Discussion Questions about How a Poem Works

Once young people become comfortable with hearing and sharing poems and discussing and conversing about them, they may be ready to consider how the poem works and the writer creates. These questions lead them to discuss some of the “nuts and bolts” of the poem and its construction and effect. Choose 2-3 questions to start and vary which questions regularly. Consider letting students choose which questions they want to tackle.

The list begins:

1. What does the poet do to make the poem more inviting?

2. Can you state the main idea of the poem in one sentence?

3. Do all the lines end in strong words? Where are line breaks most effective, most surprising?

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