Prose, Drama, and Poetry

Featuring Classic Nursery Rhymes

Prose, Drama, and Poetry

Excerpt and Illustration fromMary’s Little Lamb

by Edith Francis FosterS.E. Cassino, 1903

Now in the Public Domain

Copyright © 2014 Brenda KovichAll rights reserved by author

Electronic distribution limited to single classroom use only

PROSE

What Is Prose?• Prose is ordinary language.

• Prose is written in sentences and paragraphs that may include dialogue.

• Most of the literature we read is written in prose.

• Sentence – group of words that express a complete thought

• Paragraph - sentences that are grouped together

• Dialogue – words or sentences that quote what a person has said

Structural Elements of Prose

A sentence is a group of words that express a complete thought.

As Mary was coming home, she heard a strange little patter, patter, patter behind her.

A sentence begins with a capital letter and ends with a period, question mark, or exclamation point.

Sentences

Sentences that are grouped together are called a paragraph.

As Mary was coming home, she heard a strange little patter, patter, patter behind her. She looked back and saw something white! Mary felt a wee bit afraid and began to run, but her foot struck a rock, and down she tumbled. Before she could get up, something soft and wooly was rubbing gently against her.

A paragraph is indented.

Paragraphs

Dialogue tells the speaker’s exact words.

“Oh, you darling lamb!” cried Mary, hugging it.The lamb snuggled close.

Dialogue is also indented. The speaker’s words are placed in quotation marks. A dialogue tag (cried Mary) tells who said it.

Other text may be placed in a paragraph with dialogue.

Dialogue

DRAMA

What Is Drama?• Drama can also be called a play.

• In its written form, a play includes a cast of characters, dialogue, and stage directions.

• Drama may be organized in scenes and acts.

• Cast of Characters - list of characters in play

• Dialogue – words that tell the actors what to say

• Stage Directions – words that tell how the stage should look or what the actors should do

• Setting - words that tell where and when a play takes place

• Scenes - sections of the play with similar setting

• Acts - major sections of a long play

Structural Elements of Drama

A cast of characters is a list of the characters in a play.

Mary Had a Little LambCast of Characters

MaryLamb

MotherFather

Teacher

Cast of Characters

Dialogue tells the exact words the actors should say.

TEACHER: Mary, what is seven times three?

MARY: What?

The character’s name is placed at the beginning, followed by a colon. The words that follow the colon are spoken by the actor. No quotation marks are used.

Dialogue

Some stage directions tell what the actors should do.

TEACHER [sternly]: Mary, what is seven times three?

MARY [jumping up]: What?

Stage directions are often written in italics and surrounded by parentheses or brackets.

Stage Directions

The author may include the setting (where and when the play takes place) in the stage directions.

Scene 3: The Lamb Goes to School

[On a warm, sunny day, Mary gazes dreamilyout the window of the old schoolhouse.]

Setting

A play may be broken into scenes and acts.Mary Had a Little Lamb

Act 1Scene 1: Mary Meets the LambScene 2: Mary Washes the LambScene 3: The Lamb Goes to SchoolScene 4: The Lamb’s Diet

Act 2Scene 5: How the Lamb Wouldn’t JumpScene 6: The Lamb Goes BoatingScene 7: The Lamb Wins a Prize

Scenes and Acts

POETRY

What Is Poetry?• Poetry is an expressive form of writing. It allows

the author to share an idea or insight with others in a meaningful way.

• Poetry is not written in sentences and paragraphs like prose. Instead, It uses different structures that make it interesting to read.

• Verse – one line of poetry

• Stanza – group of verses

• Rhythm – beats or accented syllables

• Meter – pattern of beats or accented syllables

• Rhyme – syllables that sound similar

Structural Elements of Poetry

Each line of poetry is called a verse. Verses are grouped into stanzas.

Mary had a little lamb.Its fleece was white as snow.And everywhere that Mary went,The lamb was sure to go.

How many verses are in the first stanza of “Mary Had a Little Lamb”?

Right! This poem has four verses, or lines, per stanza.

Verses and Stanzas

Mary had a little lamb.Its fleece was white as snow.And everywhere that Mary went,The lamb was sure to go.

He followed her to school one day,Which was against the rule,It made the children laugh and playTo see a lamb at school.

Verses and StanzasAnd so the teacher turned it out,But it still lingered near,And waited patiently about,Till Mary did appear.

“Why does the lamb love Mary so?”The eager children cry.“Why, Mary loves the lamb, you know.”The teacher did reply.

How many stanzas are in “Mary Had a Little Lamb”?Right! It has four stanzas.

Rhythm means beat. Let’s find the beat in these lines of poetry. Clap each stressed syllable as the poem is read.

Mary had a little lamb.Its fleece was white as snow.And everywhere that Mary went,The lamb was sure to go.

Now let’s highlight the accented syllables as we read the poem aloud together.You can see that every other syllable is accented. This is the poem’s rhythm.

Rhythm

Meter describes the arrangement of the rhythm.Here you can see the meter for “Mary Had a Little Lamb.”

Mary had a little lamb.Its fleece was white as snow.And everywhere that Mary went,The lamb was sure to go.

How can you describe the meter of this poem?The first line has four beats, the second line has three, the third line has four, and the fourth line has three.We’ll say it has a meter that is 4-3-4-3.

Meter

Rhyme happens when the sound of the last syllable(s) of a verse sound like the last syllable(s) of another verse.

Mary had a little lamb.Its fleece was white as snow.And everywhere that Mary wentThe lamb was sure to go.

Here, snow rhymes with go.We give a letter to each verse. Rhyming words get the same letter. This poem has an abcb rhyming pattern. The b’s represent snow and go because they rhyme.

Rhyme

abcb

Twinkle, twinkle, little star, How I wonder what you are.Up above the world so high,Like a diamond in the sky.

Clap out the rhythm.Each verse has four beats.

What about the rhyming pattern?Yes, star and are rhyme, and high and sky rhyme. The pattern is aabb.

More Practice

aabb

Baa, baa, black sheep,Have you any wool?Yes sir, yes sir,Three bags full.

How many beats are in each verse?This poem’s meter is 4-3-4-3. The first and third lines have four beats, and the second and fourth lines have three.Can you name the rhyming pattern?Right. It would be abcb. The second and fourth lines rhyme, but the first and third do not.

More Practice

REVIEW

• Prose is ordinary language. It’s written in sentences and paragraphs, and dialogue is placed in quotation marks.

• Drama is a play. It may be organized in scenes and acts. Dialogue is not placed in quotation marks; instead, the character’s name is placed before the words an actor should say. Stage directions provide information about how the stage should look and how actors should act.

• Poetry is expressive writing. It is written in verses and stanzas. Poems are characterized by rhythm (beat) and rhyme (syllables that sound alike).

Let’s Review

• Sentence – group of words that express a complete thought

• Paragraph - sentences that are grouped together

• Dialogue – words or sentences that quote what a person has said

Structural Elements of Prose

• Cast of Characters - list of characters in play

• Dialogue – words that tell the actors what to say

• Stage Directions – words that tell how the stage should look or what the actors should do

• Setting - words that tell where and when a play takes place

• Scenes - sections of the play with similar setting

• Acts - major sections of a long play

Structural Elements of Drama

• Verse – one line of poetry

• Stanza – group of verses

• Rhythm – beats or accented syllables

• Meter – pattern of beats or accented syllables

• Rhyme – syllables that sound similar

Structural Elements of Poetry