Form
Poetry Lesson Plans

Form in Poetry Lesson Plans Objective

Introduce form in poetry. Specifically stanza, concrete, and haiku.

Form Poetry Lesson Plans Materials

• Class Set of Seal by William Jay Smith
• Class Set of The Pasture by Robert Frost
• Class Set of Clouds Come Haiku by Masaoka Basho
• Teacher Notes (for student use via overhead, handout, computer projection)

Form in Poetry Lesson Plans Lesson

Warm Up
If you had to choose any one thing in nature to write a poem about what would it be and why? For example, I might write about Weeping Willow Trees because I think they are beautiful, sad, and full of mystery.

Overhead Notes

Form in Poetry
Form - the way a poem is shaped, it's physical structure created by the poet.

Stanza poetry - group of lines similar to a paragraph in a story.

Concrete poetry - shape suggests subject of poem. Lines are structured to create an image.

Haiku poetry - Japanese poetry. 3 lines total with 17 syllables on each line. Broken down 5-7-5.

Form Poetry Lesson Plans Work Period

1. Look at Seal and discuss how shape suggests topic.
2. Read Seal once through as a class.
3. After reading students answer: (1)Find 2 lines that connect the shape of the poem to the theme of the poem. (2)Which type of poem is this and how do you know?
4. Read The Pasture once through as a class.
5. After reading students answer: (1)What was the speaker inviting you to do during this poem? (2) Which type of poem is this and how do you know?

Seal, The Pasture, and Clouds Come Haiku Poems located in right column.

Form in Poetry Lesson Plans Homework

Read Clouds Come Haiku and answer: (1)What is the meaning of this haiku? (2)What feeling does the author hope to evoke in the reader?