write about a journey. Try to use some rhyme.

Write a short ballad that tells a story. Remember; ballads are meant to be spoken aloud and they can have some repeated rhyme, such as ‘winds around, winds around’. (a) Write ideas for your poem in the box.

(b) Write your poem on a separate sheet of paper. Read your poem to a friend, your group or the class. R.I.C. Publications www.ricgroup.com.au

Discovering Poetry

These poems are about sports – rollerblading and skateboarding Themes freedom, skill, superiority Style action poems written in the lyric style. Lyric poetry is usually short. It expresses the poet’s feelings about a particular topic, feeling or situation. In ancient Greece, such short poems were written to be sung to the music of a lyre – a stringed instrument made of tortoiseshell. ‘Lyrics’ also means the words of popular songs. Curriculum Links health – sport

Page 35 1. rollerblades rolling; swaying side to side; free falling; skilful skateboard skite 2. Speed in my feet; Bending, flexing 3. swooping, zooming, shooting, Zapping, Spinning 4. Answers will vary, but may include sense of speed, feeling part of the equipment etc. 5. Answers will vary, but may include freedom, pride, skill, enthusiasm etc. 6. Teacher check 7. Teacher check

•

One of the poems contains a metaphor. Which one? How appropriate do you think it is? (An albatross in soaring flight – Skateboard Skite) Rollerblading refers to other people. What kind of judgement does it make? (earthlings – last verse)

Small-group Work •

From these poems, students make a list of words that describe the sensation of moving at speed. Ask them to brainstorm a list of words or phrases that describe strength, flexibility and cleverness. They should then decide on one sport, using the lists to help them write a page that describes the sport to someone who has never played or seen it.

Individual Writing •

• •

Students design their own sports equipment. They can illustrate and label it, then write a paragraph explaining how it is used. Students write a short poem that begins ‘When Grandma tried my skateboard (or rollerblades) . . .’ Students write a short story in which they use rollerblades to help solve a mystery or a crime.

Use anthologies of verse in the school library to locate poems about sports. There are a number of poems written by pilots in the first and second world wars which give the sensations of flying (e.g; An Irish Airman Foresees His Death).

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Discovering Poetry

Rollerblading and Skateboard Skite are two action poems that are written in a lyric style. Lyric poetry is usually short. It expresses the poet’s feelings about a particular topic, feeling or situation. In ancient Greece, such short poems were written to be sung to the music of a lyre—a stringed instrument made of tortoiseshell.

Rollerblading Rollerblades rolling Speed in my feet Dodging pedestrians All down the street Swooping around corners Swaying side to side Feet in slow motion Past each other glide Shooting over pavements Zooming through the light Skirting around lampposts Rollerblades in flight Rollerblades rolling Wings on my feet Dodging the earthlings All down the street!

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A silhouette against the sky Watch him on his skateboard fly An albatross in soaring flight Mind free-falling, skateboard skite! Spinning off the stairway edge Down the steps, across a ledge Full turns, a somersault or two Just to show what he can do Down the ramp and off the top Poised above while others flop Seamlessly his movement flows Bending, flexing, on he goes Leaning into every turn Hasn’t got a lot to learn Zapping through the summer light Proud and skilful skateboard skite!

Discovering Poetry

Comprehension Alliteration is the same consonant repeated in a line; for example, They never need to know your name. Write an example of alliteration in each poem.

Assonance is the name for vowels with the same sound in the same line; e.g. cheap seat. Write an example of assonance in each poem.

Onomatopoeia is the name for words that sound like their meanings; e.g. zing, flitting. Find three examples in ‘Rollerblading’.

What do these poems have in common?

To ‘skite’ is to boast or brag about something. (a) If you were going to tell a friend about something you are good at and which makes you proud, what would it be?

(b) Draw a picture of yourself doing your answer to (a). R.I.C. Publications www.ricgroup.com.au

Discovering Poetry

Write phrases to describe the similarities in the following activities. (a) Windsurfing and surfing (b) Gymnastics and trampoline (c) Walking and running (d) Swimming and archery Write a poem that tells a story about your first attempt to ride a bicycle. (a) First, use the ladder to brainstorm rhyming words about riding a bike. (b) In each box, write two lines that rhyme. (c) Write your rhyming poem. (a)

(c)

(b)

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Discovering Poetry

This poem is about Themes Style

Curriculum Links

the pelican and its behaviour Humans admiration for the versatility and beauty of the bird Ode with six stanzas, using the same rhyming pattern in each (abcb). Ode is the Greek word for song. An ode is a celebration, expressing admiration for something. society and environment – conservation science – marine birds

Page 39 1. sails serenely; fish flapping; stately soaring; white wings, wind 2. a jumbo jet and a cat (simile) 3. the pelican’s beak, a surf rod 4. (a) majestic (b) mock (c) impeccable (d) prepared (e) stately 5. Amused, pitying because they can’t fly. 6. Teacher check

1. 2. 3.

Which of the metaphors used in the poem is most effective? Why? Find other phrases which describe the pelican’s beak and its storage capacity. What is the pelican’s relationship with humans in this poem?

Small-group Work • •

Students research four seabirds and present their findings to the class in a speech. Students research mythical birds such as the dodo, griffin (gryphon) and phoenix. They can present their findings orally and visually.

Individual Writing • • •

Students write a description of an imaginary fantastic creature with a picture. Students use dialogue to continue the conversation with the pelican begun in the fifth stanza. Students describe the pelican and its habits to someone from another planet.

Ode to the West Wind by Percy Shelley Ode to Autumn by John Keats The Eagle by Alfred Tennyson

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Discovering Poetry

This poem is an ode. The word ‘ode’ is Greek for song. An ode is a celebration of something and expresses admiration. Here, the poet admires the pelican’s qualities.

The Pelican A galleon of pelicans Sails serenely by Nothing in the waves escapes Each bright, unblinking eye Some joke about the pelican And mock it when they speak But it has a great advantage— A capacious flexi-beak It grooms itself just like a cat While waiting on the sand To watch the flexing surf rods bring Fish flapping to the land The pelican knows well he can Just snatch a little bait But his manners are impeccable He’s quite prepared to wait I spoke once to a pelican Who told me, waddling by His fun is watching humans ‘Such a pity they can’t fly’ Great white wings opened to the wind A jumbo jet in flight The stately, soaring pelican Is a majestic sight

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Discovering Poetry

Comprehension Alliteration is the same consonant repeated in a line; for example, Penny is a people pleaser. Write four examples of alliteration in this poem.

Both metaphors and similes make comparisons, but the simile uses ‘like’ or ‘as’ (e.g. She was as graceful as a swan); whereas the metaphor does not (e.g. He inspected the writing with an eagle eye). (a) What two things are compared with the pelican? What does the pelican in the poem think about human beings?

(b) Write the line in the poem that contains a simile.

© R. I . C.Publ i cat i ons Two • things inr this poem are described f o r e v i e w pur posesonl y• as ‘flexible’. What are they? Use the library and Internet to find images of pelicans. Choose one image to sketch.

Find words in the poem that match these meanings. You may need a dictionary to help you. (a) grand (b) laugh at (c) perfect (d) ready (e) dignified R.I.C. Publications www.ricgroup.com.au

Discovering Poetry

Find words to describe different styles of the following things that birds have in common. For example, Sound: squawk, cheep, tweet, shrill, cry.

Flight

Beaks

Colours Movement on the ground

Wings

Use some of these words and add more to create a poem about birds or a particular type of bird.

(a) Write words and phrases about birds. Include adjectives that you will be able to use in your poem.

(b) Write a poem about birds. Will your poem be a shape poem, acrostic poem, rhyming poem or another style of poem? R.I.C. Publications www.ricgroup.com.au

Discovering Poetry

This poem is about Themes Style

Curriculum Links

having a bad day rejection, feeling things are out of control, out of step with other people rhyming couplets, with a chorus; doggerel Doggerel uses rhyme to express an ordinary feeling or sentiment. These are the types of verse used in greeting cards. health – values, moods, emotions

Page 43 1. (a) makes you sick (b) can’t remember (c) lost your hat (d) lunch box is depressing (e) stinking hot 2. Answers will vary. Teacher check 3. lunchbox, bike/flat tyre, pie, hat, cricket bat 4. witchetty grub (disgusting lunch); cockatoo (muddled brain) 5. Answers will vary but may include ‘to give the effect of going over and over something in your mind without solving anything’.

•

There are three references in the poem to friends. What conclusions can you make about this person’s relationship with his or her classmates? What could the person in the poem do to improve his or her day?

Small-group Work •

•

Students brainstorm ideas on what makes days good or bad. They should discuss, and reach a consensus. They can then write a paragraph summarising the group’s opinions. Students brainstorm a list of animals that are used to describe human qualities and feelings. Make three lists: (a) animals used to describe people in positive ways; e.g. lion, dove, tiger. (b) animals used as put-downs; e.g. snake, rat, chicken, weasel. (c) animal phrases used as metaphors or similes; e.g. to hog the limelight, to wolf down your food, slippery as a snake, blind as a bat, strong as an ox.

Individual Writing •

Students choose a creature to represent their best friend. They then write their own poem or short story that begins ‘My best friend is a/an …’. Focus on the friend’s positive qualities.

‘Jabberwocky’ from Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll The poems of Edward Lear

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Discovering Poetry

This poem is written in doggerel – a type of comic rhyming verse. The poem reflects feelings and has a ‘nonsense’ stanza. This is a verse that is repeated, like the chorus of a song, to emphasise the feelings being experienced.

A Witchetty Grub in my Sandwich Some days at school are not so good You can’t remember things you should Your friends don’t help—they laugh at you Your lunch box is depressing too There’s a witchetty grub in my sandwich And a cockatoo in my head And my brain won’t do What I want it to do And I wish I’d stayed in bed

Your bike has a flat tyre when You need to ride it home again And you’re not in the team they pick You eat a pie that makes you sick There’s a witchetty grub in my sandwich And a cockatoo in my head And my brain won’t do What I want it to do And I wish I’d stayed in bed

It’s stinking hot, you’ve lost your hat And someone’s nicked your cricket bat Your friends are mean—you let off steam The day seems like a long, bad dream There’s a witchetty grub in my sandwich And a cockatoo in my head And my brain won’t do What I want it to do And I wish I’d stayed in bed

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Discovering Poetry

Comprehension Find phrases in the poem that match these meanings. You may need a dictionary to help you. (a) nausea (b) forgetful (c) misplaced (d) not appetising (e) excessive heat What feelings is the person in this poem experiencing: (a) about school? (b) about friends? (c) about himself/herself? There are a number of objects that contribute to this person’s bad day. List them, in the order they appear in the poem.

© R. I . C.Publ i cat i ons •f orr evi ew pu r pos es o n l ycomparisons, • Metaphors are used to make without using ‘like’ or ‘as’. What two metaphors are used in this poem and what are they describing?

Give a reason why you think the poet has repeated the second verse three times.

Draw the best lunch you could find in your lunch box and the worst. Label the items.

worst

best

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Discovering Poetry

The person in this poem is not having a good day. What kinds of problems have you had? Alongside each problem write two words to describe how you were feeling at that time. Problem

Feelings

• • • Write a poem about ‘Feeling Good’ in the form of a recipe. Try to use some rhyme.

Feeling Good Ingredients

Method

a a b b a b c c b R.I.C. Publications www .ricgr oup.com.au

Discovering Poetry

This poem is about Themes Style

using a computer curiosity, exploration, enjoyment of technology narrative, including rhyming couplets and quatrains

Curriculum Links

Technology – computer studies Society and Environment – society

Page 47 1. vibes – vibrations ads – advertisements info – information 2. (a) sight (b) their (c) threw (d) weight 3. Teacher check 4. It is the style used for email. 5. (a) tree felling (b) riding waves on a board 6. ‘magic pages’ 7. Teacher check – language is constantly evolving and standards changing. New technologies influence this.

Why does language change over time? Brainstorm computer words (e.g. modem, dotcom, email, Internet, SMS.) Use dictionaries to see how many have now been formally accepted into the English language. What are the international rules of ‘netiquette’ (e.g. capitals = shouting). In what ways did people communicate before email and mobile phones? (morse code, semaphore, short-hand, telegrams, telephone, pigeon post). What new methods do we have? (fax, text messaging, mobiles).

Individual Writing •

• •

Using SMS style abbreviations, students write a short letter to a pet, explaining why they forgot to buy pet food. Students write a letter to an alien, explaining how the Internet works. Students use computers to find poems on the Internet.

Use your poem anthologies in the school library to locate poems about ‘new technology’ from earlier times; e.g, windmills, power pylons, bridges, tunnels, radio, television.

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Discovering Poetry

This is a short narrative poem that describes a process. Each stanza is written in rhyming couplets. The stanzas are quatrains of four lines each.

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Discovering Poetry

Abbreviations are words shortened from their original form. Find two in this poem and write them in full.

Why do you think this poem is written without punctuation or initial capital letters?

Homophones are words with the same sound but a different spelling and meaning. Find homophones for the following words from the poem. (a) site (b) there

Write another meaning for:

(a) logging

(d) wait

(b) surfing

Use a dictionary to help you write three different meanings for the word ‘server’.

In the third verse the poet has used two words to describe a web site.

(a) (b) (c)

What are they?

Communicating through email and SMS (mobile phones) is becoming increasingly more popular. Have a class discussion about emailing and using SMS and think about the effects these new forms of communications will have on letter writing and the importance of using correct English. Write about your discussion below. •

letter writing (the old-fashioned way)

•

the standard of written English

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Discovering Poetry

Imagine that you are a computer. You are programmed to produce a list of words associated in some way with each word entered. (a) Choose one of the words below and write a poem that the computer ‘spills out’. Decide if your poem will rhyme or not. Christmas

summer

(b) Now choose your own word and write a poem in a similar style.

rain

Many people communicate with their work colleague and friends by typing SMS (short message service) on their mobile phones. (a) Use this list of common SMS abbreviations to write a message. r - are

l8 - late

ur - you are

4 - for, four

yr - your

2 - to, too, two

thx - thanks

b4 - before

w8 - wait

w/ - with

pls - please

gr8 - great

:-) - smile

;-) - wink

9:28

Mobile

(b) On a separate sheet of paper, write a poem using SMS language. Try to make your poem rhyme. R.I.C. Publications www.ricgroup.com.au

Discovering Poetry

This poem is about Themes Style

Curriculum Links

a mosquito invading a bedroom natural enemies, danger ballad. Ballad is the word used to describe ancient, simple, folk poems. Most countries have their own contemporary folk poets who write ballads about life, activities and events. Ballads use rhyming pairs of lines (couplets) like the one here. Each stanza is usually four lines (a quatrain). Ancient ballads were often sad, telling about love, war or death. This modern one is also about war and death! science – animals society and environment – weather (as it influences wildlife)

Page 51 1. squash; buzz/buzzing; clatter; spatter; splat 2. The rhyme pattern changes from couplets to abcb, with the final three lines making one last line run together. 3. (a) poised (b) tumbling (c) toss (d) alert 4. window’s wide; sound the sirens; beat the bed; flit and fall; tingling toe 5. Teacher check

Humans have natural enemies. Brainstorm these under the following headings: Insects Animals Viruses Toxins Which of these can you protect yourself against? What illnesses are carried by mosquitoes? When camping, what precautions can you take against disease? (Proper sanitation, boil water, insect repellent, first aid kit.)

Small-group Work •

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The ballad is an important part of Australia’s literary history. Read some of Banjo Paterson’s poems. Have students form groups to research contemporary ballads, bush poets and the lyrics of Australian ballads in song. Students select one of Paterson’s ballads, write it as a short script and perform it for the class.

Individual Writing • • •

Individually or in pairs, students write rhyming ballads. They can use quatrains to tell the story of a local or national event. Use your local library to locate local poets or songwriters. Students write a letter asking one of them to read some of his/her work to the class. Students write a short story that begins: ‘As the shadows flitted across my room in the moonlight, I felt a sense of …’.

The greatest ballad of the English language is said to be The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Coleridge.

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Discovering Poetry

This is a ballad. Ballad is the word used to describe simple, ancient, folk poems. Most countries have their own contemporary folk poets who write ballads about life, activities and events. Ballads use rhyming pairs of lines (couplets) like the one here. Each stanza is usually made up of four lines (a quatrain). Ancient ballads were often sad, telling about love, war or death. This modern one is also about war and death!

The Mosquito It’s hot at night, the window’s wide I’ve tossed my cover and sheet aside. And then a buzz inside my ear Announces that a mozzie’s here Full alert! There’s one close by Sting poised on my nose or eye Sound the sirens, beat the bed I’m sure it’s aiming at my head The moving shadows flit and fall I’ll squash it up against the wall If it were bigger, I’d go splat! And then I’d feed it to the cat It stings, but you don’t even know Till next day there’s a tingling toe A lumpy face, a swelling hand All itchy red and dry as sand Got it! Splatter! Clatter clatter Book and drink go tumbling down At last in gentle sleep

I’m drifting THEN I hear that BUZZING SOUND!

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Discovering Poetry

Comprehension and Word Study

Onomatopoeia is when the meaning and the spoken sound of the word are similar; e.g. flutter, growl. Write two examples from the poem.

The poet has changed from the ballad style in the last stanza, but there are still only four lines. What is different about this rhyming pattern compared with the first four quatrains?

Synonyms are words with the same or a similar meaning. Find synonyms for these words. (a) ready (b) falling (c) throw (d) danger Alliteration is when a consonant is repeated in the same line; e.g. twisted tree trunks. Write four examples from the poem.

Imagine you are the poet. Write a speech to the mosquito where you explain your point of view. Try to persuade the mosquito to agree on a compromise.

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Discovering Poetry

Name a creature or animal. (a) List words to describe its appearance. (b) List words to describe its movements. (c) List words to describe the sounds it makes.

Use these words, and more, to create a poem about your animal, written in rhyming couplets (aabb). Give your poem a title. You could write about your own pet. (a) Write your ideas for the poem here.

(b) Write and illustrate your animal/pet poem below.

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Discovering Poetry

This poem is about Themes Style

Curriculum Links

the beach and marine environment beach enjoyment, summer, sea sports Eulogy. Sun, Sea and Sand is in the manner of a eulogy which admires or praises a person, object or place. Four-line verses written alternately in rhyming couplets interspersed with a different rhyme patterns, emphasise the rhythm of the words. environment. science, healthy/safety

Page 55 1. basked, sundial, huge, upright 2. (a) The sand is warm beneath you like a cushion or a nest (b) Teacher check (c) Teacher check 3. Splash, sunburst, spray, paddle 4. Sunscreen, sunhat, dinghy, surfboard, sandwiches, sandshoes, sandal – teacher check adjectives 5. Teacher check (an atmosphere of fun, pleasure, sensory, tactile experience.) 6. (a) Verse 2 – aaba, verse 4 – abcb, verse 6 – abcb. (b) Poet wanted variety for different textures and sense of business and activity

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The poem suggests a variety of activities that can be done in this particular environment. What other kinds of environments offer diverse experiences? Is there another aspect of the shoreline that the poem has not covered (e.g. rock-pools)? Brainstorm compound words beginning with ‘rock’ (rock-bottom, rock-breaking, rock-hard).

Small-group Work •

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Students select one of the environments below and brainstorm words to describe it. Write an advertisement praising this environment and inviting tourists to experience it, riverland Outback desert Barrier Reef sheep station student choice Students select one of the three verses in the poem beginning with either sun, sea or sand. They use this as a model to compose a four-line verse of their own, using their own compound words (e.g. up, down, rain). Each group will need a dictionary.

Individual Writing •

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Students write letters to their parents, inviting them to a picnic at a particular place. The letter explains why they have selected this place. Students write instructions for building a sandcastle for someone who has never been to the beach.

The Walrus and the Carpenter by Lewis Carroll The Beach by William Hart-Smith

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Discovering Poetry

This poem is in the manner of a eulogy, which admires or praises a person, object or place. Verses 1, 3 and 5 have rhyming pairs of lines (couplets). Verses 2, 4 and 6 have an abcb rhyme pattern. Sun, sea and sand have been used as prefixes in compound words.

Sun, Sea and Sand When you go to the beach you can have a good time Whether it’s wet or whether it’s fine There’s lots you can do, but it’s much better fun If you go to the beach on a day when there’s sun Sunscreen, sunhat, sunglow, sun shower Everything glowing like a yellow sunflower Suntan, sunburn, sunburst, sunset Sundial time and a warm sun shower

Take a dinghy or a surfboard into the tide If you stay upright you might get a ride You can swim, paddle, splash in the waves by the shore Sea water is what beaches are for Seashells, seashore, seabird, seaspray Swimming in the waves with the biting sea bugs Seaweed, seahorse, sea mist, seasick Seagulls flying and fat sea-slugs You’ve swum and paddled and basked in the sun And eaten the sandwiches, every one The sand is warm beneath you like a cushion or a nest ‘Cause it’s really SAND that beaches do best Sandwich, sandal, sandhill, sand-fight Sand in your sandshoes and a big sand parcel Sandpaper, sand hopper, sandstorm, sandfly Sand in your hair and a huge sandcastle!

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Discovering Poetry

Comprehension and Word Study Find similar meanings (synonyms) and opposite meanings (antonyms) for these words. Synonyms

Antonyms

(a) laze

(b) clock

(d) horizontal

The fifth verse in the poem has a line that describes what it feels like to lie on the sand. It uses a simile. A simile is a comparison of two things, using ‘like’ or ‘as’. (a) Write the line from the poem that contains a simile. (b) Now rewrite this line using your own simile that compares sand with something else. (c) Complete the sentences to create similes. The sun is like a The sand tickles my toes like a The water is as blue as

Onomatopoeia is the term used for words that sound like their meanings. For example, plop and swish. Find two examples of onomatopoeia in the poem.

Name the equipment and clothing mentioned in the poem and add a suitable adjective.

What do you think the poet is trying to achieve in this poem?

(a) Look closely at verses 2, 4 and 6. The rhyming pattern is different in these from verses 1, 3 and 5, which are written in rhyming couplets with the pattern aabb. Write the rhyming patterns of the other three stanzas. (b) Why do you think the poet has varied the rhyming

Verse 2 Verse 4 Verse 6

patterns?

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Discovering Poetry

A compound word is formed when two separate smaller words are joined (e.g. sunhat, sunshade). Prefix is the term given to the part that comes first and suffix is the term for the second part of the compound word. In the examples given, ‘sun’ is a prefix, and ‘hat’ and ‘shade’ are used as suffixes. There are many compound words in English. Some begin with – rain, hand, hair. You can use a dictionary to find others. (a) Select one prefix, and write it in the centre shape below. Try to find suffixes that go with it to make compound words and write one in each of the outer circles.

(b) Use the compound words you have created to write a verse with an abcb rhyme (as in verses 4 and 6 in Sun, Sea and Sand.)

a b c b

Choose one of your compound words and write an acrostic poem. Write your word vertically so that each letter provides the starting letter for the line of the poem. For example,

S ummer play on the endless sand U naware of the sizzling rays N o sunblock or hat for me B eautiful weather, sparkling sea U nder a sunshade, my mum calls R un away to the dunes with sisters N ever a thought for pain and blisters R.I.C. Publications www.ricgroup.com.au

Discovering Poetry

This poem is about Themes Style

Curriculum Links

driving in a vintage car with grandma olden-days, automobiles, curiosity, companionship short narrative poem. Grandma’s Vintage Car talks about someone’s particular experience. What makes this poem interesting is the focus on the old-fashioned motorcar horn which is described using alliteration and assonance to make a catchy phrase. Society and Environment, technology

Page 59 1. high seats, big gearshift, running boards, the klaxon-style horn, different type of chassis springing, mainly open air 2. fold-back sunroof 3. Uses too much fuel, doesn’t go fast enough for current motorway speeds, liable to break down, Grandma nervous in speeding traffic 4. Teacher check 5. Teacher check

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In the mid-twentieth century, 50 km per hour was the usual speed limit. This was raised to 80 km/h and then raised again. Why? What speed limits apply on motorways/freeways now? In suburban areas? What do you think they should be and why? Arrange for someone to bring a vintage car to school and talk about it to the class. Have students prepare questions.

Small-group Work • •

Students in groups undertake research in the library and prepare a report on transport throughout history. Students write a short play about a bus journey. They use a line of chairs as bus seats for their performance.

Individual Writing •

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Students select two construction or maintenance vehicles (e.g. grader, roadsweeper etc.) and write a conversation between them about their working conditions. Students design, describe, illustrate and label their own ‘ideal’ vehicle.

Use the Internet to find poems about vehicles. Use your local council library to find poems about the following: – racing cars – earthworks machines – tanks – planes

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Discovering Poetry

Grandma’s Vintage Car is a short narrative poem that talks about someone’s particular experience. What makes this poem interesting is the focus on the old-fashioned motorcar horn which is described using alliteration and assonance to make a catchy phrase.

Grandma’s Vintage Car My Grandma has a vintage car She takes me for a ride We have to sit on two high seats There isn’t an inside There’s a fold-up roof that leaks And lots of springs and creaks And a squeaky, squawky, squashy honky horn

I know that Grandma loves her car I like it quite a bit She polishes it up until You see your face in it

It has ‘running boards’ outside You can stand on for a ride And a squeaky, squawky, squashy honky horn Grandma wears a floppy hat The wind blows through my hair She lets me shift the big gearstick And people stop and stare But we never travel far In Grandma’s vintage car With its squeaky, squawky, squashy honky horn

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Discovering Poetry

Comprehension and Word Study This poem describes some things about the vintage car that are different from modern cars. List five. (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) What is similar about this vintage car and a modern sports car?

Give two reasons why you think the vintage car doesn’t travel very far.

Alliteration is the term used for a group of words beginning with the same letter. Alliteration has been used twice to describe the vintage car horn, (squeaky, squawky, squashy and honky horn). Use alliteration and write your own phrase to describe the following sounds.

Use the library and Internet to find images of vintage cars. Choose one image and sketch it. Write information about the car in your own words.

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Discovering Poetry

Listed below are different vehicles. Beneath each one write appropriate describing words to help you create a sentence containing the following parts of speech: (i) verbs expressing its actions and movements (ii) adjectives describing its appearance (iii) nouns describing some of its parts For example: A train (i) labours, glide, rocking, swaying (ii) sleek, smooth, streamlined, silver, solid, imposing (iii) engine, carriages, wheels, links, tracks Sleek, silver engine, solid, imposing, glides along smoothly with a gentle sway. A big transport rig

(i) (ii) (iii)

A bulldozer

(i) (ii)

A hot air balloon

(i)

(ii) (iii)

A bicycle

(i) (ii) (iii)

Choose one of the vehicles and create an acrostic poem that gives the reader a mind picture about the strength, power and speed of your vehicle. Write the name of the vehicle vertically and begin each line of your poem with the letters in sequence. For example: R.I.C. Publications www.ricgroup.com.au

Discovering Poetry

This poem is about Themes Style

Curriculum Links

using too much butter and getting into trouble family life, carelessness, greed jingle with narrative and nonsense elements. Nonsense poems are about trivial matters and use words to make the situation more absurd. A jingle is a rhythmical verse style frequently used in advertising. Health – values (rules)

Page 63 1. (a) floor, shore, more, saw, thaw etc. (b) star, far, car etc. (c) owls, fowls, bowels, howls 2. bread, peas, pickles 3. It is a two-parent family. The house has a garden or lawn (hose), a bathroom, kitchen and television. It can become very messy. 4. Teacher check 5. Bubbly, mischievous, carelessness, angry interactions 6. Teacher check

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What kinds of situations in family kitchens lead to arguments? Families often have their own made-up words for things. Give examples. How is butter made? What substitute spreads for butter are there? Discuss the health merits of each.

Small-group Work •

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Students write a short play based on the following scenario: You have invited two friends over and you decide to make a snack from the fridge. You all inspect the contents of the fridge and then make your meal. Mum arrives home and tells you . . . (you finish it dramatically). Students brainstorm uses for butter and then make a list of these.

Individual Writing •

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Write a conversation between the person in the poem and either the mother or father, in which a punishment is applied for making a mess. Write an explanation of how butter is made, beginning with the cow.

The Jabberwocky by Lewis Carrol The nonsense poems of Edward lear

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Discovering Poetry

Butter Butter Everywhere is a jingle. Jingles are rhymes that are often used in television and radio advertisements. They have a repeated phrase or chorus to catch the listener’s attention. This poem is also part nonsense poem. Nonsense poems are usually about trivial matters or absurd situations.

Butter Butter Everywhere When she sees me in the kitchen My mum begins to mutter She won’t let me make a sandwich ‘Cause she says I smear the butter Butter butter everywhere Butter on my knees Butter in the kitchen drawer And on the frozen peas Butter in the plughole Butter up my nose Butter in the pickle jar And on the garden hose

Butter butter everywhere In between my toes Butter on the bathroom towels Butter on my clothes Butter on the television Butter over Dad Butter butter everywhere and Mum is GETTING MAD

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Discovering Poetry

Comprehension and Word Study This poem makes use of repetition and rhyme. The words below can be found at the ends of the lines that do not rhyme. Find your own rhyming words for them. (a) drawer (b) jar (c) towels As well as butter, what else does the poem suggest might have gone into the sandwich?

From reading the poem, what can you tell about this family and their house?

Is there anything that you do in the kitchen that annoys someone in your family? Fill in the missing words in the poem to describe your situation. (Remember it is an abcb rhyme!)

‘Cause s/he says I Poems often create an atmosphere to help communicate their theme, or main idea or feeling. Describe the atmosphere of this poem in your own words.

Draw an amusing picture of chaos in a room.

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Discovering Poetry

Name your two favourite foods. List words to describe the taste, smell and texture. (a) Food

(b) Food

Write the three-course menu for your favourite meal.

Starter Main Dessert Write your own poem in free verse, describing a food you either love or hate. Give the reader an idea of what it looks like, how it smells and how it tastes. Give your poem a title and add an illustration. Food (a) Brainstorm words about your (b) Write your poem using these words. chosen food in the shapes.

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Discovering Poetry