Recognize poem structure

Supplied materials

• Paper and pencil, or a browser text area. All named people/events/records are fictional learning inputs.
• Worked case: Line: The path is like a ribbon. Layout: four lines with no blank line. Direction: [whispers]. Narration: I opened the gate.
• Primary check: Line: The lake is a mirror. Layout: two lines, blank line, two lines. Direction: [walks left]. Narration: We opened the gate.
• Original two-stanza poem: A lamp beside the open gate Keeps company while I wait. The wind whispers through the tree; The next small step belongs to me. Original script adaptation: JO: I can see the gate now. LEA: Take your time. [Jo pauses, then steps forward.] The poem’s break separates waiting from deciding. Wind whispers is personification; the script makes a pause and movement explicit.

Learn the idea

A line is one row of a poem; a stanza is a group of lines separated from other groups by space. A prose paragraph is organized in sentences without that poem layout.

Use the explicitly supplied line and blank-line information to count groups. Do not count sentences instead of lines.

Example to read or listen to: Line: The path is like a ribbon. Layout: four lines with no blank line. Direction: [whispers]. Narration: I opened the gate. The answer is one four-line stanza. The relevant input states: Layout: four lines with no blank line. This fits one four-line stanza. A line is one row of a poem; a stanza is a group of lines separated from other groups by space. A prose paragraph is organized in sentences without that poem layout. Four lines can form one stanza or two groups.

1. Read or listen to the worked example. Say what the reading or writing task asks you to find. An adult can help with unfamiliar words.
2. Use the explicitly supplied line and blank-line information to count groups. Do not count sentences instead of lines.
3. Check the worked solution: one four-line stanza. The relevant input states: Layout: four lines with no blank line. This fits one four-line stanza. A line is one row of a poem; a stanza is a group of lines separated from other groups by space. A prose paragraph is organized in sentences without that poem layout. Four lines can form one stanza or two groups.
4. Try the question and the practice questions. Point to the words that helped you choose before checking the feedback.

Check your reasoning

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Take it further

Optional extra practice: Write a four-line original poem in two two-line stanzas, including a simile and personification. Turn one line into a speaker-labeled script line and add a bracketed pause. Explain the differences among poem layout, dialogue and narration. Practice this lesson’s skill as you complete the task. Use this idea to check your work: A line is one row of a poem; a stanza is a group of lines separated from other groups by space. A prose paragraph is organized in sentences without that poem layout.

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