Using Riddle Poems To Teach Poetic Elements

Hank MaineRIWP Summer InstituteJuly 19, 2004

K W LWhat do you Know aboutpoetry?What would you like to learn?What did you Learn from The lesson?

The purpose of the lesson isto teach poetic elements sostudents can identify them in their reading and utilize them in their writing.

Why are we learning this?

S tand ard s and G LE s E1c-s tudent reads

informational materials to develop expertise and produces written or oral work that reflects thes e points .

E3b-s tudent participates in group meetings

E3c-s tudent prepares and delivers an individual presentation

E5b-s tudent produces work in at leas t one literary genre that follows the conventions of the genre

NEGLE W1-s tudent applies unders tanding of the s tructures of language in a particular genre of writing

NEGLE W2, W3-s tudent writes in res pons e to literary or informational text

NEGLE W9-s tudent applies conventions of a particular genre of writing

NEGLE R1-s tudent us es word identification skills and s trategies

NEGLE R2, R3, R4, R7-s tudent applies vocabulary s trategies and unders tanding of literary and informational text

What is a Riddle Poem?I like to feel it Firm and cool-And Round beneath my feet

It’s one of hundreds shoulderingA long-enduring s treet.

I like to muse who felt it firs t-And why They trod, and when,To fit in patterns -edge to edge-The paths from Now to Then.

Ruth Tenzer Feldman

Cobblestone

What am I?

Writing a Riddle Poem

Getting S tartedChoose an answerBrainstormUse a thesaurusThink like the objectUse figurative language

S tep 1: Begin with your answer or topic

Your topic can be concrete like a desk, a car, or even a person.

You can also choose something abstract like

happiness or peace

S te p 2: BrainstormCreate a lis t of words and ideas related to and

as sociated with your topic .Think with all your senses : where do you see,

hear, smell, tas te and touch things related to your topic?

Example: waterClouds, wet, rain, liquid, fish, stream, river,

lake, pool, pond, swimming, ocean, ice, glacier, steam, snow, boats, sailing

Also think of words or ideas that are oppos ite

or opposed to your topic

E xam ple : WaterEarth, fire, dry, air

Choose some words you brainstormed and look up

their synonyms in a thesaurus. Look up synonyms

for your topic too

Use a rhyming dictionary to look up words that rhyme with

the ones in your lis t

Think like the object: Try describing the world from the object’s point of view. What do you see, hear, feel? What do

you do? What do you like?

What would a river think?I run downhill

I make canyonsFish live in me

Try us ing figurative language: Describe your topic us ing

figurative language to give clues✔S imile: Pools that reflect like

mirrors✔Metaphor: S treams are fish

roads✔Personification: The rain

played a s teady beat

DraftingOnce you’ve gathered your notes , you’re ready to begin a draft. How should weS tart?

Let’s s tart with the ideas of water cutting canyons and

reflecting like a mirror

I am like a mirror when I’m s till

I am s tronger than s tone when I move

S ounds good but bland. Try playing with the word

orderS till, I am like a m irror

Fast, I’m stronge r than

stone

Now use your brains torm to add different poetic elements

like personification, metaphors , and maybe even rhyme

Try different line and word combinations . S ometimes even the

s lightes t change can make a big difference. Read your poem aloud and play with the words and order

until it makes sense and sounds right.

Publishing Your Final DraftPublish your poem in a creative wayUse form and shape the poem like its

topicUse a creative background that

doubles as a clueDraw a picture to go with your poemMake an audio recording of your

poem

Have s tudents generate a rubric for the as s ignment. Include an

explanation of the poetic elements in their poems and

how they used them

Have a poetry reading and invite parents , adminis trators , other clas ses and outs ide gues ts . Have the audience try to gues s the riddle. Display the poems in your clas s room and s chool building

Thoughts and Ques tions S hould s tudents work independently or in

groups?What are some other follow-up activities ?How should I differentiate the les son for

s tudents at various levels ?How can I integrate this les son to other

subject areas?How can I introduce different types of poetry

into the les son?How can I use this with different genres of

literature?

B ib l io g r a p h y 

F e ld m a n , R u t h T e n z e r . “ G u e s s W h a t ” Co b b l e s t o n e , M a r c h 19 9 5 , 2 4 -2 5 C la g g e t t , F r a n , L o u a n n R e id a n d R u t h V in z . Da y b o o k o f c r it ic a l R e a d in g a n d W r it in g . W ilm in g t o n , M a s s a c h u s e t t s : G r e a t S o u r c e E d u c a t io n G r o u p , 19 9 9 W r it in g R id d l e P o e ms . N C T E /IR A , m a r c o p o lo . 2 0 0 3 ; c i t e d J u ly , 2 0 0 4 h t t p : //w w w . r e a d w r t ie t h in k . o r g Z e m e lm a n , S t e v e n a n d H a r v e y D a n ie ls . A Co mmu n it y o f W r it e r s . P o r t s m o u t h , N H : H e in e m a n n , 19 8 8 C a r a v ia , L o r i . R id d l e P o e m. U n iv e r s i t y o f I l l in o is , U r b a n a -C h a m p a ig n , N o v e m b e r 6 , 19 9 7 ; c i t e d J u ly , 2 0 0 4 h t t p : //w w w . e d . u iu c . e d u /YL P /9 7 -9 8 /9 7 -9 8 _u n it s /9 7 -9 8 m in i- u n it /L C a r a v ia  M i l le r , C a r o l R a w lin g s . 5 0 W r it in g L e s s o n s T h a t W o r k . N e w Yo r k : S c h o la s t ic P r o f e s s io n a l B o o k s , 19 9 9 M y S t u d e n t s a n d M y C o l le g u e s . W e s t e r n Hil l s M id d l e S c h o o l . C r a n s t o n , R h o d e I s la n d : 19 9 9 -2 0 0 4

T h a n k Yo u !

The End