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Background Activity: Characteristics of Poetry
Students reread or re-watch the two poems. Afterward, they share with each other the characteristics of poetry they found in the poems.
Visit the Apple App Store to find Texas Heroes app.
Texts:
- Poem document (Available in English only):
Revolutionary Heroes: The Story of Deaf Smith and Emily West
Optional Reading Guide
- Texas Heroes: Deaf Smith and Emily West app (Allow students to explore the “Read” mode and “Watch” mode.) Visit the Apple App Store to find Texas Heroes app.
Activity 1: Word Endings in English-based Poetry
Much poetry is in written or spoken English rhyme. It means the words sound the same.
One way to know if a poem rhymes is to see if the words have similar endings. This activity will use word endings to teach about rhyming words.
Activity 2: Word Endings in the English poem “Revolutionary Heroes: The Story of Deaf Smith and Emily West”Students apply their knowledge of word endings to identify similar word endings in excerpts from the poem.
Word Endings in “Revolutionary Heroes: The Story of Deaf Smith and Emily West”Activity 3: Didactic Cinquain Poems, Non-Rhyming Poetry
Not all poems rhyme but they still follow a pattern or a specific structure. The didactic cinquain is one example. Students use the worksheet to learn about and create their own Didactic Cinquain poem.
Digital Alternative:
https://www.poem-generator.org.uk/didactic-cinquain/ where they can digitally create their poem through suggestions or input their own words.
Activity 4: Five W Poems, Non-Rhyming Poetry
This is another example of a non-rhyming poem. Students watch the video and then create their own 5 W poems.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISvXkKiZXk4
Activity 5: Acrostic Poem
If in the English text: Students write an acrostic poem about the Revolution, Santa Anna, Deaf Smith, or Emily West.
If in American Sign Language: Students can choose to use classifiers or handshapes to create a poem about the Revolution, Santa Anna, Deaf Smith, or Emily West.
Examples with explanations.
- Poem document (Available in English only):
