This document provides guidance for using riddle poems to teach poetic elements to students. It outlines the purpose of the lesson, which is to help students identify poetic elements in their reading and use them in their own writing. The document then discusses what a riddle poem is, provides steps for writing one including choosing a topic, brainstorming, and using poetic devices. It also offers suggestions for publishing and sharing the final poems.

1. Using Riddle Poems
To Teach Poetic Elements
Hank Maine
RIWP Summer Institute
July 19, 2004

2. K W L
What do you Know about
poetry?
What would you like to
learn?
What did you Learn from
The lesson?

3. Why are we learning this?
The purpose of the lesson is
to teach poetic elements so
students can identify them
in their reading and utilize
them in their writing.

4. S tand ard s and G LE s
 E 1c-s tudent reads  NE G LE W1-s tudent applies
informational materials to unders tanding of the s truc tures
develop expertis e and of language in a particular genre
produc es written or oral of writing
work that reflec ts thes e  NE G LE W2, W3-s tudent writes in
points . res pons e to literary or
informational text
 E 3b-s tudent participates in 
NE G LE W9-s tudent applies
group meetings conventions of a partic ular
 E 3c-s tudent prepares and genre of writing
delivers an individual  NE G LE R1-s tudent us es word
pres entation identific ation s kills and
 E 5b-s tudent produces work s trategies
in at leas t one literary genre  NE G LE R2, R3, R4, R7-s tudent
that follows the conventions applies voc abulary s trategies
of the genre and unders tanding of literary
and informational text

5. What is a Riddle Poem?
I like to feel it Firm and cool-
A nd Round beneath my feet
It’s one of hundreds s houldering
A long-enduring s treet.
I like to mus e who felt it firs t-
A nd why They trod, and when,
To fit in patterns -edge to edge-
The paths from Now to Then.
Ruth Tenzer Feldman
Cobblestone

6. What am I?
Writing a
Riddle Poem

7. Getting S tarted
Choose an answer
Brainstorm
Use a thesaurus
Think like the object
Use figurative language

8. S tep 1: B egin with your
ans wer or topic
Your topic can be
concrete like a desk, a
car, or even a person.
You can also choose
something abstract like
happiness or peace

9. S te p 2: Brains torm
C reate a lis t of words and ideas related to and
as s ociated with your topic.
Think with all your s ens es : where do you s ee,
hear, s mell, tas te and touch things related to your
topic?
Example: water
Clouds, wet, rain, liquid, fish, stream, river,
lake, pool, pond, swimming, ocean, ice,
glacier, steam, snow, boats, sailing

10. A ls o think of words or
ideas that are oppos ite
or oppos ed to your
topic
E xam p le : Water
E arth, fire, dry, air

11. Choose some words you
brainstormed and look up
their synonyms in a
thesaurus. Look up synonyms
for your topic too
Us e a rhyming dictionary to
look up words that rhyme with
the ones in your lis t

12. Think like the object: Try des c ribing the
world from the object’s point of view.
What do you s ee, hear, feel? What do
you do? What do you like?
What would a river think?
I run downhill
I make canyons
Fis h live in me

13. Try us ing figurative language:
Des cribe your topic us ing
figurative language to give clues
S imile: Pools that reflect like
mirrors
Metaphor: S treams are fis h
roads
Pers onification: The rain
played a s teady beat

14. Drafting
Once you’ve gathered
your notes , you’re
ready to begin a draft.
How s hould we
S tart?

15. Let’s s tart with the ideas of
water cutting canyons and
reflecting like a mirror
I am like a mirror when I’m
s till
I am s tronger than s tone
when I move

16. S ounds good but bland.
Try playing with the word
order
S till, I am like a m irror
Fas t, I’m s tronge r th an
s tone

17. Now us e your brains torm to
add different poetic elements
like pers onification, metaphors ,
and maybe even rhyme
Try different line and word
combinations . S ometimes even the
s lightes t change can make a big
difference. Read your poem aloud
and play with the words and order
until it makes s ens e and s ounds right.

18. Publis hing Your Final Draft
Publis h your poem in a c reative way
Us e form and s hape the poem like its
topic
Us e a creative background that
doubles as a clue
Draw a picture to go with your poem
Make an audio recording of your
poem

19. Have s tudents generate a rubric
for the as s ignment. Include an
explanation of the poetic
elements in their poems and
how they us ed them
Have a poetry reading and invite parents ,
adminis trators , other clas s es and outs ide gues ts .
Have the audience try to gues s the riddle.
Dis play the poems in your clas s room and s chool
building

20. Thoughts and Ques tions
 S hould s tudents work independently or in
groups ?
 What are s ome other follow-up activities ?
 How s hould I differentiate the les s on for
s tudents at various levels ?
 How can I integrate this les s on to other
s ubject areas ?
 How can I introduce different types of poetry
into the les s on?
 How can I us e this with different genres of
literature?

21. B ib lio g r a p h y
F e ld m a n , R u t h T e n z e r . “ G u e s s W h a t ”
C o b b l e s t o n e , M a r c h 19 9 5 , 2 4 - 2 5
C l a g g e t t , F r a n , L o u a n n R e i d a n d R u t h V i n z . Da y b o o k o f
c r it ic a l R e a d in g a n d W r it in g .
W ilm in g t o n , M a s s a c h u s e t t s : G r e a t S o u r c e E d u c a t io n
G r o u p , 19 9 9
W r it in g R id d l e P o e ms . N C T E /I R A , m a r c o p o l o . 2 0 0 3 ; c i t e d
J u ly , 2 0 0 4
h t t p : //w w w . r e a d w r t i e t h i n k . o r g
Z e m e l m a n , S t e v e n a n d H a r v e y D a n i e l s . A C o mmu n it y o f
W r it e r s .
P o r t s m o u t h , N H : H e i n e m a n n , 19 8 8
C a r a v i a , L o r i . R id d l e P o e m. U n i v e r s i t y o f I l l i n o i s , U r b a n a -
C h a m p a ig n , N o v e m b e r 6 ,
19 9 7 ; c i t e d J u l y , 2 0 0 4
h t t p : //w w w . e d . u i u c . e d u /Y L P /9 7 - 9 8 /9 7 - 9 8 _u n i t s /9 7 - 9 8 m i n i -
u n i t /L C a r a v i a

22. T h a n k Yo u !
The End