Our catalog of courses is complete. We will occasionally adjust the course listing to reflect the addition of new courses and the retirement of others.
An introduction to reading and writing poetry, covering such literary devices as rhyme, meter, and figurative language, and the relationship of those elements to the overall meaning of a poem. Students will practice the art of close, critical reading, as well as experimenting with elements of poetry in their own writing. Introduction to Poetry plays a crucial function in the whole scheme of high-school literature, providing the student with a heightened understanding of this most mysterious literary form, as well as sharpening overall writing and critical-reading skills.
Total classes: 14
Prerequisite: None
Suggested grade level: 9th to 12th
Suggested credit: 1 full semester Poetry or Literature/ Creative Writing. For a full year of poetry, see Poetry Writing I in the spring
Description
An introduction to reading and writing poetry, covering such literary devices as rhyme, meter, and figurative language, and the relationship of those elements to the overall meaning of a poem. Students will practice the art of close, critical reading, as well as experimenting with elements of poetry in their own writing. Introduction to Poetry plays a crucial function in the whole scheme of high-school literature, providing the student with a heightened understanding of this most mysterious literary form, as well as sharpening overall writing and critical-reading skills. Introduction to Poetry serves as pre-requisite for more advanced and specialized poetry-writing courses, including Creative Writing: Poetry and Introduction to Poetic Forms.
Materials and Homework
Course materials: Sound and Sense, 8th Edition, Lawrence Perrine. Out of print, but readily available used for as little as $0.99 plus s/h. Click on the book title for ordering information.
Homework: One chapter per week in Perrine, with assigned poems. One poetry-writing exercise each week. (Approximately 4 hours total homework per week.)
