Read poetry
Key Notes :
Understand the Structure of a Poem
- Poems are written in lines and stanzas.
- A stanza is like a paragraph in poetry.
Identify Rhyme and Rhythm
- Rhyme: Words that end with the same sound (e.g., cat/hat).
- Rhythm: The beat or pattern created by syllables.
Look for Figurative Language
- Similes: Compare using “like” or “as” (e.g., as brave as a lion).
- Metaphors: Direct comparison (e.g., Time is a thief).
- Personification: Giving human qualities to non-human things (e.g., The sun smiled).
Visualize the Imagery
- Think about what you see, hear, smell, taste, or feel from the poem.
Find the Theme or Message
- What is the poem about? What lesson or feeling is the poet sharing?
Pay Attention to Word Choice (Diction)
- Poets choose words carefully for sound, meaning, and feeling.
Read with Expression
- Use your voice to match the tone and mood of the poem.
Identify the Speaker
- Who is “talking” in the poem? It’s not always the poet!
Learn with an example
▶️ Read the poem. Then, review the bolded text in the third stanza.
Robot Fuel
We’ve been building this for weeks.
Both of us making endless tweaks.
And now our robot almost speaks!
The one thing we forgot to do
Was get the rubbish he needs to chew
For fuel to chat the whole day through.
Sorting rubbish alone’s not fair.
Some tasks are made for both to share.
Gross chores are more fun as a pair.
Our work was a cheetah, racing by.
In a flash, we fed our robot guy
So he could say hi and bye.
The bolded text requires an inference, or a guess, about missing details. Based on the text, which sentence is most likely to be true?
- The narrator is mad that his friend asks him to collect rubbish alone.
- The narrator and his friend need to find different robot fuel.
- The narrator and his friend decide to work together to collect rubbish.
Review the text.
Sorting rubbish alone’s not fair.
Some tasks are made for both to share.
Gross chores are more fun as a pair.
The narrator says it wouldn’t be right for either of them to have to pick through rubbish alone. They decide this is a task to ‘share.’
So, this sentence is most likely to be true:
The narrator and his friend decide to work together to collect rubbish.
▶️ Read the poem. Then, review the bolded text in the second stanza.
My Model Car
The hours piled on,
As I sprawled out on my carpet,
Tinkering with tweezers,
Fiddling with rubber bands,
Trying to make my model car come to life.
Finally, eyes bleary, I went for a walk,
Leaving the car parts behind.
I took in the details of the neighbourhood,
The trills and chirps of birds in the trees,
The thick, smoky smell of a grill
Fired up in my neighbour’s garden.
I came back and opened my door.
Hoping the car had assembled itself. No, but—
I suddenly saw the parts with new eyes,
My mind clear and ready.
My tools bent and twisted the pieces
Like they’d always known what to do.
The bolded text requires an inference, or a guess, about missing details. Based on the text, which sentence is most likely to be true?
- The narrator wishes she could fly away like a bird.
- The sounds and smells of the neighbourhood distract the narrator from her problem.
- The smell of her neighbour’s grill makes the narrator realise that she is hungry.
Review the text.
Finally, eyes bleary, I went for a walk,
Leaving the car parts behind.
I took in the details of the neighbourhood,
The trills and chirps of birds in the trees,
The thick, smoky smell of a grill
Fired up in my neighbour’s garden.
The narrator has gone for a walk for a change of scenery. Now, instead of focusing on her problem, she is paying attention to the sounds and smells along the way.
So, this sentence is most likely to be true:
The sounds and smells of the neighbourhood distract the narrator from her problem.
▶️ Read the poem. Then, review the bolded text in the first stanza.
Opening Night
I wake at dawn, and night-time
Feels one hundred years away.
Nate and I have been waiting
For the film that comes out today!
We’ve already made our costumes
And re-watched the old series.
We’ve read about the brand new cast
And shared our favourite theories.
We watch the time on our phones.
I tell Nate I’m sick of waiting.
He suggests we try the riverwalk,
For some biking and some skating.
It’s a blast; we hardly get back
In time to change and eat.
Before I can even check the clock,
I’m in my costume and my seat!
The bolded text shows hyperbole, which uses extreme or unrealistic language to describe something. What is the purpose of this text?
- It suggests that the film took many years to come out.
- It shows how eager the narrator is for night-time to arrive.
- It points out that the poem takes place in the past.
Review the text.
I wake at dawn, and night-time
Feels one hundred years away.
The narrator says that waiting for the night feels like waiting ‘one hundred years’. This is an exaggeration that shows how long the wait feels.
So, this is the purpose of the text:
It shows how eager the narrator is for night-time to arrive.
let’s practice!
Read the poem. Then, review the bolded text in the third stanza.
Robot Fuel
We’ve been building this for weeks.
Both of us making endless tweaks.
And now our robot almost speaks!
The one thing we forgot to do
Was get the rubbish he needs to chew
For fuel to chat the whole day through.
Sorting rubbish alone’s not fair.
Some tasks are made for both to share.
Gross chores are more fun as a pair.
Our work was a cheetah, racing by.
In a flash, we fed our robot guy
So he could say hi and bye.