Narr poetry is among oldest – maybe THE oldest – genre of ...



Genre Approach to Teaching Narrative Poetry

Erica Brazee

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The crown of literature is poetry.  It is its end and aim.  It is the sublimest activity of the human mind.  It is the achievement of beauty and delicacy.  The writer of prose can only step aside when the poet passes.

–William Somerset Maugham

Writing Narrative Poetry

Everyone has a story they love to tell, and everyone loves to hear a good story. Tall tales get passed on in grade school, family traditions are recited over holiday feats, and that fish gets bigger each year by the water cooler the day before the Boss’ annual fishing trip.

The natural way people speak and tell stories is in prose form. We sometimes place ourselves in the story, whether we were there or not; we add vivid detail to keep our readers’ attention and we offer a closing in how the incident ended. Putting these thoughts and stories down on paper is a lot easier than you might think. And your students will enjoy it much more than you probably expect.

In distinguishing narrative prose from narrative poetry, there are some major differences. The most obvious is the length of a poem is often shorter, much shorter, than a story in prose. Also, writing in poem form allows the author some liberties: to use poetic language, to emphasize a line or words through rhyme, and to repeat lines over again as a refrain.

Writing narrative poetry is easy; narrative poetry is the easiest form of poetry to write, because there are no strict guidelines. In fact, the only rule to writing narrative poetry is that it must tell a story.

Genre Studies: Rationale

A genre study is the best way for students to learn to write in a specific form. I prefer to focus on a genre rather than a topic or theme. A genre study on narrative poetry teaches students how to write poems as well as read them. In a genre study, students read numerous examples of a specific type of writing, and then emulating that style, can they master a form of writing. Writing about global warming in an essay, an editorial, and then a poem teaches the student nothing about writing in either of those forms. Students need opportunity to read, study and write the genre in order to master it. If genre is second to topic in classrooms we risk our students not growing as writers (357 Calkins).

That said I will lay out the best way to teach a genre study in a middle school classroom. Students must read examples and then more examples of the genre; and next, attempt to write in that style; and finally, through peer editing and revision, they can write a better version. This process should be repeated a few times, starting with short narrative poems and working towards longer, more complicated poems, until students have internalized the features of the genre.

History: Narrative Poetry

Narrative poetry is among the oldest – maybe the very oldest – genre of poetry. Narrative poems include epics, ballads, and idylls (Narrative poetry). Before poetry was written, it was spoken, either to tell a story or recited as a performance. The Ballad originated in Scotland and England, as performance poetry (Narrative poetry). The narrative forms mentioned above were originally written with elements that helped storytellers, or performers, recite them. Elements like meter, rhyme, and refrain all helped the performers recite them (Narrative poetry). Often these storytellers recited the poems to music; this is much like fans knowing the lyrics to a song by heart. In the Middle Ages, these performers were called Bards. William Shakespeare is a historically famous Bard (William Shakespeare). Other cultures have oral storytellers, as well. In Asia, storytellers are called Bakhshi, and in Western Africa they are known as Griots (Sheppard).

In telling students what narrative poetry is, you should also state what it is not: lyrical poetry. Lyrical poetry expresses feelings. This expression of emotion can be from a single event, and not a story. The story behind the emotion is often left out. Also, lyrical poetry has more rules than narrative poetry. Lyrical poems are written in measured meter by syllables per line, or stresses per line. A traditional form of lyrical poetry is the sonnet.

Rationale for Poetry

Each social situation where communication is necessary gives rise to a kind of genre (Coe, Freedman 137). To begin the genre study, mention that the genre does not define or limit writing, rather the kind of writing and audience it is intended for creates the genre. From the brief, pay-per-word telegrams of the late 1800s to the short, professional typing of the e-mail, writing forms have evolved when new means of communication were created. The Bards spoke or sang narratives because printed word was not common; paper was expensive and few people could read or write. With the availability of paper and computer or pen ink today, anyone can be a writer.

Some students may feel strongly that poetry serves a purpose for self expression or for sharing. Others may argue that poetry serves no purpose. Explain to these students that the lyrics to their favorite songs are a form of poetry; that both poetry and music can cause strong feelings and even activism. Also point out that reading for pleasure and connecting personal experiences to writing are not only acceptable purposes, but also signs of understanding the writing. Perhaps you are asking why you should teach poetry. Take as your answer this quote from author Nancie Atwell’s website:

If ever I had to choose just one genre to teach in a middle school English program, it would be poetry. The lessons it teaches kids about good writing, about critical reading, about the kind of adults they wish to become and the kind of world they hope to inhabit, extend the best invitation I can imagine to grow up healthy and whole. (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)

If one genre of writing can teach our students to be better writers, to read critically, and to dream big, you would most certainly want to teach that genre in your classroom. Poetry allows for freedom; it is no five paragraph essay. Poetry allows for creativity; no one is asking the writer to cite their facts. More importantly, poetry allows them to express an opinion about themselves or the world, and creates a reaction in their reader. Narrative poetry is the easiest form of poetry for students to write because it emulates the way they speak. It is not overly flowery with description, it does not necessarily rhyme; it simply tells a story from the narrator’s imagination. You can teach writing skills such as being brief, description and punctuation with narrative poetry. Narrative poetry can be looked at critically, for the elements of story and the reader’s interpretation of the event. Narrative poetry is a form of expression and writing that will come easily to your students after you present them with a genre study of it.

Procedure for Conducting a Genre Study on Narrative Poetry

Rationale

Imagine a student being told to “write a narrative poem and turn it in tomorrow.” The result would most likely be less than shining. Without prior knowledge of what narrative poetry is or prior experience reading a narrative poem, a student can not be expected to write in that genre. Younger students may not even know what the term “narrative” means.

Introduction

It would be best to start out with a whole-class effort to define the genre. Poetry is a familiar term but narrative may not be. In the American Heritage College dictionary, narrative has a definition specific to our purposes: “Consisting of or characterized by the telling of a story: narrative poetry” (925). A related word that will help with the meaning is “narrator.” Students know that the narrator in a book is the person telling the story.

Optionally, you can ask students if they know what an epic, ballad, or idyll is. Students may link ballad to a type of song with the same name, and that would be correct. Ballad poems tell a story; are sometimes set to music or sung rather than read; often have short lines with alternating stresses and a simple rhyme; and commonly have a refrain, much like the chorus in a song (Ballad). Students may be surprised to learn that they know a few examples. They might have sung “Michael, Row the Boat Ashore” in elementary school. Perhaps they have heard Bruce Springsteen’s many ballads, among them, “Glory Days” and “Streets of Philadelphia.”

Read, Read, Read the Genre

Next, you need to provide students with shining examples of high-interest narrative poems. The examples can differ in length, tone and the type of story that is told. It is important to point out to your students that each piece “gets the job done” so that they can see that there are differences in form within the genre (Bomer 125). As you show each poem, ask students for similarities among them. After allowing students to comment on what they see common to each example, you can point out what makes each a narrative poem. Only by reading, rereading and talking about narrative poetry will your students be able to learn about it (Cooper 47). After reading many examples and being armed with a list of criteria, students will be well prepared to write their own narrative poem. This brings me to the touchstone texts. The following poems exemplify the features of narrative poetry. I have provided copies of all the poems in Appendix A.

▪ “If I Had To Save The World…” by Dawn Shantel Binstock

▪ “What The Doctor Said” by Raymond Carver

▪ “Lydia” by Erica Brazee (after all, you should show your own work!)

▪ “Fast Break” by Edward Hirsch

▪ “I Can’t Forget You.” by Len Roberts

▪ “The Highwayman” by Alfred Noyes

I selected these poems as the touchstone texts because they are about different topics; some of the poems are serious while others are humorous. I begin by reading two poems out loud to the students. “If I Had To Save The World” and “What The Doctor Said” are both modern examples, yet they differ in tone. The first is humorous, and the latter is sad.

In order to show reluctant writers that anyone can write a narrative poem, you should be prepared to share your own poem. Allow students to view your writing as an example, picking out the elements that make it narrative poetry. Next I read my own poem, “Lydia,” about a cancer patient in a hospital facing death.

Then I read aloud two contemporary poems, “Fast Break” and “I Can’t Forget You.” “Fast Break” is about the common play by the same name that occurs in basketball. This poem will appeal to male students as well as athletes. The poem is written in non-rhyming couplets, and is action packed, much like a basketball game. This is a perfect example of a short poem in which a lot of action occurs. “I Can’t Forget You.” is a short poem about graffiti written on a highway overpass. It is also about lost love. There is one word in the poem that may give students trouble: hyperbole. Define it for students before reading the poem to avoid any hang ups.

“The Highway Man” is a classic narrative poem that will not be too hard for students to read. It is long, so I suggest saving it for the end. Allow students to mark on their handout of Noyes’ poem where the rising and falling action are and where the climax of the poem’s story is, to keep them engaged with the poem.

After reading each of the above poems, have students respond in their journals. Focus first on their personal reactions and associations. Use the following prompts:

Did any poem remind you of a similar time in your life?

What poem did you like the most, and why? Was the story more exciting than

in others? Did you feel like you were with the speaker, watching the event?

Did you feel sad or excited for the speaker in any of the poems? Why?

Then ask students to begin forming a list of features of narrative poetry. The final list should be descriptive, and does not need to be evaluative (48). The website provides an example of a class list of the criteria for a narrative poem, below.

Is there 1 or more character(s)?

Is there a clear voice from the speaker?

What is the setting? (Describe it!)

What is the Rising action, Conflict, Falling action?

Is there a Resolution? (Not always!)

Are there lots of vivid images?

A true narrative poem will have a Yes answer to most, but not necessarily all, of the above questions. Students will be familiar with these terms since they previously learned these literary elements when they studied short stories: character, narrator, setting, conflict and resolution. A narrative poem tells a story in a much shorter and often more vivid and linguistically beautiful manner than a short story. Once your students are armed with shining examples and a list of criteria, they will be well prepared to write their own narrative poems.

Time to Write!

Since writing is best understood through practicing it, you will want to provide many opportunities for students to create their own narrative poems, as well as for revision of each poem (Coe, Freedman 138). A key to student participation is to allow students to be successful. For that reason, the first poem assigned should be easy for all students to complete, so as not to discourage any of them away from the genre completely. Start with a short assignment, limiting the number of lines or words as a guideline.

The first writing assignment should be done in class, after reading the examples and formulating the list of criteria. A good class activity includes a prompt, so that no time is wasted searching for ideas to write about. This assignment allows students to draw upon their own life experiences. As the ages-old quote goes, “Write what you know.” Advise students to choose experiences that can be captured in a snapshot. They are writing a poem of twelve lines, not a two hundred page memoir. These snapshots should be a moment in time, not the entire event (BabinLearn). I choose to provide topics for students, especially since this is their first time writing in the narrative poem genre (48).

Assignment

Write a narrative poem of at least 12 lines. Remember to include the elements of a narrative poem that we have studied in class:

1 or more character(s)

A clear voice from the speaker

A setting (describe it!)

Rising action, Conflict, Falling action

Maybe even a Resolution

Vivid images!

You can choose to write about anything you wish. If you’re stuck for an idea, try answering one of the prompts below in poem form.

Tell about a favorite birthday or Christmas present you received.

Write about a funny thing that happened on a family vacation.

Tell about a first day of school when you felt ______.

Write about a memorable experience you had with a deceased relative.

Your poem does not have to be perfect after one writing. We will spend time in class tomorrow doing Peer Review, and a final draft of this poem will be due later in the week.

Remember to use vivid images in your “story”!

Students can also use previous writings from their Writer’s Notebooks for inspiration on a topic of their narrative poem.

Remind students that their poem is like a mini-story. There should be a rising action, a climax, and a falling action. To help students know if they have a narrative poem, have them keep in mind the class list of criteria of a narrative poem. Students should be able to answer Yes to most of those questions. If not, then the student knows his poem needs revision.

Students should be allowed, but not forced, to share their poems with the class. Begin by sharing a first draft of your own poem. This will help students to realize that no one’s first draft is perfect. Just as you showed your own poem as an example, now you should show the first draft of that same poem. Let students compare your first and final drafts. Put both poems side by side on an overhead projector. Point out three or four major changes you made from your first to final drafts. Then explain that all writers, including your students and yourself, should go through a revision process. Encourage sharing of students’ first drafts and remind them that only revision and rewriting will make the draft perfect.

Peer Review

Peer revision and editing are the best ways to improve one’s writing, since writing is largely an apprenticeship process (Coe, Freeman 142). This point in the revision process is a good time to work on imagery. Have peer editors mark where imagery could be added. Does a student say red or crimson? Did the butterfly just fly through the air, or did it swoop and zig-zag with the wind? A great tool to use for peer revision of poetry is to offer a worksheet that allows the peer reader to comment on imagery and note two things he liked and two things he did not understand or that could be improved (Appendix B). Remind students that not all of the peer review’s suggestions need to be adhered to; if a student purposely left out the color of a car in the poem, it is her creative license to do so.

Now I will teach a mini lesson use of imagery in the students’ poems. I will begin by explaining that imagery is not merely description; it is using language that can be felt by one of our five senses. I will read aloud the poem “Fast Break” and ask students to fill in a chart with the five senses with words or phrases that appeal to each sense. The worksheet for this mini lesson is in Appendix C.

After the peer reviews, give students a day or two to make any suggestions or corrections they care to before turning in their final draft. A student should never feel her writing is not at its best before turning it in. Through peer suggestions and self revision, the students are given several times to modify their poems.

Author Day

If time allows, hold at least one Author Day, where any student that wishes to can share his poem with the class. You may choose to require participation, or alternately allow a student to have her poem read by another student. Be prepared to share your own poem first. This is a rewarding experience for your student writers, and it allows everyone to feel important by reading to an audience. Students will be surprised to find connections between other students’ poems and their own lives.

Additionally, a class anthology of the poems is exciting for all students to be a part of. You may even be able to get your librarian to keep a copy of the anthology on the shelves, where other students in the school will have a chance to read your students’ work. Students always want to feel that their work is relevant; it is about much more than a teacher reading it and assigning a grade. Alternately, you can seek out electronic publication opportunities for your students. A good website is , where anyone can upload a poem, and readers are allowed to comment. Students will be thrilled to have readers other than classmates and get feedback from other writers. There are even contests offered on this site that you could encourage your students to participate in.

Reflection

Once the writing process, from first draft to publication, has been completed, set aside a day for self-reflection. Students will benefit from self-reflection as much as from peer review. Give the following prompts for students to write on in their journals:

What part of the writing process did you enjoy the most?

Would you like to learn another style of writing in a genre study?

Which of your poems are you most proud of? Why?

Writing in a journal and self-evaluating by filling out a rubric (Appendix D) that you provide are two ways for students to reflect. Both of these modes can be of assistance when it comes to grading time.

These questions can also be used to look at a sample poem with the class, checking for comprehension of these terms, in preparation for the narrative prompt on the ELA test. Focus on the topic, narrator, logical action, climax and resolution. By teaching students to read a poem closely and note these narrative elements, you are preparing them to read the prompts well. Through the reading of sample poems and identifying criteria of narrative poetry, students are preparing for – without knowing it! – part III of the ELA Regents, when they will be asked to analyze two texts.

Writer’s Portfolio

After writing, revising and reflecting on their poems, students will have enough work to put a Writer’s Portfolio together. You can state which poems should be included, or allow students to make that choice. You may even allow for additional revisions to be made to students’ writing, and have them write a brief paragraph justifying the changes made (50). By putting their best works together, students will see the benefits of the writing process, and know that they have mastered the genre you have taught them.

In conclusion, teaching a genre study is an effective way to introduce students to a particular form of writing. By focusing on the genre, and not a topic, writing in the style of the genre can be perfected and fully understood. Teaching a genre study focuses on the students’ writing, as well as their ability to read and identify elements in poems.

Appendix A

If I Had To Save The World

Dawn Shantel Binstock

 

The grey telepathic aliens came one night.

They knocked me on the head.

I woke up the next day feeling half dead.

I opened one eye and groaned.

A monkey dressed in a silver space suit sat beside my bed.

The grey aliens sat on the other side.

They told me go with the monkey to the future because only I could save the world.

I lay back down and pulled the covers over my head.

No way was I going anywhere with a monkey I said.

But with a laser gun or two the aliens delicately insisted.

I grabbed the monkey and scowled at the aliens and left for the future...

Beep! Beep! Beep!

I opened my eyes and am relieved that it was all just a dream. But then I find a banana on the pillow beside mine...I begin to wonder...

What The Doctor Said

-Raymond Carver

He said it doesn't look good

he said it looks bad in fact real bad

he said I counted thirty-two of them on one lung before

I quit counting them

I said I'm glad I wouldn't want to know

about any more being there than that

he said are you a religious man do you kneel down

in forest groves and let yourself ask for help

when you come to a waterfall

mist blowing against your face and arms

do you stop and ask for understanding at those moments

I said not yet but I intend to start today

he said I'm real sorry he said

I wish I had some other kind of news to give you

I said Amen and he said something else

I didn't catch and not knowing what else to do

and not wanting him to have to repeat it

and me to have to fully digest it

I just looked at him

for a minute and he looked back it was then

I jumped up and shook hands with this man who'd just given me

something no one else on earth had ever given me

I may have even thanked him habit being so strong

Lydia

Erica Brazee

On my first hospital visit, my roommate

was a seventy-eight year old woman. She

was old, but too young for our illness. We

swapped chocolate pudding for fruit cups:

I ate fruit, following my doctor’s advice.

She said, “If I’m going to die, I’m going to

die happy”. She ate the chocolate pudding

as if it were the last cup left. It wasn’t even

good chocolate pudding. There was a black

crust around the rim of the cup; it was at least

three days old and was the instant boxed kind.

Her husband visited her every day except for

Sundays, when he made the three-hour drive

to go home and attend church. During the week

he stayed at the small hotel for the families of

the sick, built by the hospital with the money

people gave for miracle surgeries, up the street.

When her medicine made her sleepy, he would

stay and leaf through pages of magazines like

Cabella’s and Lifetime or watch the television

with his head lopsided to his left. He never had

the volume on so when I spoke, my voice opened

his eyes and we talked every time Lydia napped.

Every other Saturday her daughters and sons

would come too. There was a granddaughter,

only six years old. She would stare at the tubes

and equipment surrounding her grandmother

and at me and mine. She understood that her

Gramma was sick- she called it “your cancer.”

“Is your cancer all gone yet?” and then came

Lydia’s answer with a smile, “Almost.” Seven

months after her diagnosis – seven months after

that bad news day – she passed away. Just three

days ago was a Saturday and I talked to Clarence.

Fast Break

Edward Hirsch

A hook shot kisses the rim and

hangs there, helplessly, but doesn't drop,

and for once our gangly starting center

boxes out his man and times his jump

perfectly, gathering the orange leather

from the air like a cherished possession

and spinning around to throw a strike

to the outlet who is already shoveling

an underhand pass toward the other guard

scissoring past a flat-footed defender

who looks stunned and nailed to the floor

in the wrong direction, trying to catch sight

of a high, gliding dribble and a man

letting the play develop in front of him

in slow motion, almost exactly

like a coach's drawing on the blackboard,

both forwards racing down the court

the way that forwards should, fanning out

and filling the lanes in tandem, moving

together as brothers passing the ball

between them without a dribble, without

a single bounce hitting the hardwood

until the guard finally lunges out

and commits to the wrong man

while the power-forward explodes past them

in a fury, taking the ball into the air

by himself now and laying it gently

against the glass for a lay-up,

but losing his balance in the process,

inexplicably falling, hitting the floor

with a wild, headlong motion

for the game he loved like a country

and swiveling back to see an orange blur

floating perfectly though the net.

I Can’t Forget You.

Len Roberts

spray-painted high on the overpass,

each letter a good foot long,

and I try to picture the writer

hanging from a rope

between midnight and dawn

the weight of his love swaying,

making a trembling

N and G, his mind at work

with the apostrophe—

the grammar of loss—

and his resistance to hyperbole,

no exclamation point

but a period at the end

that shows a heart not given

to exaggeration,

a heart that’s direct with a no-

fooling around approach,

and I wonder if he tested the rope

before tying it to the only tree I can see

that would bear his weight,

or if he didn’t care about the free-

fall of thirty or more feet

as he locked his wrist to form such

straight T’s,

and still managed, dangling, to flex

for the C and G,

knowing as he did, I’m sure,

the lover would ride this way each day

until she found a way around,

a winding back road with trees

and roadside

tiger lilies, maybe a stream, a

white house, white fence,

a dog in the yard

miles

from this black-letter, open-book

in-your-face missing

that the rain or Turnpike road

crew

will soon wash off.

The Highwayman

Alfred Noyes

PART ONE

                                                 I

    THE wind was a torrent of darkness among the gusty trees,

    The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas,

    The road was a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor,

    And the highwayman came riding—

                      Riding—riding—

    The highwayman came riding, up to the old inn-door.

                                                 II

    He'd a French cocked-hat on his forehead, a bunch of lace at his chin,

    A coat of the claret velvet, and breeches of brown doe-skin;

    They fitted with never a wrinkle: his boots were up to the thigh!

    And he rode with a jewelled twinkle,

                      His pistol butts a-twinkle,

    His rapier hilt a-twinkle, under the jewelled sky.

                                                 III

    Over the cobbles he clattered and clashed in the dark inn-yard,

    And he tapped with his whip on the shutters, but all was locked and barred;

    He whistled a tune to the window, and who should be waiting there

    But the landlord's black-eyed daughter,

                      Bess, the landlord's daughter,

    Plaiting a dark red love-knot into her long black hair.

                                                 IV

    And dark in the dark old inn-yard a stable-wicket creaked

    Where Tim the ostler listened; his face was white and peaked;

    His eyes were hollows of madness, his hair like mouldy hay,

    But he loved the landlord's daughter,

                      The landlord's red-lipped daughter,

    Dumb as a dog he listened, and he heard the robber say—

                                                 V

    "One kiss, my bonny sweetheart, I'm after a prize to-night,

    But I shall be back with the yellow gold before the morning light;

    Yet, if they press me sharply, and harry me through the day,

    Then look for me by moonlight,

                      Watch for me by moonlight,

    I'll come to thee by moonlight, though hell should bar the way."

                                                

VI

    He rose upright in the stirrups; he scarce could reach her hand,

    But she loosened her hair i' the casement! His face burnt like a brand

    As the black cascade of perfume came tumbling over his breast;

    And he kissed its waves in the moonlight,

                      (Oh, sweet, black waves in the moonlight!)

    Then he tugged at his rein in the moonliglt, and galloped away to the West.

 

                                        PART TWO

                                                 I

    He did not come in the dawning; he did not come at noon;

    And out o' the tawny sunset, before the rise o' the moon,

    When the road was a gypsy's ribbon, looping the purple moor,

    A red-coat troop came marching—

                      Marching—marching—

    King George's men came marching, up to the old inn-door.

                                                 II

    They said no word to the landlord, they drank his ale instead,

    But they gagged his daughter and bound her to the foot of her narrow bed;

    Two of them knelt at her casement, with muskets at their side!

    There was death at every window;

                      And hell at one dark window;

    For Bess could see, through her casement, the road that he would ride.

                                                 III

    They had tied her up to attention, with many a sniggering jest;

    They had bound a musket beside her, with the barrel beneath her breast!

    "Now, keep good watch!" and they kissed her.

                      She heard the dead man say—

    Look for me by moonlight;

                      Watch for me by moonlight;

    I'll come to thee by moonlight, though hell should bar the way!

                                                 IV

    She twisted her hands behind her; but all the knots held good!

    She writhed her hands till her fingers were wet with sweat or blood!

    They stretched and strained in the darkness, and the hours crawled by like years,

    Till, now, on the stroke of midnight,

                      Cold, on the stroke of midnight,

    The tip of one finger touched it! The trigger at least was hers!

                                                 V

    The tip of one finger touched it; she strove no more for the rest!

    Up, she stood up to attention, with the barrel beneath her breast,

    She would not risk their hearing; she would not strive again;

    For the road lay bare in the moonlight;

                      Blank and bare in the moonlight;

    And the blood of her veins in the moonlight throbbed to her love's refrain .

                                                 VI

        Tlot-tlot; tlot-tlot! Had they heard it? The horse-hoofs ringing clear;

    Tlot-tlot, tlot-tlot, in the distance? Were they deaf that they did not hear?

    Down the ribbon of moonlight, over the brow of the hill,

    The highwayman came riding,

                      Riding, riding!

    The red-coats looked to their priming! She stood up, straight and still!

                                                 VII

    Tlot-tlot, in the frosty silence! Tlot-tlot, in the echoing night!

    Nearer he came and nearer! Her face was like a light!

    Her eyes grew wide for a moment; she drew one last deep breath,

    Then her finger moved in the moonlight,

                      Her musket shattered the moonlight,

    Shattered her breast in the moonlight and warned him—with her death.

                                                 VIII

    He turned; he spurred to the West; he did not know who stood

    Bowed, with her head o'er the musket, drenched with her own red blood!

    Not till the dawn he heard it, his face grew grey to hear

    How Bess, the landlord's daughter,

                      The landlord's black-eyed daughter,

    Had watched for her love in the moonlight, and died in the darkness there.

                                                 IX

    Back, he spurred like a madman, shrieking a curse to the sky,

    With the white road smoking behind him and his rapier brandished high!

    Blood-red were his spurs i' the golden noon; wine-red was his velvet coat,

    When they shot him down on the highway,

                      Down like a dog on the highway,

    And he lay in his blood on the highway, with the bunch of lace at his throat.

                  *           *           *           *           *           *

                                                

X

    And still of a winter's night, they say, when the wind is in the trees,

    When the moon is a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas,

    When the road is a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor,

    A highwayman comes riding—

                      Riding—riding—

    A highwayman comes riding, up to the old inn-door.

                                                 XI

    Over the cobbles he clatters and clangs in the dark inn-yard;

    He taps with his whip on the shutters, but all is locked and barred;

    He whistles a tune to the window, and who should be waiting there

    But the landlord's black-eyed daughter,

                      Bess, the landlord's daughter,

    Plaiting a dark red love-knot into her long black hair.

Appendix B

Peer Review Worksheet

Author: ____________________ Title: ____________________

Peer Reviewer: ____________________

Things I Liked About the Poem…

(Remember, a good peer reader gives details – why you liked something!)

1.

2.

Things To Improve…

(Was a line unclear? Is punctuation missing?)

1.

2.

Where more vivid imagery could be added…

1.

2.

Appendix C

Mini Lesson: Imagery

During the read aloud of the poem “Fast Break,” write down any words or phrases that can be felt by one of the five senses in the chart below.

|See |Smell |Heat |Taste |Touch |

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Appendix D

|Narrative Poem Rubric |Novice |Fair |Good |Beat Poet |Slammer Poet |Pro Poet |

| |1 Point |2 Points |3 Points |4 Points |5 Points |6 Points |

|Narrative Flow & |Poem does not tell a|Poem tells a story, |Poem tells a |Poem tells a story |Poem tells a story and |Poem tells a story |

|Elements: |story, or lacks |and some of the |story, has most |and has all the |all narrative elements |and all narrative |

|Rising action, conflict,|narrative elements. |narrative elements are|of the narrative |narrative elements |are in linear order and|elements are in |

|falling action, | |out of order causing |elements in |in linear order. |are well developed. |linear order, well |

|resolution, narrator, | |confusion. |linear order. | | |developed and improve|

|characters. | | | | | |the poem’s flow. |

|Literary Elements: |Uses no literary |Attempts to use one |Uses one literary|Uses one literary |Uses the literary |Uses a literary |

|Imagery |elements. |literary element and |element that adds|element more than |element more than once,|element more than |

| | |its use is incorrect; |to the poem’s |once but not always|most of which are used |once, correctly, and |

| | |does not add to poem’s|meaning. |correctly. |correctly and help to |they add to the |

| | |meaning. | | |add to poem’s meaning. |poem’s meaning. |

|Grammar |Multiple grammatical|Some grammatical |Few or no |Grammatical errors |No grammatical errors |No grammatical errors|

| |mistakes which cause|errors, but does not |grammatical |only when |and uses few complex |and uses complex |

| |confusion in reading|interfere with reading|errors that do |attempting to use |words. |language throughout |

| |the poem. |of the poem. |not interfere |complex language. | |poem. |

| | | |with reading of | | | |

| | | |poem; no use of | | | |

| | | |complex words. | | | |

Bibliography

“Ballad.” Wikipedia. .

“How to write a Narrative Poem.” Hub Pages. . (sic)

“Naming the World: A Year of Poems and Lessons.” Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

.

“Narrative Poetry.” BabinLearn: Mrs. Babin’s Learning Portal.

.

“Narrative Poetry” Wikipedia. .

“narrative Writing.” The Writing Site.

.

“The Canterbury Tales and Other Works by Geoffrey Chaucer.” Librarius.

.

“Traditional Storytelling in Africa” Jan. 2004. Tim Sheppard. .

“William Shakespeare” . .

“Writing Prompts for Secondary Students.” The Writing Site.

.

Ambrosini, Michelle and Teresa M. Morretta. “Getting Started With Poetry Writing” chapter 2,

excerpt from “Poetry Workshop for Middle School: Activities That Inspire Meaningful

Language Learning.”

.

Bomer, Randy. “Time For Meaning.” Heinemann. Portsmouth: 1995.

Cooper, Charles R. “Evaluating Writing.” National Council of Teachers of English. Illinois:

1999.

Hirsch, Edward. Fast Break. The Library of Congress: Poetry 180. .

Wu, B. “Lesson Plan: Writing Narrative Poetry.” SchoolLink.

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