1. Learning about Poetry Thoughts of a Backpack You stuff me with books
And lunch and a ball.
It’s kind of hard to hold it all.
And then you forget
To empty me out.
That’s when I wish
That I could shout!
‘Cause I’m full of goo
And lunch and junk
And rot and mold,
All sorts of gunk.
But wait a minute…I’m not done.
Riding you piggyback really is fun.
I jounce and bounce
As you run along
And my trinkets jangle
And clank a song!
Rhyme
Personification: When a writer treats a nonliving thing like a person. The object seems to come alive. It may think, have feelings, speak, and even behave like humans do.
Nonliving things include, but are not limited to:
objects- chair, pencil, rug, brush, plate…
force of nature- wind, volcano, tsunami…
animal- rabbit, bear, crocodile, bird…
Line: words that are in a horizontal row
Line Break: where a line ends
Rhyme: two or more words that end in the same vowel and consonant sounds
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In this poem, who is talking?
What is the backpack’s mood at the beginning and end of the poem?
What is it complaining about? What makes it happy?
What kinds of thoughts might it have when it is empty or full? When it is tossed or kicked? What about when it is hanging or just on the floor?
Stanza
Line
Line Break
Graphic Organizer for Teaching Poetry Writing by Betsy Franco, Scholastic