Name: ________________________________________________Period: _____
Blackout Poetry
What is it?
Blackout poetry focuses on rearranging words to create a different meaning. Also
known as newspaper blackout poetry, the author uses a permanent marker to cross
out or eliminate whatever words or images he sees as unnecessary or irrelevant to the
effect he's seeking to create. The central idea is to devise a completely new text from
previously published words and images, which the reader is free to interpret as he
wishes.
Source: http://classroom.synonym.com/blackout-poems-5344.html
Objective:
I can create a new text from an existing text by identifying successive key words that
form a new idea or text and eliminating all of the remaining words AND identifying
and using figurative and/or sensory language and details to convey my new idea.
MN State Standard:
8.7.3.3 Write creative texts to develop real or imagined experiences or events using
effective technique, precise words and phrases, and figurative and/or sensory
language to convey the experiences or events.
Ideas/Sources of Original Text:
 Newspaper—page or article
 Favorite novel or short story
 Magazine page
 Past work of yours— such as: abandoned or complimentary to an existing story you
wrote
 Other ideas? _____________________
Blackout Techniques:
 Circle words
 Box words
 Make interesting shapes around words (e.g., blobs)
 Create rivers by making white lines that connect words
 Isolate punctuation (e.g., exclamation points, periods) for developing mood or tone
 Isolate sentences and/or phrases (not just individual words)
 Isolate words that are in keeping with the theme of the story and/or
 Isolate words that have nothing to do with the theme of the story
Source: http://www.readwritethink.org/resources/resource-print.html?id=30617
Visual Tutorials:
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nt5nguT3hEM What is a Blackout Poem? How to!
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNZTgsxxQqI How to Write a Blackout Poem using your
iPad
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tyw55AmE_Fs More Blackout Poetry as an art form
Rubric
Criteria
Exemplary
Proficient
Basic Proficient
Progressing
Technique
 Expertly uses the
technique for the
poetry form.
 Creatively created
a new text from
another source
using artistic
methods unique to
the poetry form.
 Uses a variety of
artistic mediums
and techniques.
 Competently
uses the
technique for
the poetry form.
 Creatively
created a new
text from
another source
using methods
unique to the
poetry form.
 Uses more than
one artistic
mediums and
techniques.
 Attempted to
use the
technique for
the poetry
form.
 Uses the basic
technique of
blackout, but
may not have
created an
end product
of a new text.
Precise
Words
 Expertly uses
precise words and
phrases, telling
details, figurative
and sensory
language to convey
a vivid picture of
the theme,
experiences,
events, setting,
and/or characters.
 A clear theme is
present in the end
product.
 The theme is
relevant to the
original text.
 Competently
uses precise
words and
phrases, telling
details,
figurative and
sensory language
to convey a
picture of the
theme,
experiences,
events, setting,
and/or
characters.
 A theme is
present in the
end product.
 The theme may
or may not be
relevant to the
original text.
 Adequately
uses the
technique for
the poetry
form.
 Created a new
text from
another
source using
methods
unique to the
poetry form.
 Uses basic
methods of
simple
blackout.
 Adequately
uses precise
words and
phrases,
telling details,
figurative and
sensory
language to
convey the
theme,
experiences,
events,
setting, and/or
characters.
 The end
product may
not make
sense to the
reader.
 The theme
may or may
not be
relevant to
the original
text.
Figurative
or Sensory
Language
Write your finished poem here:
 Attempted to
use precise
words and
phrases,
telling details,
figurative and
sensory
language to
convey the
theme,
experiences,
events,
setting, and/or
characters.
 The end
product does
not make
sense to the
reader.
 There is not a
recognizable
theme.
No
Evidence
Did not use
technique.
Did not use
language to
convey
meaning.
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Theme: _____________________________________________________________
Relevance to original text:
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