Poetry is all about sound and rhythm. The sound of the words, the rhythm of the lines, and the emotional atmosphere created by these elements and the literary devices poets use, compress whole stories into a few stanzas. The specialized...

Looking for a resource to introduce homeschoolers and other out-of-class learners to the elements of poetry? Check out this packet that defines and illustrates important poetry terms.

If you're tired of defining allusion, onomatopoeia, and satire for your language arts students, hand out a complete list of literary devices to keep the terms straight. Each term includes a definition that is easy to understand and...

This resource explains how to approach an analysis of a poem. It discusses assumptions people may have, the importance of reading it closely before analyzing it, looking at the stanza structure, the type of poem, the sound patterns,...

This page was created by a 5th and 6th-grade teacher "As a quick reference for [his] students when studying rhythm," although older students could easily use it too. The following terms are defined: rhythm, meter, scansion, iamb,...

Discusses the terminology needed to understand rhythm and meter in English poetry including the following terms: stressed and unstressed syllables, iambs, trochees, spondees, anapests, dactyls, monometer, dimeter, trimeter, tetrameter,...

Calling itself "unique," Bob's is easy to use, with cross-links throughout, phonetic pronunciation guides when necessary, and many examples and quotations. Click on the letter and scroll for the word.

This encyclopedia entry for iambic pentameter provides examples of poetry and explanations of the meter's purpose.