Poetry assignments
1. free choice Poem # 1 (free choice but five prompts were given; must be at least 8
lines; your choice whether it rhymes or not)
2. “Whatif” poem (8 lines plus Shel Silverstein’s 6 lines; use aabb rhyming scheme)
3. “Escaping into a Book” poem (8 lines or more; should rhyme)
4 & 5. Two haikus
6. Sensory poem (use at least 2 metaphors or similes, use descriptive verbs and
adjectives, make it rhyme)
7. “When I Grow Up” poem (use aab rhyming scheme)
8.”If I were in charge of the world…”poem (use template)
Whatif:
Last night, while I lay thinking here,
some Whatifs crawled inside my ear
and pranced and partied all night long
and sang their same old Whatif song:
(Your original 8 lines go here and each one starts out with “Whatif” Use aabb
rhyming scheme)
Everything seems well, and then
the nighttime Whatifs strike again!
Haiku
This short poem paints only one picture. It does not rhyme.
Line 1: 5 syllables
Line 2: 7 syllables
Line 3: 5 syllables
HAIKU EXAMPLES
As the wind does blow
Across the trees, I see the
Buds blooming in May
I walk across sand
And find myself blistering
In the hot, hot heat
Escaping into a Book
Write a minimum of 8 rhyming lines about escaping into a good book. Here is an
example of a poem with this theme:
Adventures with Books
Author Unknown
Books are ships that sail the seas
To lands of snow or jungle trees
And I'm the captain bold and free
Who will decide which place we'll see
Come let us sail the magic ship
Books are trains in many lands
Crossing hills or desert sands
And I'm the engineer who guides
The train on its exciting rides.
Come, let us ride the magic train
Books are zoos that make a home
For birds and beasts not free to roam
And I'm the keeper of the zoo
I choose the things to show to you
Come, let us visit in a zoo
Books are gardens, fairies, elves
Cowboys and people like ourselves
And I can find with one good look
Just what I want inside a book
When I Grow Up lines:
Begin with:
When I grow up, I want to be
A grown-up who remembers me
And what it felt like to be small:
Your seven lines about fun associations with being young go here. Use aabb rhyming
scheme.
Sensory poem
Create a poem in which you include two metaphors or similes and descriptive words
and phrases that paints pictures.
It should be a minimum of eight lines, and it should rhyme.
Choose a subject that lends itself to imagery. Prompts follow:
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My favorite place/ secret place (see "When I am full of silence" back of page 3
of anthology.)
a peaceful place
on a walk/hike/nature
flying (see "high Flight" back of page 9)
a special memory (one fourth of july, time at your grandparents' house, a
special moment in sports, etc.)
weather/season: a fall day, a wintery storm, a rainy day, the wind, etc. (see "A
light exists in spring" page 1 and "fog" page 2.)
friendship (see "friends" page 1.)
If I were in Charge of the World
(Use template)