POETRY: Start a Poetry Circle
12/07/2011 in Poetry, SL Activity
Song lyrics, limericks, nursery rhymes, and even some speeches are all forms of poetry. Maybe you should start a poetry circle at Cypris Village and start talking about poetry. It’s a fun way to study songs, famous children stories, even rap and hip-hop. Poetry is a big part of speaking English. Here is a notecard I am using to introduce poetry and poetry circles to the group. Feel free to copy it and use it in your poetry circle.
Poetry Circle
Compiled, written, and edited by Professor Merryman
Let’s share poetry! In this lesson, we will learn about types and techniques of poetry. We will read some examples and then we will share some short poems with each other. Hopefully this will help you start your own poetry circle here at Cypris.
There are dozens of types of poetry, but they all have a few things in common: movement, sound, and emotion. Here are a few types of poems we can use in our circle:
DEFINITION – Uses “free verse”. No rules for rhyming. Uses metaphors or imagery to “paint a picture”. Rap songs come from this type. This type is also good for English learners to have fun experimenting with the language.
What is my dog?
A furry two-legged companion
A winsome fierce dog
Happiness all around
The gentle kind dog
Too small and mighty
White and tan hair all around
A warm soft song
So small he could fit in a teacup
Powerful, But strong
Toys and tails thrown
This is my dog!
CATALOG – A list of ideas. It may rhyme or not. Each section has a central theme.
Snow melting
Air warming
Trees coming to life
Flowers budding
Birds singing
Baseball season starting
Everything turning green
My favorite time of year
LIMERICK – humorous poetry, fun, and often lighthearted. It has a strict rhyming pattern and five lines.
A Clumsy Young Fellow Named Tim
1. There once was a fellow named Tim (A)
2. whose dad never taught him to swim. (A)
3. He fell off a dock (B)
4. and sunk like a rock. (B)
5. And that was the end of him. (A)
QUATRAIN – made up of two couplets. A couplet has two stanzas. A stanza is one line.
Swimming is a lot of fun
Hanging out all day in the sun
Splashing around in the pool
It’s the best way to stay cool
HAIKU – A popular Japanese style of poetry.
• Uses three or four lines of up to 17 syllables (10-14 is common in English Haiku);
• Use a season word like “Autumn” or “Spring”
• Use punctuation to “cut” between two images
Ballet in the air …
twin butterflies
until, twice white
They meet, they mate
-Basho 
Poets use a myriad of styles or techniques, sometimes referred to as “poetic devices”, to get across their ideas or themes. Some common techniques are:
ONOMATOPOEIA
Uses words to deScribe sounds like “crack”, “boom”, “bang”.
ALLITERATION
To repeat three or more same sounding words like “The pop, pop, pop brought the child out in me.”
ASSONANCE
Use vowel sounds repeatedly that rhyme as in “The head of the bed was red”.
RHYMING
Words and phrases are combined with rhyming sounds to create rhythm.
Jack be nimble,
Jack be quick.
Jack jumped over
The candlestick.
SIMILES
Use comparisons like, “The air felt like the smell of an old book.”
METAPHOR
Phrases that describe an emotion or scene in words that are not always commonly used. For example:
“All the world is a stage.” (Shakespeare) Alone, it can mean many things: we can be who we want to be, no one is real in the world, people around the world are always willing to listen. But when this phrase is combined with other stanzas the author’s meaning becomes clearer to the reader. Metaphors allow the reader to decide for themselves the meaning of the poem.
One other technique worth mentioning is “Poetic License”. Poetic license is when the poet or song writer uses the language incorrectly. Look up the poem entitled, “Jabberwocky” to get an idea of what poetic license is. But be careful, you are an English learner. Poetic “license” is given to poets and writers when they are known to be fluent in the language and are using their “license” to be poetic. English learners should not have poetic license.
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Acitivity – Poetry Circle
Find examples of poetry on the Internet or in books you have at home. Good beginning choices include nursery rhymes, song lyrics, limericks or even one of your own. Share them with the circle. Please copy and paste the poem in local chat or create a notecard to give to us. An audio recording of a native speaker reading the poem is also nice. Read the poem, then let’s discuss its meaning and how it makes us feel.
Here is how a poetry circle works:
The circle is organized by a Host or Tutor. It is their job to help everyone by helping to correct mistakes, add links from the web that help understanding, or help moderate discussion. The Host or Tutor can also become a Poem Master if one is not available.
The poetry circle consists of four people: the Poem Master, the Apprentice, the Scribe, and the Explorer.
Poem Master
The Poem Master chooses the poem. They introduce the poem with who wrote it, the date it was written, the country it is from, and a little about the poem to help us understand. They then read it to the circle. It should take less than two minutes to read. They should then ask the Apprentice, then the Scribe, and finally the Explorer what they thought of the poem. Each person adds their five minute part to the discussion. The Poem Master and Apprentice help the speakers get plenty of time to speak.
Apprentice
The Apprentice tries to make a few comments about the poem without talking too much about the meaning. For example, “It’s such a happy poem. I really liked it because the rhyming was fun. Your voice was so happy.” The Apprentice can be the Poem Master the next week and uses this time to learn about becoming a Master. The Apprentice keeps track of time with a countdown clock and helps the Poem Master with discussions and questioning.
Scribe
The Scribe chooses three to five points in the poem that are interesting to discuss. These could be grammar, vocabulary, phrasing, meaning, emotion, sound, style, or technique. The Scribe should not talk about the poems overall meaning but rather specific words or phrases that can be used in our daily writing or speaking.
Explorer
The Explorer’s job is to discuss with the group the overall meaning of the poem. The Explorer first asks the Poem Master about the poems meaning and then attempts to connect the meaning with life and world culture. The Explorer might give examples from other poems, stories, movies, or songs related to the discussion. Put SLurls of Second Life places to visit or videos and photos that might help us better visualize the meaning of the poem.
Once the Explorer has presented, the other attending members can join the discussion. This ensures that the four presenters have had enough chance to speak. Afterall, they did their homework and prepared to be here for this activity. They should be given ample opportunity to speak.
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What if there are more than four people?
If there are more than four people in the circle, they can join the discussion after the Scribe and Explorer have presented. They should sit on the observation seats and then be invited down to the circle seats to join the discussion. If there is time, the circle can shift and new roles can be assigned.
Length of time
The Apprentice is in charge of keeping time. Each discussion should generally be about 40 minutes. Of course, this depends on the group. Each person should have five minutes to read and present their part and a few more minutes to discuss. The apprentice should use a countdown clock that everyone can see in order to help keep everything on time.
Poetry Circle Host – What do they do?
At the end of the 40 minutes, a new Poem Master is chosen. The Poem Master should give the poem to the circle Host or put it in a box that is made available to everyone similar to the notecards box we use for lesson times. The Host should make sure the group gets the notecard or is given the link to the poem to read and study for the next discussion time. The Host is also responsible for advertising the activity.
Rules for poem choice
All poems should respect the Cypris principle of Respect. The poems should present healthy topics for discussion; no sex, heavy drug use, gory death, zealous religion, extreme politics, or any other topic that may cause extreme cultural discomfort. Let’s not leave the circle with negative thoughts in our head. Talk about your choice of poem with the group and be sure to let everyone know why you chose your poem.
Can I write and present my own poem?
Of course. That would be fantastic! You could even turn it into a digital poem by making a slideshow or video of you reading the poem with images to help make the poem come alive.
Do we have to have the circle at Cypris Village?
Absolutely not! Start your own poetry group and use Cypris as a meeting place. You can then teleport to places in SL that help visualize the poem’s meaning. We only ask at Cypris that you advertise your circle as [HOST NAME’s] Poetry Circle. It would be great if you could wear your Cypris Villager tag when you travel.
Do we have to use poems? Could we do this with short stories, jokes, movie scripts etc.?
Sure. You’ll just want to call it something other than a poetry circle, of course.
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