Decoding Sound Devices in Poems

2. How can we understand the meaning of a poem?

3. I can analyze sound devices to determine meaning in a poem.

4. Smart by Shel Silverstein My dad gave me a one dollar bill 'Cause I'm his smartest son, And I swapped it for two shiny quarters 'Cause two is more than one! And then I took the quarters And traded them to Lou For three dimes -- I guess he don't know That three is more than two! Just then, along came old blind Bates And just 'cause he can't see He gave me four nickels for my three dimes, And four is more than three! And I took the nickels to Hiram Coombs Down at the seed-feed store, And the fool gave me five pennies for them, And five is more than four! And then I went and showed my dad, And he got red in the cheeks And closed his eyes and shook his head— Too proud of me to speak!

8. What sounds inspire annoyance?

12. What role does sound play in poetry?

13. In poetry the sound and meaning of words are combined to express feelings, thoughts, and ideas.

14. I can analyze sound devices to determine meaning in a poem.

15. Sound Devices Writers love to use interesting sounds in their poems. After all, poems are meant to be heard. These sound devices include: • Rhythm • Rhyme • Repetition • Alliteration • Onomatopoeia

16. Rhythm • Rhythm is the flow of the beat in a poem. • Gives poetry a musical feel. • Can be fast or slow, depending on mood and subject of poem. • A poem has rhythm if the reader of the poem gives the poem rhythm.

17. Humpty Dumpty Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall Humpty Dumpty had a great fall And of all the King’s horses And of all the King’s men Couldn’t put Humpty Dumpty together again.

18. Humpty Dumpty Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall Humpty Dumpty had a great fall And of all the King’s horses And of all the King’s men Couldn’t put Humpty Dumpty together again. The rhythm in this poem is fast – to match the sound of King’s horses.

19. Practice Your Rhythm ClankityClankityClankity Clank! Ankylosaurus was built like a tank, Its hide was a fortress as sturdy as steel, It tended to be an inedible meal. It was armored in front, it was armored behind, There wasn’t a thing on its minuscule mind, It waddled about on its four stubby legs, Nibbling on plants with a mouthful of pegs. Ankylosaurus was best left alone, Its tail was a cudgel of gristle and bone, ClankityClankityClankity Clank! Ankylosaurus was built like a tank. By: Jack Prelutsky

20. Rhyme • Rhymes are words that end with the same sound. (Hat, cat and bat rhyme.) • Rhyming sounds don’t have to be spelled the same way. (Cloud and allowed rhyme.) • Rhyme is the most common sound device in poetry.

21. What’s the rhyming pattern? First Snow Snow makes whiteness where it falls. The bushes look like popcorn balls. And places where I always play, Look like somewhere else today. By Marie Louise Allen

22. What’s therhyming pattern? Oodles of Noodles I love noodles. Give me oodles. Make a mound up to the sun. Noodles are my favorite foodles. I eat noodles by the ton. By Lucia and James L. Hymes, Jr.

23. What’s the rhyming pattern? The alligator chased his tail Which hit him in the snout; He nibbled, gobbled, swallowed it, And turned right inside-out. by Mary Macdonald The Alligator

24. Repetition • Repetition occurs when poets repeat words, phrases, or lines in a poem. • Creates a pattern. • Increases rhythm. • Strengthens feelings, ideas and mood in a poem.

25. The Sun Some one tossed a pancake, A buttery, buttery, pancake. Someone tossed a pancake And flipped it up so high, That now I see the pancake, The buttery, buttery pancake, Now I see that pancake Stuck against the sky. by Sandra Liatsos

26. Alliteration • Alliteration is the repetition of the first consonant sound in words, as in the nursery rhyme “Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.” The snake slithered silently along the sunny sidewalk.

27. This Tooth I jiggled it jaggled it jerked it. I pushed and pulled and poked it. But – As soon as I stopped, And left it alone This tooth came out On its very own! by Lee Bennett Hopkins

28. Onomatopoeia • Words that represent the actual sound of something are words of onomatopoeia. Dogs “bark,” cats “purr,” thunder “booms,” rain “drips,” and the clock “ticks.” • Appeals to the sense of sound.

29. Listen Scrunch, scrunch, scrunch. Crunch, crunch, crunch. Frozen snow and brittle ice Make a winter sound that’s nice Underneath my stamping feet And the cars along the street. Scrunch, scrunch, scrunch. Crunch, crunch, crunch. by Margaret Hillert

30. Spaghetti! Spaghetti! Spaghetti! Spaghetti! You’re wonderful stuff, I love you, spaghetti, I can’t get enough. You’re covered with sauce And you’re sprinkled with cheese, Spaghetti! Spaghetti! Oh, give me some please. By: Jack Prelutsky

31. Night Rescue “It is just a small storm,” the weatherman said, So my sleepy sisters slipped off to bed. Then “just a small storm” shot a bolt from the sky, Our house shook from the jolt; wires started to fry. Soon swirlings of smoke sailed away down the hall, But brave heroes came quickly and rescued us all.

32. The Moon by Robert Louis Stevenson The moon has a face like the clock in the hall, She shines on thieves on the garden wall, On streets and fields and harbor quays, And birdies asleep in the forks of the trees. The squalling cat and the squeaking mouse, The howling dog by the door of the house, The bat that lies in the bed at noon, All love to be out by the light of the moon. But all of the things that belong to the day Cuddle to sleep to be out of the way; And flowers and children close their eyes Till up in the morning the sun shall arise.

33. I can analyze sound devices to determine meaning in a poem.