I have been brainstorming ways to help my AP kids grasp poetry here are a few questions they can ask of any poem...


10 Questions to ask a poem
1. How does this poem make you feel?
2. Why is the title significant - even if it seems silly?
3. How does the prosody (rhythm) affect the 'feel' of the poem?
4. How does the rhyme scheme affect the 'feel' of the poem?
5. What words or phrases catch your mind's eye?
6. Which words or phrases gave you trouble? (hint- it's never all of them- you must have given up after the first or second frustration)
7. After you have finished your internal tantrum, what was it you did not know - a word, a metaphor?
8. What is the message the author is trying to convey (if poetry is condensed prose thought, theme is condensed poetic thought...deep huh)?
9. What is a cool feature you could show off next year to a beautiful or handsome English major that would amaze, rather than amuse?
10. How do you feel now that you understand the poem?


Anyone have any other ideas?