How can a poem teach you lessons about life?

In this lesson you will learn how to determine the theme or universal lesson of a poem by reviewing its images, sounds,

and symbols.

Let’s Review

Imagery- The pictures a poet creates in our minds with their words

Sounds- What we hear in a poem when it is read

Symbols- Words or things that really stand for something else. (Figurative- not literal)

= LOVE

Let’s Review “Twelfth Song of the Thunder”

Poem from the Navajo people

Compares the noise of thunder and grasshoppers

to “voices”

Says these voices make the land beautiful

Core LessonCore Lesson

Imagery

Sounds

Symbols

• Poem had images of thunder, clouds, grasshoppers and plants

• Focused on nature

• Didn’t rhyme but used a lot of repetition

• “Voice,” “beauty,” and “land” were important words

• “Voice” stood for communication and sharing a message

• Also stood for making the land beautiful

A poem has… = LOVE

A Common Mistake

Thinking that the theme of a poem is what the poem was about.

“This poem was about thunder.”

“Thunder and grasshoppers have a voice.”

We should respect nature.

Core LessonCore LessonCould this be a lesson that

works anywhere in

life?

We should respect all parts of nature, no matter how big or small, because they work together to make our world more beautiful.

What lesson are we learning through the imagery, sounds,

and symbols of this poem?

Extension Activities

1) Find another poem and take notes on the images, sounds, and symbols in it.

2) Look at your notes and come up with a universal theme or lesson that can be learned from it.

Extension Activities

Write a poem with images, sounds, and symbols that will come together to teach one of these themes:

• Never give up

• Love conquers all• Being prideful can always be your

downfall.

Quick QuizQuick Quiz

What is “theme”?

State the theme of “Twelfth Song of the Thunder” in your own words, and make connections to the images, sounds, and symbols in the poem.