Poetry Workshop

1. Poetry Workshop • Poetry is a way to put your feelings or expression into words. 1

2. Poems can be... • Free Verse • Rhyming 2

3. Free Verse Poems... • Do not rhyme • Do not have a pattern • Do not have a rhythm • Do not have a structure 3

4. Rhyming Poems... • Rhyme • May have a pattern • Has a rhythm • May have a structure 4

5. Poetry Toolbox • Words • Rhythm • Punctuation • Stanzas • Refrain 5

6. Words • Choose the absolute best words for your poem. • Use a thesaurus to replace dead words. • Think of your five senses; touch, taste, sight, hearing, and smell. 6

7. Rhythm • Poems with rhythm usually contain rhyming words at the ends of lines • Specific syllables are stressed • The rhyming follows a pattern • Rhyming dictionaries are helpful to create rhythm 7

8. Punctuation • Is used to show the reader how to read the poem • May not have any punctuation • May have commas, periods, question marks, and exclamation points • Needs to be consistent 8

9. Stanzas • A divided section with a group of lines • A format chosen by the poet • May include a rhyming pattern 9

10. Refrain • Repetitive line found throughout the poem • Is usually found in the same place in each stanza • Similar to the chorus in a song 10

11. Since Hanna Moved Away The tires on my bike are flat… The sky is grouchy gray. At least it sure feels like that Since Hanna moved away. Chocolate ice cream tastes like prunes. December’s come to stay. They’ve taken back the Mays and Junes Since Hanna moved away Flowers smell like halibut. Velvet feels like hay. Every handsome dog’s a mutt Since Hanna moved away. Nothing’s fun to laugh about. Nothing’s fun to play. They call me, but I won’t come out Since Hanna moved away. Judith Viorst 11

12. Try one of these possible refrains • On my way to school today • I think I’ll stay in bed • And that was that • If you ask me • Why does it have to be me? • I laughed and giggled all day 12