-

Year 8
Poetry
Booklet
A poem is a tight group of words
that lets you express an emotion
with the strongest power,
paint an image with the sharpest focus, A poem is a
way of giving
explore an idea with the clearest vision. others a
glance at
what’s in your
head.

Poetry is a
virus that can
infect all of
us!

Poetry is like a
painting slowly
coming to life.

What is poetry?
Poetry means different things to different
people…

Poetry is the expression

of all that we are and would like to be.

Poetry is like
Poetry is like a photograph
music letting the capturing an
feeling come image in
through. time.
 Poetry is not just the flower, but
the scent of the flower. Not just the
storm, but the sound of the storm.
Structure
Poems have different styles and structures. In this section we will
look at some of the different structures of poems. Read the
descriptions and examples and then have a go at trying your own
poem for each (additional poem is optional).
Limerick: A five-line poem, which is meant to be silly and witty. It often tells of
unlikely events. First, second- and fifth-lines rhyme with same number of beats,
third- and fourth-line rhyme but are shorter than the others (a, a, b, b, a). The
last line is the punch line.

Example:
The Boy The Old Man
There was a young boy with a cat, There was an old man of
Which he wore on his head like a Blackheath
hat, Who sat on his set of false teeth.
The cat in despair Said he, with a start,
Pulled out chunks of his hair, ‘O dear, bless my heart!
So he swapped it instead for a rat. I’ve bitten myself underneath.’

Make some notes: there was an old cow at the Show, A fellow who lives in our street, there was a
green alien from mars, there was a young fellow called Pete, there was an old dog from Melbourne,
Have a go 1: Have a go 2:
Their was a boy with a rat
The rat liked to chat
The boy shaved his rat’s hair
The rat peed on the chair
The rat ate a bat

Haiku: from Japan, very old form, captures a single moment, idea or

feeling. It is unrhymed, three lines long and has 17 syllables – line 1

has five, line 2 has seven and line 3 has five. Always written in

present tense, often to do with nature or the seasons.

Example:
Awakening Spring
Silver dawn awakes Snow having melted
the new day is born again The whole village is brimful
innocent and fresh Of happy children.
Make some notes: dry falling leaves, the little girl danced, the lonely raindrop, the fierce wind rages,
etc
Have a go:

Have a go 1: Have a go 2:
Golden sunrise awakes
The new day is created again
Fresh and innocent
Cinquain: five line poem, each line based on a set number of
syllables,
L1 has two, L2 has four, L3 has 6, L4 has 8 and L5 has 2.

Example:
They Won! Storm clouds,
Players, Casting shadows
Proud and joyful Over weary soldiers,
Take a well deserved rest. Threaten to cry heavy
Dedication and sacrifice buckets
Paid off. Of tears.
A Threat!

Make some notes: Some ideas are yourself, friendship, school, pets, parents, television etc

Writing about things you know about makes it easier to write poems eg hobbies, sports, interests,
school etc

Have a go 1: Have a go 2:
Diamante: this poem moves from one subject to the opposite subject
eg demon to cherub (angel), cat to dog. L1 – 1 noun (subject 1), L2 –
2 adjectives (subject 1), L3 – 3 participles (-ing, subject 1), L4 – 4
nouns (two subject 1, two subject 2), L5 – 3 participles (-ing, subject
2), L6 – 2 adjectives (subject 2), L7 – 1 noun (subject 2).
Example:
 Devil Child Cat and Dog
Demon, Cat
wicked, evil, curious, stuck-up,
tempting, provoking, vexing, hissing, scratching, fighting,
adversary, fiend, angel, saint, opinionated, hunter, companionable,
caring, sharing, loving, friend,
sweet, innocent, barking, tail-wagging, fetching,
Cherub. loyal, faithful,
Dog.
Make some notes: Summer/Winter, Wet/Dry, black/white, hot/cold
Have a go 1: Have a go 2:
 Rictametre: this is a nine line poem that uses syllable count for

each line. The first and last lines are the same. L1 – 2 syllables

(same as L9), L2 – 4, L3 – 6, L4 – 8, L5 – 10, L6 – 8, L7 – 6, L8 – 4,

L9 – 2 (same as L1).

Example:
Laughing Washing
Laughing Washing…
Smiling faces There is so much!
Beaming with happiness Put it on…take it off…
Give pleasure to our aging souls. And then I have to iron it.
They warm the heart and bring back How can anyone have so many clothes?
memories Praise the Lord for washing machines.
Of happy days and carefree youth. Wish it was wrinkle free…
The world was at our feet. I never stop,
I remember Washing…
Laughing

Make some notes: any topic, come up with a list of 2 syllable words to help you get started

Have a go 1: Have a go 2:
Abecedarian: Each new word begins with the next letter of the
alphabet. There is no set structure with syllables or a certain number
of lines. You may need to use a thesaurus or dictionary to help you.

Example:
Hungry One
A baby cries
During energetic fitful gasps he is jostling
Keeping loving mother near,
Over protective.

Make some notes: Eg football, school, basketball, movies, animals

Have a go 1: Have a go 2:
Other forms of poetry you should know
about:

Ballad
A type of poetry or verse which was first experienced as dance songs
in ancient France. Later, during the late 16th and 17th centuries, it
spread to the majority of Europe. Its popularity and emotional appeal
caused it to be a powerful tool for poets to prepare music in the form
of lyrical ballads, and earn a decent income.

Ballads, no matter which category they fall into, mostly rely on simple
and easily understood language. Stories about hardships, tragedies,
love, and romance are usually seen in ballads.
Another standard trait of any ballad is the repetition of certain lines at
regular intervals (the use of a refrain).

 Folk or traditional ballad

 Lyrical ballad
 Bush ballad (E.g. ‘The Man from Snowy River’)

Sonnet
A 14-line poem with a variable rhyme scheme originating in Italy and
brought to England by Sir Thomas Wyatt and Henry Howard, earl of
Surrey in the 16th Century. There are many different types of
sonnets, but most are ‘versions’ of these:

The Petrarchan sonnet, perfected by the Italian poet Petrarch,

divides the 14 lines into two sections: an eight-line stanza (octave)
rhyming ABBAABBA, and a six-line stanza (sestet) rhyming CDCDCD
or CDECDE. Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s “How Do I Love Thee”
employs this form. The Italian sonnet is an English variation on the
traditional Petrarchan version. The octave’s rhyme scheme is
preserved, but the sestet rhymes CDDCEE. See John Donne’s “If
Poisonous Minerals, and If That Tree.” Wyatt and Surrey developed
the English (or Shakespearean-because Shakespeare made it
famous) sonnet, which condenses the 14 lines into one stanza of
three quatrains (4 line stanzas) and a concluding rhyming couplet (2
lines), and a rhyme scheme of ABABCDCDEFEFGG (though poets have
frequently varied this scheme; for example Wilfred Owen’s “Anthem
for Doomed Youth”).

Free Verse
A free verse poem is one that does not follow/adhere to a specific
structure or rhythm. They usually do not have a set rhyme scheme.

Some famous free verse poems:

 ‘Fog’ by Carl Sandburg

 ‘i carry your heart with me [i carry it in]’ by E.E Cummings

 ‘Praise the Rain’ by Joy Harjo

 ‘In the Metro Station’ by Ezra Pound (famous for his couplets)