Repetition

Oct 27, 2009 by Annemarie

Writing Trait/Strategy:

word choice; sentence fluency

Mentor Text Suggestions:

Most poetry collections will have examples of poems that use repetition

• "Things" by Eloise Greenfield
• Saturdays and Teacakes by Lester Laminack
• The Sunsets of Olivia Wiggins by Lester Laminack
• Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin
• In November by Cynthia Rylant
• The Doorbell Rang by Pat Hutchins
• Whoever You Are by Mem Fox
• Momma, Where Are You From? By Marie Bradby

Description:

Repetition is the repeating of a word, phrases, lines, or groups of lines to add rhythm or emphasis. Read aloud poems and picture books that have examples of repetitive words and phrases. Discuss the impact the repetitions have on the overall feeling of the text. When using repetition in their poetry, students should always go back to reread the poem aloud often. This is the only way to tell if the repetition works in the poem. Guidelines: Use repetition to stress an important word, phrase, or idea, and to add rhythm. Avoid using repetitions that sound awkward or that are in too close proximity to each other to be effective.

Student Sample: