Before moving into the bulk of today’s lesson, I

just want to briefly check-in with y’all.

How are y’all feeling about the STAAR exam next

week? Do y’all feel nervous? Confident?
Indifferent?
“What makes a poem…
a poem?”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwhouCNq-Fc
What is poetry?

■ According to Google, a poem is:

“a literary work in which special intensity is given
to the expression of feelings and ideas by the
use of distinctive style and rhythm”
Some basic elements of poetry are:
■ Stanza(s):
– A group of lines forming the metrical units within a poem (Stanzas are often
considered the equivalent of a “paragraph” in a poem”
■ Rhyme:
– When two spoken words sound the same
■ Rhythm:
– The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of a poem
■ Meter-
– A unit of rhythm in a poem (also referred to as a “foot”).
■ Theme:
– The main idea of a poem
■ Tone:
– The general attitude the author creates in a poem
In addition, some of the figurative language
techniques used in poems are:
■ Metaphors
■ Similes
■ Onomatopoeia
■ Hyperbole
■ Alliteration
■ Personification
■ Symbolism
■ Imagery
■ Allusion
■ Etc.
Connotation vs Denotation

■ Connotation:
– an idea or feeling that a word invokes in addition
to its literal or primary meaning.

■ Denotation
– the literal or primary meaning of a word, in
contrast to the feelings or ideas that the word
suggests.
The Rules of “Trash”ketball
■ Each group will be asked a question and answer the question
together
■ If the group answers the question correctly, they will then choose a
member to shoot the paper “basketball” into the trashcan
– The member can either shoot from the “free throw” line (1
point), the “three point” line (3 points), or make a “trick shot”
from the three point line (5 points).
– If the member makes the shot, the team will receive the
number of points assigned to the shot taken
– If the member doesn’t make the shot, the team will not receive
any points ;)
The Rules of “Trash”ketball Continued

■ If the group doesn’t answer the questions correctly, the next group will be
allowed to attempt to answer the question
– If the question isn’t answered correctly by the next group, then it will be
passed on until each group has had an attempt to answer it
– If the question is answered incorrectly by all of the groups, its potential
points will not count for anyone
■ Members of the groups can work together to answer the question, but only one
member can attempt to make the shot
■ Each member of the group has to go at least once before members can have a
second turn
■ After answering the question, the member only has one attempt to make the
shot into the trashcan
– This is an “all or nothing” shot, so choose your shots wisely!
 QUESTION 1

What is the main idea of a poem?

Answer
The Theme
 QUESTION 2
What is the general attitude the author creates in a
poem?
Answer
The Tone
 QUESTION 3

When two spoken words sound the same, this is

called?
Answer
Rhyme
 QUESTION 4
What is the pattern of stressed and unstressed
syllables in a line of a poem?
Answer
Rythm
 QUESTION 5
I am four in this photograph, standing
on a wide strip of Mississippi beach,
my hands on the flowered hips

of a bright bikini…

In these lines, the poet’s tone can be described as-

a) nostalgic c) apologetic
b) strident d) reverent
Answer
a) nostalgic
 QUESTION 6
Minnows dart at my feet
glinting like switchblades.

In these lines, the poet uses a simile that has the ironic effect
of making the minnows seem-
a) curious c) beautiful
b) threatening d) humorous
Answer
b) threatening
 QUESTION 7
Trust that there is a tiger, muscular
Tasmanian, and sly, which has never been
seen and never will be seen by any human
eye.

In these lines, the tiger is a symbol for the speaker’s —

a) love of wildlife in its natural habitat
b) fear of facing mortality
c) belief in realities beyond the reach of experience or proof
d) desire to escape the confines and complexities of modern urban
life
Answer
c) belief in realities beyond the reach of
experience or proof
 QUESTION 8
Read the following line:

“Trust that there is a tiger, muscular”

Which definition best matches the use of the word trust in this line?
a) to believe
b) to place in the care of another
c) to permit to do something without fear of consequences
d) to extend financial credit to
Answer
a) to believe
 QUESTION 9
What is the term for: an idea or feeling that a
word invokes in addition to its literal or primary
meaning?
Answer
Connotation
 QUESTION 10
I crawled out of my tent and stood slowly, my muscles stiff from
yesterday’s hike, my bare feet tender on the rocky dirt.

Which definition best matches the use of the word tender in this
sentence?
a) showing gentleness and concern or sympathy
b) sensitive to pain
c) young, immature, and vulnerable
d) requiring tact or careful handling
Answer
b) Sensitive to pain
 QUESTION 11
A group of lines forming the metrical units within
a poem is called a?
Answer
Stanza
 QUESTION 12
What is the literal or primary meaning of a word,
in contrast to the feelings or ideas that the word
suggests?
Answer
Denotation
Safe
QUESTION 13
in caves of contentment, bears sleep.
Through vast canyons, horses run while slowly
snakes stretch beyond their skins in the sun.
I must trust all this to be true, though
the few birds at my feeder watch the window
with small flutters of fear, so like my own.

In the last three lines, the tone of the poem shifts from —
a) strident to optimistic
b) bleak to playful
c) objective to moralistic
d) hopeful to apprehensive
Answer
d. hopeful to apprehensive
 QUESTION 14
Believe that bees
by the billions find unidentified flowers
on unmapped marshes and mountains.

The reader can conclude that the speaker is —

a) awestruck by nature
b) fearful of nature
c) confused by nature
d) intimidated by nature
Answer
a) awestruck by nature
 QUESTION 15
The image of birds is repeatedly presented to the
reader in Jane Eyre. By making this image reoccur
in the text, what figurative language technique is
Bronte using?
Answer
Symbolism
 QUESTION 16
When an author indirectly refers to another
literary work in his or her novel/poem/play/etc.,
what figurative language technique is the author
using?
Answer
Allusion
His face was arranged TIEBREAKER
like a child’s face- playful, daintly- and his eyes
were liquid and wild. He stood for awhile, looking out,
as if he could see us in our pajamas, then found

a patch of sand beneath a tree and turned himself

into a circle of fur: his head tucked into his tail.
It was awful to watch him sleep: exposed,

tiny, his eyes closed. How can any animal

be safe enough to rest?

In these lines from “The Fox”, the poet uses descriptive language that emphasizes-
a) the fox’s joyfulness
b) the speaker’s self-awareness
c) the fox’s vulnerability
d) the speaker’s fears
Answer
c) the fox’s vulnerability
TPCASTT
■T: Title
■P: Paraphrase (each stanza)
■C: Connotation (+/-)
■A: Attitude (Tone)
■S: Shift
■T: Title
■T: Theme
A Blessing by James Wright
■ First: Completely read the poem all the way through without marking
anything
■ Second: Using the TPCASTT strategy, read the poem again and mark each of
the elements in the poem
■ Third: Answer each of the questions that follow the poem
– Read both the question and all of the answer choices before choosing
an answer
– Support each answer with evidence from the poem

You all will have 25 minutes to read the poem and respond to the 8 questions.
After everyone is finished, we will go over the poem and correct answers as a
class.
 Three W’s

Turn to a person sitting near you and discuss the following 3

questions:

■ What did we learn today?

■ So What ?(relevancy, importance, usefulness)

■ Now What? (how does this fit into what we are learning, does it
affect our thinking, can we predict where we are going)