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Interactive Activities on Poetic Devices

Poetic devices are methods or features in language that create the rhythm and feeling of a poem. Each device has a name and serves a purpose -- usually to make a line of poetry sound or flow better. Imagery, metaphor, meter, repetition and alliteration are a few examples of poetic devices. The use of these devices can be natural or intentional, and once you understand these language "tricks," it is simple to recognize them in poems.
  1. Music

    • Music is a great, interactive way to introduce and teach poetic devices. Break students up into pairs. Ask them to choose a favorite song and meet sometime during the week to listen to it. Each student should also print out the words to the song. Together, they should find at least five poetic devices in the song. After discussing the devices, they become the "teacher" and teach the class about poetic devices using the song as an example.

    Illustration Project

    • Have students work together as a class and create a bulletin board of illustrated poetic device terms. Give each student or group of students a poetic device. Leave it up to them how to best show the device through a sentence accompanied by an illustration. Have them create a small poster with the name of the device, the sentence and the created picture. Combine the pictures, once completed, to create a bulletin board.

    Reading Aloud

    • Read a poem aloud to the class several times. The first time, ask the students to write down how specific words or sounds make them feel. The second and third time, have them jot down notes on the poetic devices they recognize. Come together as a class and discuss the devices recognized. Next, discuss whether the sounds they attributed to their feelings matched up to specific devices. Look at the relationship between poetic devices and the effect of the poem.

    Writing and Listening Game

    • Ask students to write a poem using three specific poetic devices that differ from student to student. For example, one student can use personification, alliteration and metaphor. The poems should be short and fun -- you can even give them a specific topic to make it easier. Break the students into groups and read each poem aloud to the class. See if the groups can come up with the three devices used. The group who names the most correctly wins.

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