Poetry Project
For your final poetry assignment, you will produce an individual project involving several different types
of poetry activities. You must complete six of the following activities (Of course, you can do more!):
1. Poetry analysis – Complete the poetry analysis sheet for “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost.
2. Life poem – Write a poem about life (minimum 12 lines). Use personal experiences for ideas. Then write a
paragraph explaining where your ideas came from and what the poem means.
3. Imagery – Reread one of the imagery poems we read in class, then write a paragraph discussing the imagery
used in the poem. Consider if the images are effective in getting you to achieve a sense of what the author sees,
smells, touches, hears, tastes, etc. Then, write an original poem (12 line minimum) using imagery to describe
something. You could describe an object, a person, a place, an animal, etc.
4. Poetic devices – Read the poem “We Real Cool” by Gwendolyn Brooks. Write a paragraph explaining how the
author uses various literary devices to convey the meaning of the poem. Be sure to include specific words and
sounds from the poem as you discuss at least four poetic devices. (Use your definition sheet for ideas.) Then
write an original poem that is a parody of “We Real Cool.” A parody pokes fun at another work by imitating
some aspect of the author’s writing style.
5. Rhyme scheme – Label the rhyme scheme in the poems, “My Mistress’ Eyes” by William Shakespeare and “I
Still Rise” by Maya Angelou. Write a poem that has a rhyme scheme, then label yours.
6. Meter – Read the poems “A Thousand Years From Now” by Carrie Richards and “The Charge of the Light
Brigade” by Lord Alfred Tennyson. Mark the stressed/unstressed syllables in the first stanza of each poem, and
state whether the stanza is iambic or dactylic.
7. Haiku – Write four haiku poems. Be sure to exhibit an appreciation of nature in your poems.
8. Titles – Read the poem, “Bringing My Son to the Police Station to be Fingerprinted” by Shoshauna Shy then
write a paragraph explaining the title and how it relates to the poem. Think about how the poem would be
different if it had another title. Consider how the title impacts your understanding of the poem.
9. Song lyrics – Songwriters are modern poets. Using song lyrics, analyze the story of a song of your choice.
Answer the following questions about your song lyrics: Who is speaking? What happened? Why? Is there a
message in the song? What is the message? Why is this message important? You may choose any song, but it
should tell a story. Songs should be school appropriate. If the song contains foul language, censor the copy you
turn in with this assignment.
Poetry project requirements
1.
Projects are due _________________. All projects must be turned in on or before that date. Any
projects turned in after the due date will earn a 10% per-day late penalty.
2. Projects are worth 60 points in the 90%.
3. All written response paragraphs and original poems (poems written by you) must be typed. You may
choose font, font size, layout, etc. Creativity is encouraged!
4. All projects should be organized and bound together. Be sure to label all parts of the project so I know
which section I am grading. Use the bold title and number to label each section.
5. Creative packaging, decorative title page, etc. Is encouraged. However, your grade will be based on the
content of your poems, paragraphs and the details outlined in each of the required activities.
6. All poems you are asked to write must be your own work. Any evidence of plagiarism (copying
someone else’s work) will result in an F for the project grade.