TTP - Reading Poetry Lesson

English_Lesson_TopBanner.png

Reading Poetry

Best Practices

REadingPoetry.png

Before working with any poems, we should establish some best practices for reading poetry. This module will outline some strategies for better understanding poetry and help train you to read it more closely.

How to Read Poetry

In the video below, we will examine some very important strategies for how to read poetry. Watch carefully, take notes, and ensure that your speakers are turned up.  Reach out to your instructor with any questions.

Reading a Poem: 20 Strategies

Now we are going to read an article, written by Mark Yakich called "Reading a Poem: 20 Strategies." At the time of publication, Mr. Yakich was teaching creative writing at Loyola University in New Orleans and editing the New Orleans Review. This article, written for The Atlantic, dispels superficial notions of reading poetry and makes "20 modest proposals towards rethinking the act of reading a poem." Click on the link below to read the article. {Original Source} Links to an external site.

Click here to download and read Mark Yakich's article, "Reading a Poem: 20 Strategies." [REQUIRED READING!] Links to an external site.

Challenge Activity

Reflect on the skills you have learned in this lesson in the activity below.

Final Thoughts

Remember that understanding the poem as a whole is more important than individual lines, terms, and images. Also remember that sometimes if a line in a poem is troublesome that it is best to put it into the context of the entire poem. Finally, questions on the AP English Exam will focus upon the entire meaning or attitude of a particular poem. 

APLiterature_ LessonBottomBanner.png

IMAGES & PRESENTATIONS CREATED BY GAVS