STAAR Poetry Terms 4th Grade

stanza

like a paragraph but in a poem;

a group of lines

repetition

to repeat something over and over.... to repeat something over and over

rhythm

the repeating patterns of sound (beats) in poems

rhyme

when the ending sounds of 2 or more words sound the same

rhyme scheme

The rhyme "plan" -- it shows the pattern of end rhyme throughout a poem. (Examples of rhyme patterns are: AABB, ABAB, ABCA)

line break

the line of a poem stops and is continued on the next line even though there is plenty of space and the idea continues. This is done for a specific reason.

line length

how long the lines in a poem are

speaker

the person who is talking in the poem

Figurative Language

words that are used to create interesting images by comparing one idea to another - authors do this to make the first idea easier for the reader to understand

similes

comparing two things

using the words "like" or "as"

metaphors

comparing two things

WITHOUT using the words "like" or "as"

personification

when a non-human object is given human characteristics (or traits)

imagery

words that paint a picture by mentioning things you can see, smell, hear, taste, and touch

theme

the life lesson that an author is trying to get the reader to understand; it teaches us something true about human behavior

symbol

words that stand for a bigger idea. For example: dove = peace

italics

words that are written in a way that looks slanted

line

a single row of words in a poem

free verse

a type of poetry where the poet does not have to follow any patterns: no rhythm, and no rhyme

lyrical

a type of poetry about serious topics that expresses the strong feelings and emotions of the poet (often uses meter and rhyme)

narrative

a type of poetry that tells a story that includes characters, setting and plot events (often uses meter and rhyme)

pattern

a type of poetry where poets follow a specific pattern of lines or words (examples: concrete poems, acrostics, cinquain, Haiku, etc.)