The next structural level after the syllable, the verse, and the stanza is the poem itself. A poem either will be divided into stanzas (un poema estrófico) or it will not be (un poema no estrófico). The two most important forms of poemas estróficos are el soneto and la letrilla. The three major types of poemas no estróficos are el romance, la silva, and el poema de verso libre.

Task 1. Define. Based on the definition on page 135 of the text, what are the characteristics of the two types of poemas estróficos?

1.			el soneto:
2.			la letrilla:
3.			Are any of the sample poems sonetos or letrillas? If so, which one(s)? Explain why or why not.

Task 2. Apply.

4.			Look at the examples provided with the definitions of el soneto and la letrilla and apply the definition to each example. Does it make sense to you?

Task 3. Define. Based on the definitions on page 136, what are the characteristics of the three types of poemas no estróficos? Provide an example of each.

5.			el romance:
6.			Example:
7.			la silva:
8.			Example:
9.			el poema de verso libre:
10.			Example:
11.			Are any of the sample poems poemas no estróficos? Can you provide other examples, either in English or in Spanish?

Task 4. Test Yourself. Before you continue, make sure that you can answer the following questions without referring to your notes.

12.			Define the following poetic terms and explain their relationship(s) to each other. la poética el verso la estrofa el ritmo la versificación el metro la sílaba el poema la poesía
13.			Explain the different word classifications in Spanish and provide examples of each. When do you know that a written accent is required? Give examples.
14.			What is la sinalefa?
15.			How do you count poetic syllables?
16.			How does the rhythm classify a verse?
17.			How do you determine the rhyme pattern of a verse? What are the different types of rhyme called?
18.			How is rhyme represented?
19.			What is the difference between versos de arte menor and versos de arte mayor?
20.			How does poetic rhyme create stanzas?
21.			What are the most important forms of poemas estróficos and poemas no estróficos? What are their characteristics?

Task 5. Practice.

22.			Individually or as a group, do the Práctica section on pages 137-138 of the text.