Republic of the Philippines

Department of Education
Region VI - Western Visayas
DIVISION OF NEGROS OCCIDENTAL
Pontevedra National High School
Pontevedra, Negros Occidental

CREATIVE WRITING

Quarter 1 Week 2 Module 2:

Lesson 1 - Elements of Poetry
(Structure of Poetry)

Most Essential Learning Competency:

Identify the various elements, techniques, and
literary devices in specific forms of poetry.
(HUMSS_CW/MP11/12c-f-6)

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HOW TO USE THIS MODULE
Before you start answering the module, I want you to set aside other tasks
that will distract you while enjoying the lessons. Read the simple instructions
below to successfully enjoy the objectives of this kit. Have fun!
1. Follow carefully all the contents and instructions indicated in every
page of this module.
2. Write on your notebook or any writing pad the concepts about the
lessons. Writing enhances learning, which is important to develop
and keep in mind.
3. Perform all the provided activities in the module.
4. Let your facilitator/guardian assess your answers.
5. Analyze conceptually the posttest and apply what you have learned.
6. Enjoy studying!

PARTS OF THE MODULE

• Expectations - These are what you will be able to know after
completing the lessons in the module.
• Pre-Test - This will measure your prior knowledge and the concepts
to be mastered throughout the lesson.
• Looking Back - This section will measure what learnings and skills
that you understand from the previous lesson.
• Brief Introduction- This section will give you an overview of the
lesson.
• Activities - These are activities designed to develop critical thinking
and other competencies. This can be done with or without a partner
depending on the nature of the activity.
• Remember - This section summarizes the concepts and applications
of the lessons.
• Checking Your Understanding - It will verify how you learned from
the lesson.
• Post-Test - This will measure how much you have learned from the
entire module

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Lesson
Elements of Poetry:
1 Structure of Poetry

EXPECTATIONS
You are expected here to write a short poem highlighting the structure of
poetry. Specifically, this module will help you to:
• identify the various elements, techniques, and literary devices in
specific forms of poetry.

Let us continue exploring creative writing through poetry. I am sure you are
ready and excited to answer the Pretest. Smile and cheer up!

Directions: Choose the letter of the correct answer.

1. Which of the following consists of 14 lines and is usually written in iambic
pentameter?
a. ode b. elegy c. sonnet d. limerick
2. What refers to series of lines grouped together and separated by a space from
others?
a. lines b. stanza c. form d. meter
3. What type of poetry is a long narrative poem in elevated style recounting the
deeds of a legendary or historical hero?
a. epic b. descriptive c. ballad d. limerick
4. What stanza describes as having seven lines?
a. sestet b. septet c. tercet d. cinquain
5. What type of poetry is usually organized into quatrains or cinquains, has a
simple rhythm structure, and tells the tales of ordinary people?
a. epic b. sonnet c. ode d. ballad
6. What is called the one line stanza?
a. couplet b. tercet c. monostich d. quatrain
7. What is referred to as a poem that is usually humorous and composed of five
lines in an AABBA rhyming pattern?
a. haiku b. limerick c. ode d. elegy
8. What type of poetry describes the world that surrounds the speaker?
a. sonnet b. lyric c. descriptive d. narrative
9. Which of the following sonnet does not consist of three quatrains
a. Petrarchan b. Shakespearean c. Spenserian d. English sonnet
10. What is the lyric poem that that praises an individual, an idea or an event?
a. ballad b. ode c. elegy d. sonnet

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Please Find Me! Look for the different concepts you have learned from the previous
lesson. You may encircle or highlight the words. On the side of the grid, write all
the words that you found. The words may be found horizontally, vertically, or
diagonally.

T M L T J I S I M I L E D L I S A
S E A D K H E Q A B K O A N A B H
Y T M I N O X Y M O R O N N M S Y
N A E C L G B S A A P E R O E L P
E P M T M C R A T I Q L E A T E E
C H O I N F C P A G T H E N A I R
D O N O M A T O P O E I A B P A B
O R R N P E B S O S U L A T H E O
C J I E S N O T S E R R E D O E L
H F C E X P E O T E N C E L A M E
E O O O B C R P D B A N G S A Y N
E P H Y C A N H U F G J K N M X A
D N D G A N M E T O N Y M Y R F C

Poetry has remained a vital part of art and culture. Like other forms of
literature, poetry is made to express thoughts and emotions in a creative and
imaginative way. It conveys thoughts and feelings, describes a scene or tells a
story in a concentrated, lyrical arrangement of words.
In this module, we will explore on the elements of poetry based on the
following partitions: structure, sound and meaning. This particular lesson will
highlight the poetry according to structure namely stanza and form.

STRUCTURE OF POETRY
One significant way to analyse poems is by looking into the stanza structure
and the form of the poem. Generally speaking, structure refers to the overall
organization of lines and/or the conventional patterns of sound. However, various
modern poems may not have particular structure.

A. Stanza
Stanzas refer to series of lines grouped together and separated by a space
from other stanzas. They correspond to a paragraph in an essay. Identifying the
stanza is done by counting the number of lines. The following are some of the terms
used to refer to the number of stanzas: monostich (1 line) couplet (2 lines), tercet (3
lines), quatrain (4 lines), cinquain (5 lines), sestet (6 lines) (sometimes it's called a
sexain), septet (7 lines), octave (8 lines).
For example, the excerpt,
“I do not like green eggs and ham.
I do not like them Sam I am.
consists of two lines. Hence, the stanza is called couplet.

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B. Form
In many cases, a poem may not have specific lines or stanza, and metrical
pattern, however, it can still be labelled according to its form or style. Here, we will
discuss the three most common types of poetry according to form are: lyric,
descriptive and narrative. We will also include other popular types of poetry.

1. Lyric Poetry. It is any poem with one speaker (not necessarily the poet) who
expresses strong thoughts and feelings. Most poems, especially modern ones,
are lyric poems. Below are some types of lyric poetry.

a. Ode. An ode is a lyric poem that praises an individual, an idea or an event.

The length is usually moderate, the subject is serious, the style is elevated and
the stanza pattern is elaborate. In Ancient Greece, odes were originally
accompanied by music. In fact, the word “ode” comes from the Greek word
aeidein, which means to sing or to dance.
Example: “Ode to the West Wind” by Percy Bysshe Shelley
Scatter, as from an unextinguish’d hearth
Ashes and sparks, my words among mankind!
Be through my lips to unawaken’d earth
The trumpet of a prophecy! O Wind,
If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?

b. Elegy. An elegy is written with a purpose to “mourn the dead”. It usually

begins by reminiscing about the dead person, then weeps for the reason of
death, and then resolves the grief by concluding that death leads to
immortality. It has no set stanza or metrical pattern. It often uses
"apostrophe" as a literary technique.
Example: Excerpt from Walt Whitman’s “O Captain, My Captain,”
(written following the assassination of Abraham Lincoln)
O Captain! My Captain! rise up and hear the bells;
Rise up—for you the flag is flung—for you the bugle trills;
For you bouquets and ribbon’d wreaths—for you the shores a-crowding;
For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning;
Here captain! dear father!
This arm beneath your head;
It is some dream that on the deck,
You’ve fallen cold and dead.

c. Sonnet. It is a lyric poem consisting of 14 lines and, in the English version,

is usually written in iambic pentameter. The three basic kinds of sonnets are:
• Italian/Petrarchan sonnet is named after Petrarch, an Italian
Renaissance poet. The Petrarchan sonnet consists of an octave (eight
lines) and a sestet (six lines). It tends to divide the thought into two
parts (argument and conclusion). The rhyming pattern is ABBA ABBA
CDECDE, or some accepted sestet such as CDCCDC, CDDCDE or
CDCDCD

When I consider how my light is spent, A

Ere half my days in this dark world and wide, B
And that one talent which is death to hide B
Lodged with me useless, though my soul more bent A
To serve therewith my Maker, and present A
My true account, lest He returning chide; B
“Doth God exact day-labor, light denied?” B
I fondly ask. But Patience, to prevent A
That murmur, soon replies, “God doth not need C
Either man’s work or His own gifts. Who best D
Bear His mild yoke, they serve Him best. His state E
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 Is kingly: thousands at His bidding speed, C
And post o’er land and ocean without rest; D
They also serve who only stand and wait.” E
- When I Consider How My Light is Spent” by John Milton

• Shakespearean sonnet consists of three quatrains (four lines each)

and a concluding couplet (two lines). The final couplet is the summary.
The rhyming pattern is ABAB CDCD EFEF GG.
Two households, both alike in dignity, A
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene, B
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, A
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean. B
From forth the fatal loins of these two foes C
A pair of star-cross’d lovers take their life; D
Whose misadventured piteous overthrows C
Do with their death bury their parents’ strife. D
The fearful passage of their death-mark’d love, E
And the continuance of their parents’ rage, F
Which, but their children’s end, nought could remove, E
Is now the two hours’ traffic of our stage; F
The which if you with patient ears attend, G
What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend. G
- Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

• Spenserian Sonnet is divided into three quatrains, or segments of four

lines, followed by a rhyming couplet. The rhyming pattern is usually
ABAB BCBC CDCD EE.
One day I wrote her name upon the strand, A
But came the waves and washed it away: B
Again I write it with a second hand, A
But came the tide, and made my pains his prey. B
Vain man, said she, that doest in vain assay, B
A mortal thing so to immortalize, C
For I myself shall like to this decay, B
And eek my name be wiped out likewise. C
Not so, (quod I) let baser things devise C
To die in dust, but you shall live by fame: D
My verse, your virtues rare shall eternize, C
And in the heavens write your glorious name. D
Where when as death shall all the world subdue, E
Our love shall live, and later life renew. E
- Amoretti #75 by Edmund Spenser

2. Narrative Poetry. It is a poem that tells a story; its structure resembles the
plot line of a story [i.e. the introduction of conflict and characters, rising
action, climax and the denouement. The most common types of narrative
poetry are ballad and epic.
a. Ballad. It is a narrative poem that has a musical rhythm and can be sung.
A ballad is usually organized into quatrains or cinquains, has a simple rhythm
structure, and tells the tales of ordinary people.
Example: Excerpt from “Annabel Lee” by Edgar Allan Poe
It was many and many a year ago,
In a kingdom by the sea,
That a maiden there lived whom you may know
By the name of Annabel Lee;
And this maiden she lived with no other thought
Than to love and be loved by me.
b. Epic. It is a long narrative poem in elevated style recounting the deeds of a
legendary or historical hero. Examples of epic include Iliad by Homer,

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 Beowulf, The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri, Metamorphoses by Ovid and
many more.

3. Descriptive Poetry. It is a poem that describes the world that surrounds

the speaker. It uses elaborate imagery and adjectives. While emotional, it is
more "outward-focused" than lyric poetry, which is more personal and
introspective.
Example: Excerpt from William Wordsworth’s “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud”
I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;

OTHER FORMS OF POETRY

1. Haiku. It has an unrhymed verse form having three lines (a tercet) and
usually 5,7,5 syllables, respectively. It is usually considered a lyric poem.
Example: “By the Old Temple” by Matsuo Bashō
By the old temple,
peach blossoms;
a man treading rice.
2. Limerick. It has a very structured poem, usually humorous & composed
of five lines (a cinquain), in an AABBA rhyming pattern; beat must
be anapestic (weak, weak, strong) with 3 feet in lines 1, 2, & 5 and 2 feet in
lines 3 & 4. It is usually a narrative poem based upon a short and often
ribald anecdote. Example: A poem by Dixon Lanier Merritt
A wonderful bird is the pelican,
His bill can hold more than his beli-can.
He can take in his beak
Food enough for a week
But I’m damned if I see how the heli-can.

Activity 1 Determine the structure applied in the poems below.

Poem Selection
My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun; _____
Coral is far more red than her lips’ red; _____
If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun; _____
If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head. _____

I have seen roses damask’d, red and white, _____

But no such roses see I in her cheeks; _____
And in some perfumes is there more delight _____
Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks. _____

I love to hear her speak, yet well I know _____

That music hath a far more pleasing sound; _____
I grant I never saw a goddess go; _____
My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground: _____

And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare _____

As any she belied with false compare. _____

1. What stanzas can be seen in the poem? ________________________________

2. What is the rhyme scheme/pattern of the poem? ________________________
Use the lines on the right side of each line in the stanza.
3. What specific type of poetry is used in the poem? ________________________

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Activity 2 Haiku Challenge
You are challenged to write your haiku. Choose your subject from the
pictures
below.

Courtesy of: Courtesy of:

Courtesy of:
https://www.our7107islands.co https://www.ttrweekly.com/si
https://www.facebook.com/proudto
m/sampaguita-the-countrys- te/2019/10/palawan-in-top-
bealbayano.ph
pride/

Criteria for Haiku:

Word Choice Poem is creative and original. It is evident that the poet 10
and Creativity put thought into their words and uniquely conveyed their
ideas and emotions.
Form The poem follows the style of Haiku Poetry; this includes 10
3 lines written as follows: 5 syllables, 7 syllables, 5
syllables. Poem contains information about the season
and the time of day.
Grammar and Work is completely free of spelling and grammar errors. 10
Spelling

Directions: Below are summaries/themes of classical poems. Classify the poems as

LYRIC, NARRATIVE or DESCRIPTIVE.
1. The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri talks about a man, generally assumed
to be Dante himself, is miraculously enabled to undertake an ultramundane
journey, which leads him to visit the souls in Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise.
2. The poem “All Things Bright and Beautiful” by Cecil Frances Alexander tells
about how great God Almighty is. The God who has given us eyes to see and
lips to tell, the God who control the season, the God who controls the sun,
and the God who creates and makes everything.
3. The “Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard” by Thomas Gray is a 1751
poem about the buried inhabitants of a country churchyard and a
meditation on the inevitability of death for all.

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 4. This poem by Shakespeare which starts with the line, “Shall I compare thee
to a summer’s day” notes that the young man has qualities that surpass a
summer's day.
5. The poem Ballad of a Mother’s Heart” by Jose La Villa Tierra talks about a
young man who went out late at night to meet his maiden fair. He knelt
down in tears and declared his true love towards her. The young girl wants
him to prove it by bringing his mother’s heart, he did it without any tears or
hesitations. It was raining hard yet he went to his love but on his way, he
slipped and felt the pain. He remembered how good his mother is and a voice
asked him “were you hurt, child?” It was coming from his mother’s heart.

monostich, couplet, series of lines grouped together and

Stanza tercet, quatrain, separated by a space from other stanzas.
cinquain, sestet/
sexain), septet, octave
Lyric Ode praises an individual, an idea or an event
Elegy is written to mourn for the dead
Sonnet consists of 14 lines and, in the English
version, is usually written in iambic
S pentameter. The types include Petrarchan,
T Shakespearean and Spenserian.
R
Narrative Ballad has a simple rhythm structure, and tells
U
the tales of ordinary people
C Form Epic a long narrative poem in elevated style
T
recounting the deeds of a legendary or
U
historical hero
R
Descriptive a poem that describes the world that
E
surrounds the speaker
Other Haiku has an unrhymed verse form having three
types lines (a tercet) and usually 5,7,5 syllables
Limerick has a very structured poem, usually
humorous & composed of five lines (a
cinquain), in an aabba rhyming pattern;
beat must be anapestic (weak, weak,
strong) with 3 feet in lines 1, 2, & 5 and 2
feet in lines 3 & 4

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Directions: Write the letter of the correct answer.
For items 1 to 4, read the poem and answer the questions that follow.
“There was a young lady of station
‘I love man’ was her sole exclamation;
But when men cried: ‘You flatter,’
She replied, ‘Oh! no matter
Isle of Man is the true explanation.'”.
- “To Miss Vera Beringer” by Lewis Carroll
1. What stanza is displayed in the poem?
a. couplet b. septet c. cinquain d. octave
2. The following rhyming words can be seen in the poem EXCEPT?
a. station – explanation c. exclamation – station
b. flatter – matter d. matter – fatter
3. What rhyme scheme is applied in the poem?
a. ABCAB b. AABBA c. ABBAA d. AABAA
4. What specific type of poetry is used in the poem?
a. haiku b. sonnet c. limerick d. ode
For items 5 to 6, read the poem and answer the questions that follow.
“But thou, contracted to thine own bright eyes,
Feed'st thy light’s flame with self-substantial fuel,
Making a famine where abundance lies,
Thyself thy foe, to thy sweet self too cruel.”

5. What stanza is displayed in the poem?

a. tercet b. quatrain c. sexain d. sestet
6. What is the rhyme scheme of the excerpt,
a. ABBA b. AABB c. ABAB d. ABCA
7. What type of poetry is exemplified the poem,
“A single leaf dances in the breeze,/ Unguided and unafraid/ Testament to nature’s
freedom/ Unconventionally beautiful/ Mesmerizing in its movements/ nature’s
ballerina”?
a. lyric b. limerick c. narrative d. descriptive
8. What type of sonnet consists of an octave (eight lines) and a sestet (six lines)?
a. Spenserian ] b. Shakespearian c. Petrarchan Sonnet d. all of the
above
9. The “Odyssey” by Homer centers on the struggles and victories of Odysseus,
the king of Ithaca. What type of poetry is this?
a. lyric b. ode c. elegy d. epic
10. The poem, “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” by Samuel Taylor Coleridge tells
the story of an old sailor who has returned from his voyaging and wants to
share the terrible things he has encountered on the high seas. What time of
poetry is this?
a. ballad b. epic c. ode d. descriptive

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 REFLECTIVE LEARNING SHEET

Name: _______________________Grade and Sec.______________

Quarter 1 - Week 2 – Module 2:

Lesson 1 – Elements of Poetry: Structure of Poetry
REFLECTIVE LEARNING SHEET No. 2

Directions: Write a reflective learning about what you have learned about imagery,
diction, and figures of speech by answering the questions inside the box.
You may express your answers in a more critical and creative
presentation of your great learning. Have fun and enjoy!
WHAT I NEED TO
WHAT I LIKED THE WHAT I WANT TO
IMPROVE IN
MOST ABOUT THE LEARN CONNECTED
UNDERSTANDING
LESSON TO THE LESSON
THE LESSON

• • •
• • •
• • •
• • •

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REFERENCES
Buhisan, A. & Sayseng, A. (2017). Creative Writing. JFS Publishing Services
Barron, K. (2020). 12 Types of Poems: How to Recognize Them and Write Your
Own. Retrieved https://www.tckpublishing.com/types-of-poems/
Collins, B. Poetry (2019). 101: Learn About Poetry, Different Types of Poems, and
Poetic Devices With Examples. Retrieved
https://www.masterclass.com/articles/poetry-101-what-is-a-petrarchan-
sonnet-learn-about-petrarchan-sonnets-with-examples#what-is-the-
structure-of-a-petrarchan-sonnet

“Elements of Poetry”. Retrieved http://learn.lexiconic.net/elementsofpoetry.htm

Acknowledgements

Writer: Romalyn A. Rizardo, Master Teacher II

Editor: Ross Marie Ann B. Gomez, Master Teacher II
Reviewer: Vicente M. Victorio Jr., Education Program Supervisor
Management Team:Maria Magdalena M. Lim, CESO V, Schools Division
Superintendent-Manila
Aida H. Rondilla, CID Chief
Lucky S. Carpio, Division EPS in Charge of LRMS
and Division ADM Coordinator

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