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