Craft and Story Structure

Foreign Lands

Begin by reading: Foreign Lands

Learning Targets

1. I can read and understand third grade stories, plays and poems by myself.
1. I can write and talk about fiction by using the words for the different parts (e.g., chapter, scene, stanza).
2. I can describe how new parts of fiction build on the parts that have already happened.
3. I can tell the difference between what I think and what the author or characters might think in a story.

The Big Picture

1. List at least 3 observations about the speaker of the poem.

2. Summarize the main idea of the poem.

3. What is the message or emotion in the poem?

4. How did the poem make you feel?

Question 2 Possible Answer: The main idea of the poem is noticing one’s surroundings and seeing the beauty within it.

Question 1 Possible Answer: The speaker is probably a young person. He or she seems happy. They have an active imagination. He or she is very observant and appreciative of their environment.

Question 3 Possible Answer: The speaker seems happy and positive. A message could be to appreciate your surroundings or appreciate what you have.

Question 4: Answers will vary.

Structure of Poetry

Lines: Lines in a poem are determined by the poet. He or she decides when a line will break off. This is what gives poems their shape.

I saw the dimpling river pass

And be the sky’s blue looking-glass;

The dusty roads go up and down

With people tramping in to town.

If I could find a higher tree

Farther and farther I should see,

To where the grown-up river slips

Into the sea among the ships,

Lines

Stanza: A group of lines that convey an idea in a poem. Stanzas are separated by an empty line.

Stanzas

Elements of Poetry

Rhyme: The repetition of the ending sounds of words.

The rhyming words are usually at the end of a line. In the stanzas below, the rhyming words are in bold.

The rhyme in a poem is often a pattern. In the stanzas below, the rhyme follows an AABB pattern.

I saw the dimpling river pass

And be the sky’s blue looking-glass;

The dusty roads go up and down

With people tramping in to town.

If I could find a higher tree

Farther and farther I should see,

To where the grown-up river slips

Into the sea among the ships,

​

Elements of Poetry

Rhythm: The flow and beat of words in a poem.

The reader of a poem determines its rhythm. Each poem has its own rhythm.

Listen to the link. The bold words are stressed or strong syllables. The other words are unstressed or quiet syllables.

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Up into the cherry tree

Who should climb but little me?

I held the trunk with both my hands

And looked abroad in foreign lands.

I saw the next door garden lie,

Adorned with flowers, before my eye,

And many pleasant places more

That I had never seen before.