Portmanteau Words: Combining Meaning and Syntax
Topic: Generating
Portmanteau Words
Rationale
Poetry is a much more relaxed form
of writing compared to prose because it does not call for formal grammar and
syntax. This casual nature allows for poets to present their ideas in a way
that they cannot achieve in prose, which in turn allows for interesting
concepts to develop and for readers to engage with the material in a
non-traditional way.
Objectives—Students
will understand:
- What a Portmanteau is
- How to recognize and
analyze portmanteau’s present in context
- How to connect the
meaning/significance of the portmanteaus to American culture.
Introduction/Inquiry
Question(s)
- Why is poetry a valuable
form of literature?
- What is my relationship
like with poetry?
- What is a portmanteau?
Sequence of
Activities
1. Discuss
the differences between poetry and prose;
2. Ask
students to name poems that they have read;
3. Develop
a working definition of what a portmanteau word is as a group;
4. Read
“Portmanterrorism” as a class/group;
5. Break
into groups of 2-3 students, look for examples of portmanteau words in
“Portmanterrorism”, and attempt to figure out what each one means.
Closure/Assessment
1. Regroup
as a full class to discuss the portmanteaus present in the poem;
2. Discuss
the meaning of the individual root words and the meaning of the hybrid
portmanteau words;
3. Have
students create their own portmanteaus in French and/or English and share their
work with the class.
Materials/Resources
·
“Portmanterrorism” by Nick Lantz
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