Reading, Writing and Reciting Poetry
Specific Language Expectations:
Reading
Writing
Oral Language
1.5 Making Inferences
3.2 Reading Unfamiliar Word
2.3 Clarity and Coherence
2.5 Vocal Skills and Strategies
1.2 Developing Ideas
2.3 Word Choice
3.8 Publishing Finished Work
Reading
1.
interpreting poetry (making inferences, theme & main idea)
2.
word solving (making inferences at the word level)
3.
literary devices (figurative language, simile, metaphor, personification)
Writing
1.
Ideas, Word Choice & Organization
2.
forms of poetry
Oral Language
3.
marking up poetry (accents & emphasis)
4.
presentation techniques
What is Poetry #1
-brainstorms ideas of what poetry is
-students share opinions & experiences with poetry
-students use ideas to create a “I Can't Write a Poem” Poem
What is Poetry #2
-read poets ideas of what poetry is (use as shared reading)
T.S. Eliot
A poem may appear to mean very different things
to different readers, and all of these meanings
may be different from what the author thought he
meant. For instance, the author may have been
writing some peculiar personal experience, which
he saw quite unrelated to anything outside; yet
for the reader the poem may become the expression
of a general situation, as well as of some
private experience of his own. The reader's
interpretation may differ from the author's and
be equally valid-- it may even be better. There
may be much more in a poem than the author was
aware of. The different interpretations may all
be partial formulations of one thing; the
ambiguities may be due to the fact that the poem
means more, not less, than ordinary speech can
communicate.
What Inspires Someone to Write Poetry?
-power point & brainstorm ideas
e.e. cummings
A poet is somebody who feels, and who expresses
his feelings through words.
This may sound easy. It isn't.
A lot of people think or believe or know they
feel -- but that's thinking or believing or
knowing; not feeling. and poetry is feeling -not knowing or believing or thinking.
Almost anybody can learn to think or believe
or know, but not a single human being can be
taught to feel. Why? Because whenever you think
or you believe or you know, you're a lot of other
people; but the moment you feel, you're
NOBODY-BUT-YOURSELF.
Poem Reconstruction (R)
-students work individually/pairs/groups to reconstruct Bananas – Donna Wasicazko
-starting with conventions moving to words/phrases
-students come up with a title for the poem
- discuss the fact that poetry is the poet’s point of view
# 3 The Power of Words (W)
-give students “poetic devices” vocabulary ogranizer
-Poetry Poker: words on cue cards, shuffle & distribute 10 per student/pair of students,
- students create a 5 line free-style poem, may trade 2 cards (station #2)
- student generated poem and share with the class
Imagery (W)
-What is an Image? (An image is a mental picture of an idea. When you see and
express likenesses in things that are different, you are making images) ex. The sea
roars like a lion. The moon is like a silver dollar.
-Building Images #1
-Building Images #2
1. Choose a subject.
a dog
2. Ask yourself some questions.
What is it like?
What does it do?
3. Arrange your words
My dog
A black furry rug
Warming my toes.
like a soft fur rug
warms my feet
1. Choose a subject.
a tree at night
2. Ask yourself questions about your subject.
What is it like?
spider webs across the moon
How are the two
branches of leafless tree look
things similar?
like threads of a web
What does it remind me of?
they are trapping the moon
What feeling do I have
I want to break the web and
when I think about it?
free the moon
3. Arrange your words The tree weaves webs across the moon
With strong branches. Like a giant trap.
Holding a helpless prey
Moon, how can I break the hold
And set you free?
In groups students choose one of the following subjects for a poem, and build and image for it:
Winding road
Lightening flashing
Railroad tracks
Bird’s nest
Howling wind
Hockey player
Falling rain
Burning candle
Cold spaghetti
-Imagery--A concrete representation of a sense impression, a feeling, or an idea which
appeals to one or more of our senses. Look for a pattern of imagery.





Tactile imagery--sense of touch.
Aural imagery--sense of hearing.
Olfactory imagery--sense of smell.
Visual imagery--sense of sight.
Gustatory imagery--sense of taste.
-students create a sensory word wall to use throughout the poetry unit
- Activity: Imagery through Action Verbs
#4 Reading and Interpreting Poetry
The Highwayman (R)
-students get a copy of the poem and teacher reads aloud
-as a class collaboratively interpret the poem
-discuss barriers to interpretations (unfamiliar WORDS)
- watch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkVTTco2Www
Voice: Speaker and Tone--The voice that conveys the poem's tone; its implied attitude toward its
subject. Marking poetry for reading.
Word Solving using Famous Poems (R)
-in groups students read poems and circle unfamiliar words and try to solve
-share a few lines in poem with unfamiliar words and show their word solving attempts
-create a anchor chart for word solving
Nothing Gold Can Stay
Robert Frost
Nature’s first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf’s a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.
FOG
The fog comes
on little cat feet.
It sits looking
over harbor and city
on silent haunches
and then moves on.
The Road Not Taken
by Robert Frost
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted
wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and II took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Carl Sandburg
O Captain! My Captain!
by Walt Whitman (1819 – 1892)
O CAPTAIN! my Captain! our
fearful trip is done;
How Do I Love Thee?
by Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806–1861)
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and
height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.
Sonnet 18
by William Shakespeare
Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of
May,
And summer's lease hath all too short a
date:
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven
shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;
And every fair from fair sometime
declines,
By chance, or nature's changing course,
untrimm'd;
But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest;
Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his
shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou growest;
So long as men can breathe, or eyes can
see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to
thee.
Uphill
by Christina Rossetti
Does the road wind up-hill all the way?
Yes, to the very end.
Will the day's journey take the whole long
day?
The ship has weather’d every
rack, the prize we sought is won;
The port is near, the bells I hear,
the people all exulting,
While follow eyes the steady
keel, the vessel grim and daring:
But O heart! heart! heart!
O the bleeding drops of red,
Where on the deck my Captain
lies,
Fallen cold and dead.
I love thee to the level of everyday’s
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood’s
faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints,—I love thee with the
breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life!—and, if God
choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.
From morn to night, my friend.
But is there for the night a resting-place?
A roof for when the slow dark hours begin.
May not the darkness hide it from my face?
You cannot miss that inn.
Shall I meet other wayfarers at night?
Those who have gone before.
Then must I knock, or call when just in
sight?
They will not keep you standing at that door.
Shall I find comfort, travel-sore and weak?
Of labour you shall find the sum.
Will there be beds for me and all who seek?
Yea, beds for all who come.
Poetry Graffiti (R)
-students choose 2-4 lines from a favourite poem and write them as a piece of graffiti
with the poets name
-they can illustrate the poem with chalk on construction paper
Figurative Language (W/R)
Figurative Language--The use of words to suggest meanings beyond the literal.
There are a number of figures of speech. Some of the more common ones are:




Metaphor--Making a comparison between unlike things without the use of a verbal clue
(such as "like" or "as").
Simile--Making a comparison between unlike things, using "like" or "as".
Hyperbole--Exaggeration
Personification--Endowing inanimate objects with human characteristics
The Sound of Poetry (W/R)
Sound--Do the words rhyme? Is there alliteration (repetition of consonants) or
assonance (repetition of vowels)? How does this affect the tone?
- Onomatopoeia – Tigger Onomatopoeia youtube video (station #4)
- Alliteration
Rhythm and Meter--Rhythm is the pulse or beat in a line of poetry, the regular
recurrence of an accent or stress. Meter is the measure or patterned count of a poetry
line (a count of the stresses we feel in a poem's rhythm). The unit of poetic meter in
English is called a "foot," a unit of measure consisting of stressed and unstressed
syllables. Ask yourself how the rhythm and meter affects the tone and meaning.
Poetic Forms
Structure--The pattern of organization of a poem. For example, a sonnet is a 14-line
poem usually written in iambic pentameter. Because the sonnet is strictly constrained, it
is considered a closed or fixed form. An open or free form is a poem in which the
author uses a looser form, or perhaps one of his or her own invention. It is not
necessarily formless.
Found Poetry (W)
-students write a found poem to accompany their masks
-students write a non-fiction found poem from a news article (station #3)
-students can use the Found Vocabulary graphic organizer
Personal Poetry
-I Am poem as a class (using adjectives & self-despcriptors)
-students write 3 of the following: All About Me, All I Want, Life Lessons, Name Poem,
Wishes and Fear
Poetry: Literacy Stations
#
Station
1
Guided Reading
2
Found Poetry in the News
3
Poetry Poker
4
Onomatopoeia
5
Personal Poetry
I AM
I am ………………………………………………………………………………………
I wonder …………………………………………………………………………………
I hear ……………………………………………………………………….....................
I see ……………………………………………………………………………………..
I want ……………………………………………………………………………………
I am ……………………………………………………………………………………..
I pretend …………………………………………………………………………………..
I feel ……………………………………………………………………………………….
I touch ……………………………………………………………………………………..
I worry ……………………………………………………………………………………..
I cry ………………………………………………………………………………………...
I understand ………………………………………………………………………………...
I say ………………………………………………………………………………………...
I dream……………………………………………………………………………………...
I try …………………………………………………………………………………………
I hope ………………………………………………………………………………………
I am ………………………………………………………………………………………...
I Am
I am (two special characteristics you have)
I wonder (something you are curious about)
I hear (an imaginary sound)
I see (an imaginary sight)
I want (an actual desire)
I am (repeat the first line of the poem)
I pretend (something you pretend to do)
I feel (a feeling you have about something)
I touch (something you imagine you touch)
I worry (a worry that is real to you)
I cry (something that makes you very sad)
I understand (something you know is true)
I Am
Rubric
I say (something
you
believe in)
I dream (a dream/goal you have)
Level
1
I try (something you make an effort
to do)
I hope (something
hope for) -uses no rare or
Wordyou
Choice
I am (repeat Poetic
the firstDevices
line of the poem)
unique words
–some words
used correctly
I AM
I am a trustworthy friend and a faithful daughter,
I wonder what will happen to this world of ours,
I hear the pain of those struggling,
I see the glorious flowers blossoming around me,
I want peace in all the places of war and despair,
I am a trustworthy friend and a faithful daughter,
I pretend to be a rock star while I drive in my car,
I feel the soft fleece of my pillow while I dream,
I touch the waves of the ocean with the tip of my toe,
I worry about the homeless walking the streets,
I cry when I remember moments with my Grandpa.
Level 2
Level 3
Level 4
I
understand
that
change
happens
-uses few rare
-uses several 5
-uses whether
many I’m ready or not,
we need
to take pride
who
we are,
or uniqueI say that rare
or unique
rareinor
unique
I
dream
of
walking
the
dusty
streets
of
Africa,
words
words used
words used
the good in thosecorrectly
around me,
-uses mostI try to find
correctly
I hope for a future of stability and love,
words correctly
I am a trustworthy friend and a faithful daughter.
Unity
-many different
-attempts to tie
-clear theme
-strong theme
By: Ms. Shave
Emotion/
Statement
themes/ideas no
sense of unity
-no evidence of
passion about
issue; topic
includes
emotion in
writing.
-poem is
visually
appealing/
impactful
themes/ides to
create unity
-writer is not
passionate
about issue;
topic includes
emotion in
writing.
-poem is
visually
appealing/
impactful
identified
identified
-clear writer is
passionate
about issue;
topic includes
emotion in
writing.
-poem is
visually
appealing/
impactful
-clearly writer
is very
passionate
about issue;
topic includes
emotion in
writing.
-poem is
visually
appealing/
impactful
Peer Evaluation
Your Name _______________
Poet:______________________
Level 1
Word Choice
- min 3 words
identified as rare
or unique, does not
enhance the poem
Level 2
Level 3
Level 4
- min 3 rare or
unique words used
with some
effectiveness.
-minimum of 5
rare or unique
words used
correctly
- min. 7 rare or
unique words used
correctly
Found Poetry:
"Found" poems are created by taking pieces from original poems
and rearranging them into a new form. These poems change the
themes and messages of the original poem into a new, more
personal piece of writing. Words may be dropped, but not added.
You may choose to use a whole sentence, or strictly one or two
words. The tense of the words however, are not altered.
Name: ______________________
Found Poetry Rubric
Word Choice
Poetic Devices
Unity
Emotion/
Statement
Level 1
-uses no rare or
unique words
–some words
used correctly
Level 2
-uses few rare
or unique
words
-uses most
words correctly
Level 3
-uses several 5
rare or unique
words used
correctly
Level 4
-uses many
rare or unique
words used
correctly
-many different
themes/ideas no
sense of unity
-no evidence of
passion about
issue; topic
includes
emotion in
writing.
-attempts to tie
themes/ides to
create unity
-writer is not
passionate
about issue;
topic includes
emotion in
writing.
-clear theme
identified
-strong theme
identified
-clear writer is
passionate
about issue;
topic includes
emotion in
writing.
-clearly writer
is very
passionate
about issue;
topic includes
emotion in
writing.
Culminating Task: Poetry Café
Students Produce a Poem and Present at a Poetry Café
-peer and teacher assessment of oral presentation
-poetry writing rubric
Name: _____________________
Poetry Café
Poetry Recitation Rubric
VOICE
______ Spoke loudly and clearly
______ Used good expression appropriate to subject matter
GESTURES
______ Body language communicated message
______ Facial expressions communicated feelings
MESSAGE
______ Used powerful and interesting language
______ Sent a clear message to the audience
Notes:
A poem may appear to mean very different things
to different readers, and all of these meanings
may be different from what the author thought he
meant. For instance, the author may have been
writing some peculiar personal experience, which
he saw quite unrelated to anything outside; yet
for the reader the poem may become the expression
of a general situation, as well as of some
private experience of his own. The reader's
interpretation may differ from the author's and
be equally valid-- it may even be better. There
may be much more in a poem than the author was
aware of. The different interpretations may all
be partial formulations of one thing; the
ambiguities may be due to the fact that the poem
means more, not less, than ordinary speech can
communicate.
T.S. Eliot
A poet is somebody who feels, and who expresses
his feelings through words.
This may sound easy. It isn't.
A lot of people think or believe or know they
feel -- but that's thinking or believing or
knowing; not feeling. and poetry is feeling -not knowing or believing or thinking.
Almost anybody can learn to think or believe
or know, but not a single human being can be
taught to feel. Why? Because whenever you think
or you believe or you know, you're a lot of other
people; but the moment you feel, you're
NOBODY-BUT-YOURSELF.
e.e. cummings
I Can't Write a Poem” Poem
Line 1: Forget it
Line 2: You must be kidding
Line 3: Excuse #1 _______________________________.
Line 4: Excuse #2 _______________________________.
Line 5: Excuse #3 _______________________________.
Line 6: Excuse #4 _______________________________.
Line 7: Excuse #5 _______________________________.
Line 8: Excuse #6 _______________________________.
Line 9: Excuse #7 _______________________________.
Line 10: Excuse #8 _______________________________.
Line 11: Time's up? Uh oh!
Line 12: All I have is a dumb list of excuses.
Line 13: You like it? Really? No kidding.
Line 14: Thanks a lot. Would you like to see another one?
I Can't Write a Poem
Forget it.
You must be kidding.
I'm still half asleep.
My eyes keep closing.
My brain isn't working.
I don't have a pencil.
I don't have any paper.
My desk is wobbly.
I don't know what to write
about.
And besides, I don't even know
how to write a poem.
I've got a headache. I need to
see the nurse.
Time's up? Uh oh!
All I have is a dumb list of
excuses.
You like it? Really? No kidding.
Thanks a lot. Would you like to
see another one?
-Bruce Lansky
Slippery
Soft
Fog
Love
Sway
Obvious
Desert
Distress
Ocean
Fair
Found
Smeared
Disaster
Warning
Shriek
Tangle
Eternal
Deliver
Bright
Sea
Breeze
Rainbow
Intense
Pleasure
Hope
Coast
Fruit
Black
Stare
World
Alone
Deep
Misery
Earth
Music
Cliffs
Fire
Create
Shy
Man
Season
Honour
Symbol
Twist
Dream
Denial
Street
Scream
Beast
Faith
Pale
Murmur
Child
Thought
Terror
Bell
Hidden
Gentle
Forever
Mask
Harrow
Crash
Kiss
Danger
Dreadful
Creativity
Rose
Glory
Grip
Vast
Summer
Grace
Cold
Rage
Hell
Beautiful
Dark
War
Bird
Heaven
Bold
Crust
Spring
Smile
Eclipse
Cemetery
Heart
Fountain
Devotion
Reflection
Forest
Death
Frolic
Struggle
Heaven
Light
Butterfly
Treasure
Trap
Bleary
Voice
Happily
Forget
Grace
Curse
Clash
Fail
Sharp
Stranger
Wish
Desire
Fragile
Cruel
Roar
Mercy
Paint
Storm
Hate
Follow
Gold
Smoke
Winter
Quiet
Giggle
Chaos
Shimmer
Listen
Harmony
Courage
Lost
Lagoon
Juggle
Mountain
Anguish
Hate
Free
Sky
Romantic
Wild
Time
Sad
Champion
Murder
Perspective
Tide
Sour
Silver
Rain
Drown
Crave
Burn
Distant
Life
higher
Frantic
Passion
evening
Praise
Imagine
soul
Poetry Poker Peer Evaluation
Name: ___________ ______________
Words
Illustration
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Level 4
-Difficult to identify
theme
-Theme is clear
- grammatical
mistakes and/or
confusing phrases
interfere with
message
- Illustration looks
rushed, unfinished,
and/or
disproportional.
-Theme does not
run through entire
poem
- grammatical
mistakes and/or
confusing phrases
are present,
distracting
- Illustration shows
evidence of some
effort, little messy
or disproportional
-Theme is clear and
very impressive
throughout poem
-no grammatical
mistakes and/or
confusing phrases
-Illustration has
little connection to
theme
- Illustration shows
basic/explicit
connection to
theme/poem
- grammatical.
mistakes and/or
confusing phrases
are present, don’t
distract from
message
- Illustration is neat,
incorporated into
poem
- Illustration
demonstrates
implicit connection
to theme, enhances
poem
- Illustration shows
talent, incorporated
into poem, includes
artistic techniques
learned in class
- Illustration shows
intricate and
implicit connection
to theme, enhances
understanding of
poem
Alfred Noyes (1880-1958)
The Highwayman
PART ONE
I
THE wind was a torrent of darkness among the gusty trees,
The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas,
The road was a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor,
And the highwayman came riding—
Riding—riding—
The highwayman came riding, up to the old inn-door.
II
He'd a French cocked-hat on his forehead, a bunch of lace at his chin,
A coat of the claret velvet, and breeches of brown doe-skin;
They fitted with never a wrinkle: his boots were up to the thigh!
And he rode with a jewelled twinkle,
His pistol butts a-twinkle,
His rapier hilt a-twinkle, under the jewelled sky.
III
Over the cobbles he clattered and clashed in the dark inn-yard,
And he tapped with his whip on the shutters, but all was locked and barred;
He whistled a tune to the window, and who should be waiting there
But the landlord's black-eyed daughter,
Bess, the landlord's daughter,
Plaiting a dark red love-knot into her long black hair.
IV
And dark in the dark old inn-yard a stable-wicket creaked
Where Tim the ostler listened; his face was white and peaked;
His eyes were hollows of madness, his hair like mouldy hay,
But he loved the landlord's daughter,
The landlord's red-lipped daughter,
Dumb as a dog he listened, and he heard the robber say—
V
"One kiss, my bonny sweetheart, I'm after a prize to-night,
But I shall be back with the yellow gold before the morning light;
Yet, if they press me sharply, and harry me through the day,
Then look for me by moonlight,
Watch for me by moonlight,
I'll come to thee by moonlight, though hell should bar the way."
VI
He rose upright in the stirrups; he scarce could reach her hand,
But she loosened her hair i' the casement! His face burnt like a brand
As the black cascade of perfume came tumbling over his breast;
And he kissed its waves in the moonlight,
(Oh, sweet, black waves in the moonlight!)
Then he tugged at his rein in the moonliglt, and galloped away to the West.
PART TWO
I
He did not come in the dawning; he did not come at noon;
And out o' the tawny sunset, before the rise o' the moon,
When the road was a gypsy's ribbon, looping the purple moor,
A red-coat troop came marching—
Marching—marching—
King George's men came matching, up to the old inn-door.
II
They said no word to the landlord, they drank his ale instead,
But they gagged his daughter and bound her to the foot of her narrow bed;
Two of them knelt at her casement, with muskets at their side!
There was death at every window;
And hell at one dark window;
For Bess could see, through her casement, the road that he would ride.
III
They had tied her up to attention, with many a sniggering jest;
They had bound a musket beside her, with the barrel beneath her breast!
"Now, keep good watch!" and they kissed her.
She heard the dead man say—
Look for me by moonlight;
Watch for me by moonlight;
I'll come to thee by moonlight, though hell should bar the way!
IV
She twisted her hands behind her; but all the knots held good!
She writhed her hands till her fingers were wet with sweat or blood!
They stretched and strained in the darkness, and the hours crawled by like years,
Till, now, on the stroke of midnight,
Cold, on the stroke of midnight,
The tip of one finger touched it! The trigger at least was hers!
V
The tip of one finger touched it; she strove no more for the rest!
Up, she stood up to attention, with the barrel beneath her breast,
She would not risk their hearing; she would not strive again;
For the road lay bare in the moonlight;
Blank and bare in the moonlight;
And the blood of her veins in the moonlight throbbed to her love's refrain .
VI
Tlot-tlot; tlot-tlot! Had they heard it? The horse-hoofs ringing clear;
Tlot-tlot, tlot-tlot, in the distance? Were they deaf that they did not hear?
Down the ribbon of moonlight, over the brow of the hill,
The highwayman came riding,
Riding, riding!
The red-coats looked to their priming! She stood up, straight and still!
VII
Tlot-tlot, in the frosty silence! Tlot-tlot, in the echoing night!
Nearer he came and nearer! Her face was like a light!
Her eyes grew wide for a moment; she drew one last deep breath,
Then her finger moved in the moonlight,
Her musket shattered the moonlight,
Shattered her breast in the moonlight and warned him—with her death.
VIII
He turned; he spurred to the West; he did not know who stood
Bowed, with her head o'er the musket, drenched with her own red blood!
Not till the dawn he heard it, his face grew grey to hear
How Bess, the landlord's daughter,
The landlord's black-eyed daughter,
Had watched for her love in the moonlight, and died in the darkness there.
IX
Back, he spurred like a madman, shrieking a curse to the sky,
With the white road smoking behind him and his rapier brandished high!
Blood-red were his spurs i' the golden noon; wine-red was his velvet coat,
When they shot him down on the highway,
Down like a dog on the highway,
And he lay in his blood on the highway, with the bunch of lace at his throat.
*
*
*
*
*
*
X
And still of a winter's night, they say, when the wind is in the trees,
When the moon is a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas,
When the road is a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor,
A highwayman comes riding—
Riding—riding—
A highwayman comes riding, up to the old inn-door.
XI
Over the cobbles he clatters and clangs in the dark inn-yard;
He taps with his whip on the shutters, but all is locked and barred;
He whistles a tune to the window, and who should be waiting there
But the landlord's black-eyed daughter,
Bess, the landlord's daughter,
Plaiting a dark red love-knot into her long black hair.
"All About Me" Poem
Line 1: First Name
_________________________
Line 2: Four descriptive traits
__________________________________________
Line 3: Sibling of...
__________________________________________
Line 4: Lover of
__________________________________________
Line 5: Who fears...
__________________________________________
Line 6: Who needs...
__________________________________________
Line 7: Who gives...
__________________________________________
Line 8: Who would like to see... __________________________________________
Line 9: Resident of...
___________________________
Line 10: Last Name
___________________________
Cassie
Curious, creative, feisty, fun
Sibling of Billy, Emma² and Ethan
Lover of music, nature and life
Fears zombies, tornadoes
and being alone
Needs lots of patience and love
Gives hugs, kisses
and some attitude too
Would like to see kindness and
fairness for all
Resident of Barrie, Ontario, Canada
LeBlanc
“All I Want” Poem
All I want is someone to ______________________________________________________
Someone to ________________________________________________________________
All I want is someone to (same as the first line)____________________________________
Someone to ________________________________________________________________
Someone to ________________________________________________________________
All I want is someone to (same as the first line)____________________________________
Someone to ________________________________________________________________
Someone to ________________________________________________________________
Someone to ________________________________________________________________
All I want is someone to (same as the first line)____________________________________
Someone to ________________________________________________________________
Someone to ________________________________________________________________
Someone to ________________________________________________________________
Someone to __________________________________________________________________
All I want is someone to (same as the first line)____________________________________
All I want is someone to laugh
Someone to listen, then smile
All I want is someone to laugh
Someone to get the joke
Someone to totally crack up
All I want is someone to laugh
Someone to lighten up
Someone to not take life so seriously
Someone to laugh out loud from their
toes north
All I want is someone to laugh
Someone to show me teeth and gums
Someone to smile ear to ear
Someone to giggle ‘til their jaw aches
Someone to roll off their chair
All I want is a laugh out loud audience
of people
Life Lessons Poem
Line 1
I'm learning to ____________________________________________________________
Line 2
And I'm learning to _________________________________________________________
Line 3
And I'm learning to _________________________________________________________
Line 4
Not _________________________, when I _____________________________________
Line 5
And I'm learning not to _____________________________________________________
Line 6
And I'm learning not to _____________________________________________________
Line 7
And I'm learning (though it sometimes really hurts me)
Line 8
Not to ___________________________________________________________________
Line 9
And I'm learning to _________________________________________________________
Line 10
When I _________________________________________________________________
Line 11
And I'm learning that it's much
Line 12
Much easier to be _________________________________
Learning
I'm learning to say thank you.
And I'm learning to say please.
And I'm learning to use Kleenex,
Not my sweater, when I sneeze.
And I'm learning not to dribble.
And I'm learning not to slurp.
And I'm learning (though it
sometimes really hurts me)
Not to burp.
And I'm learning to chew softer
When I eat corn on the cob.
And I'm learning that it's much
Much easier to be a slob.
by Judith Viorst
Name Poem
Line 1 - ________________________________________
(your first name)
Line 2 - It means ______________________________________________________
(write 3 adjectives that describe you)
Line 3 - It is the number _________________________________________________
(any number you want)
Line 4 - It is like ________________________________________________________
(describe a color but don't name it)
Line 5 - It is ___________________________________________________________
(name something you remember experiencing with family or friends that makes you smile to recall)
Line 6 - It is the memory of _______________________________________________
(name a person who is or has been significant to you)
Line 7 - Who taught me __________________________________________________
(write 2 abstract concepts, such as "honesty")
Line 8 - When __________________________________________
(write about something that person did that displayed the qualities in line 7)
Line 9 - My name is __________________________________
(type your first name)
Line 10 - It means _______________________________________________
(state something important you believe about life in 1-2 brief sentences)
Shawn
It means friendly, outgoing, happy,
It is the number 500,
It is like the morning sky,
It is eating Buffalo wings at a
buffet,
It is the memory of Joe Workshop
Heckler,
Who taught me perseverance and
good humor,
When he tried my patience,
My name is Shawn,
It means I believe in laughing
whenever possible.
Wishes and Fears Poem
I am afraid of ____________________________________________________
I am afraid of ____________________________________________________
I am afraid that __________________________________________________
I am afraid that __________________________________________________
I am even afraid _________________________________________________
I am afraid of ___________________________________________________ I am afraid of spiders
I am afraid of lightning strikes
I am afraid of ___________________________________________________ I am afraid that the milk has gone
I am afraid that _________________________________________________
I am afraid that _________________________________________________
I am even afraid ________________________________________________
I want ________________________________________________________
I want ________________________________________________________
I want ________________________________________________________
I want ________________________________________________________
I even want ____________________________________________________
I want ________________________________________________________
I want ________________________________________________________
I want ________________________________________________________
I want ________________________________________________________
And I want _____________________________________________________
Most of all.
bad
I am afraid that the well will run
dry
I am even afraid I might show up
ten minutes late
I am afraid of final exams
I am afraid of making speeches
I am afraid that my math may be
wrong
I am afraid that I'll say a bad word
I am even afraid of the dark
I want friends who smile back
I want fresh fruits and vegetables
I want fewer reruns on summer TV
I want 50% off sales
I even want to read books with
happy endings
I want to laugh
I want to sing
I want to dance
I want to get the joke
And I want to be here
Most of all
Write at least five alliterative words next to each letter listed below. Write unrelated words
or words that form sentences. If you write sentences, include some words that are not
alliterative.
Examples f frame, fabulous, fragrant, fig, fish
b The big bear and the baboon bit bananas and pears.
1) b
__________________________________
11) n
__________________________________
2) c
__________________________________
12) p
__________________________________
3) d
__________________________________
13) q
___________________________________
4) f
__________________________________
14) r
___________________________________
5) g
__________________________________
15) s
___________________________________
6) h
__________________________________
16) t
___________________________________
7) j
__________________________________
17) v
___________________________________
8) k
__________________________________
18) w
____________________________________
9) l
__________________________________
19) y
____________________________________
10) m
__________________________________
20) z
____________________________________
Activity A: Writing Metaphors
To complete this activity, you will write metaphors comparing one noun to another unrelated noun.
First, write metaphors on the lines below. Example: Hair is a broom. Love is the wind.
Then, answer the questions: Who? What? Where? When? Why? Or How?
Example: Shoes are hats (Where?) at the other end.
Heart of
______________________________________________________________________________
Mountains of
______________________________________________________________________________
War is
_____________________________________________________________________________
Love is
______________________________________________________________________________
Tears are
______________________________________________________________________________
The ocean is a
______________________________________________________________________________
Kiss of
______________________________________________________________________________
Heaven is a
______________________________________________________________________________
Cigarettes are
______________________________________________________________________________
Hate is
_____________________________________________________________________________
School is
______________________________________________________________________________
Activity B: Writing Similies
Complete the similies by adding nouns on the lines below. Example: Night is like a blanket.
Then expand some of your similies by answering: Who? What? Where? When? Why? Or How?
Example: The breeze is like a whisper (Where?) in the morning.
Television is like
______________________________________________________________________________
Summer is like
______________________________________________________________________________
Sleep is like
______________________________________________________________________________
Night is like
______________________________________________________________________________
Day is like
______________________________________________________________________________
School is like
______________________________________________________________________________
Time is like
______________________________________________________________________________
Red is like
______________________________________________________________________________
Fire is like
______________________________________________________________________________
Friendship is like
______________________________________________________________________________
Love is like
______________________________________________________________________________
Anger is like
______________________________________________________________________________
Activity C: Personification Naming Human Actions
Personify things, ideas and qualities by writing a human action next to each object listed below.
Example: The moon winked. My refrigerator laughed.
Then, expand some by answering: Who? What? Where? When? Why? or How?
Example: Dirty clothes got up and walked (where?) into the laundry room.
The sun smiles (when?) in the morning.
Oceans
______________________________________________________________________________
Wave
______________________________________________________________________________
Cats
______________________________________________________________________________
Wheels
______________________________________________________________________________
Garbage
______________________________________________________________________________
Math
______________________________________________________________________________
Machines
_____________________________________________________________________________
Computers
______________________________________________________________________________
Staplers
______________________________________________________________________________
Flashlights
______________________________________________________________________________
Sound
______________________________________________________________________________
Mosquitoes
______________________________________________________________________________
Rewrite each sentence on the line below it to show a picture. Do not use the following verbs:
am, is, are, be, been, was, were, being, seem, seemed, feel, felt. Keep the same meaning, as in
the first example, or give an illustration, as in the second one.
Example: Original Sentence: The students were cold.
Original Sentence: He is excited.
Rewritten: The students shivered in class.
Rewritten: He leaves today for Hawaii.
He is lucky.
______________________________________________________________________________
I am happy.
______________________________________________________________________________
The bus was hot.
______________________________________________________________________________
They were angry.
______________________________________________________________________________
Summer is fun.
______________________________________________________________________________
I feel great.
______________________________________________________________________________
My life is good.
______________________________________________________________________________
They were tired.
______________________________________________________________________________
You were jealous.
______________________________________________________________________________
I am lost.
______________________________________________________________________________
They are brothers.
______________________________________________________________________________
http://teacher.scholastic.com/writeit/PDF/selfevaluation.pdf
self-evaluation of poetry writing
# Station
Date
Done
1 Guided Reading
2 Found Poetry in the News
3 Poetry Poker
4 The Power of Poetry
5
The station I enjoyed the most was __________________________.
I liked it because _________________________________________.
The station I like the least was ______________________________.
I disliked it because ______________________________________.
Station #2 Found Poetry in the News
Goal: To create an original “found” poem, using powerful words and phrases from a
current news article, to demonstrate your understanding of the article.
Materials Needed:
-newspapers or magazines
-sticky notes
-your Writer’s Notebook
You Need To:
1. Search through the newspaper or magazines for an article that interests you.
2. Read the article completely and flag passages (powerful words or phrases) that create an
image in your mind or that feel powerful.
3. Write the words /phrases on their own sticky note.
4. Read through the sticky notes. You may need to drop words or add word endings.
Take this poem through the steps of the writing process:
5. thinking (how do you want to organize them? Try several different arrangements)
6. writing (put them on paper in a particular order)
7. self-revising (read it yourself to see if it has impact you are looking for, make any changes)
8. self-editing (look for any spelling, grammar, punctuation errors and correct
9. peer revising/editing (use a student in your group to examine you poem)
10. good copy (print you poem on poster sized paper and use pictures or border to decorate).
WHEN YOU ARE FINISHED READ SOME POETRY FROM THE BACK BOOK SHELF.
Evaluation:
Your work will be evaluated using the following Criteria:
Writing
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Level 4
Communication
of main idea of
the article
The message was
unclear and difficult to
understand.
The message was
somewhat confusing to
understand.
The message was clear
and easy to
understand.
The message was
creatively presented,
clear and easy to
understand.
Word Choice
Word choice was simple
with little variety.
Some variety in word
choice used.
Visual
Presentation
Visual presentation has
limited appeal.
Ineffective use of fonts,
colour, & graphics.
Visual presentation has
some appeal. Somewhat
effective use of fonts,
colour, & graphics.
Advanced use of word
choice used
appropriately
Visual presentation was
appealing with effective
use of fonts, colour, and
graphics.
Advanced use of word
choice created vivid
pictures.
Visual presentation was
very appealing with
effective use of fonts,
colour, and graphics.
Station #3 Poetry Poker
Goal: To generate ideas to create an original poem.
Materials Needed:
-poetry poke word cards
-your Writer’s Notebook
You Need To:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Randomly OR look through the word cards and select 10 words.
Use the words to write lines of poetry (you will need to add words and
can change the form of the word eg. floats to floated).
Rearrange and organize the lines to create a poem
Proof read your work to be sure words are spelled correctly and are
creating the message you hope to deliver.
Print, write or type your poem in good copy form.
Be sure you include a symbol or picture on your good copy.
WHEN YOU ARE FINISHED READ SOME POETRY FROM THE BACK BOOK SHELF
Evaluation:
Your work will be evaluated using the following Criteria:
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
-Difficult
to
identify
theme
-Theme
does
not
run
-Theme is clear
Words
- grammatical mistakes
and/or confusing phrases
interfere with message
Illustration
- Illustration looks rushed,
unfinished, and/or
disproportional.
-Illustration has little
connection to theme
through entire poem
- grammatical mistakes
and/or confusing phrases
are present, distracting
- Illustration shows
evidence of some effort,
little messy or
disproportional
- Illustration shows
basic/explicit connection
to theme/poem
- grammatical. mistakes
and/or confusing phrases
are present, don’t distract
from message
- Illustration is neat,
incorporated into poem
- Illustration demonstrates
implicit connection to
theme, enhances poem
Level 4
-Theme is clear and very
impressive throughout
poem
-no grammatical mistakes
and/or confusing phrases
- Illustration shows talent,
incorporated into poem,
includes artistic
techniques learned in class
- Illustration shows
intricate and implicit
connection to theme,
enhances understanding
of poem
Station #4 Onomatopoeia
Goal: To create an original poem using onomatopoeia.
Materials Needed:
-Onomatopoeia handout
-your Writer’s Notebook
-sound word lists
-Onomatopoeia picture books
You Need To:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Read the Onomatopoeia handout to find the definition of
onomatopoeia.
Read the poems that use onomatopoeia and highlight or
underline the onomatopoeic words or phrases.
Read over the one of the lists of Sound Words.
Complete the activity on the back of the Onomatopoeia
handout .
Write a good copy of your poem on lined paper.
WHEN YOU ARE FINISHED READ SOME POETRY FROM THE BACK BOOK SHELF
Evaluation:
Your work will be evaluated using the following Criteria:
Writing
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Level 4
Poem appears to be
thoughtless and
rushed.
The poem is creative,
but appears to be
rushed.
Poem is thoughtful and
creative.
It is evident that the
poet put thought into
their words and
conveyed their ideas.
-many different
themes/ideas no sense
of unity
-attempts to tie
themes/ides to create
unity
-clear theme identified
-strong theme
identified
Word Choice
Word choice was simple
with little variety.
Some variety in word
choice used.
Advanced use of word
choice used
appropriately
Advanced use of word
choice created vivid
pictures.
Layout
The poem is
distractingly messy or
very poorly designed.
The poem is acceptably
attractive though it
may be a bit messy.
The poem is attractive
in terms of design,
layout and neatness.
The poem is
exceptionally attractive
in terms of design,
layout and neatness.
Meaning
Unity
Onomatopoeia: the formation of a word by using sounds that resemble or
suggest the object or action to be named; a sound effect word
like bang or knock, knock
Fossils
At midnight in the museum hall
The fossils gathered for a ball
There were no drums or saxophones,
But just the clatter of their bones,
A rolling, rattling, carefree circus
Of mammoth polkas and mazurkas.
Pterodactyls and brontosauruses
Sang ghostly prehistoric choruses.
Amid the mastodontic wassail
I caught the eye of one small fossil.
“Cheer up, sad world,” he said, and winked—
“It’s kind of fun to be extinct.
— Ogden Nash, 1845
Do you know what a mastodon is?
SOUNDS OF POVERTY
Empty stomachs that growl
and rumble with gnawing hunger,
throats that cough and croak
and thirst for a squirt of water.
Plop, glug and pong of sewers
buzz of houseflies and drones,
low lub-dub of weak hearts
snap and crack of broken bones.
The creak of dilapidated walls
and rattle of crumbling doors,
the thump of termite-windows
tottering on ramshackle floors.
Clinking coins and rustling notes
out of our pockets, may one day
stamp out sickness and poverty
and make suffering fade away
- Jacinta Ramayah, Malaysia
Read these poems and highlight or underline
the onomatopoeic words or phrases in
these poems.
The Rusty Spigot
The rusty spigot
sputters,
utters
a splutter,
spatters a smattering of drops,
gashes wider;
slash
splatters
scatters
spurts
finally stops sputtering
and plash!
gushes rushes splashes
clear water dashes.
-Eve Merriam
What is a spigot? Look it up, the poem will
make more sense.
Activity: Writing with Onomatopoeia
A. From the list below, select a thing or place that has many sounds.
a concert
television
breakfast, lunch or dinner
a test
a refrigerator
a restaurant
sleep
a vacation
firecrackers
a radio
a musical instrument
microwave popcorn
your house
our classroom
a vacuum cleaner
a holiday
a car, plane or train
a football game
an argument
a party
the movie theatre
B. Write a list of sound words that the thing or place makes.
C. Write a poem describing the place or thing using the onomatopoetic words on a piece of
lined paper. To hear the effect of onomatopoeia, write more than one poem and vary the
number of onomatopoetic words you use in each poem.
Station #5 Personal Poetry
Goal: To generate ideas and make powerful word choices to create poems that
reveal your inner-self.
Materials Needed:
-form poems
-your Writer’s Notebook
You Need To:
1. Read the sample poems on the form poem organizers.
2. Choose at least 3 of the poems to complete.
3. Complete the graphic organizers and use a dictionary/thesaurus to help choose
grade7/8 words.
4. Write out each poem in your Writer’s Notebook.
5. Re-read your poems to be sure that you are creating the images and giving the
messages you are intending to.
6. Exchange poems with someone in your group and peer evaluate each other’s work
using the rubric. Be sure to give constructive feedback.
WHEN YOU ARE FINISHED READ SOME POETRY FROM THE BACK BOOK SHELF
Writing
Level 1
Meaning
Poem appears to be
thoughtless or rushed.
Work is very repetitive
and ideas are
impersonal or
unoriginal.
Difficult to visualize
image or emotion
The poem is creative,
but appears to be
rushed.
The poem is not
written in its proper
form.
The poem is somewhat
written in its proper
form.
Word
Choice/Imagery
Form
Level 2
Some use of image,
idea, or emotion
Level 3
Level 4
Poem is thoughtful and
creative. A couple of
phrases or ideas may
be revisited, but the
overall product is
carefully written.
Clear sensory images
are used to portray
ideas or emotions
It is evident that the
poet put thought into
their words and
innovatively conveyed
their ideas and
emotions.
Vivid, detailed images
and intensely felt
emotion make the
poem come alive.
The poem is complete
and follows its intended
form.
The poem is written in
its proper forms with a
few mistakes.
Activity A: Writing Metaphors
To complete this activity, you will write metaphors comparing one noun to another unrelated
noun.
Frist, write metaphors on the lines below.
Example: Hair is a broom. Love is the wind.
Then, answer the questions: Who? What? Where? When? Why? Or How?
Example: Shoes are hats (Where?) at the other end.
Heart of
______________________________________________________________________________
Mountains of
______________________________________________________________________________
War is
_____________________________________________________________________________
Love is
______________________________________________________________________________
A school of
______________________________________________________________________________
Tears are
______________________________________________________________________________
The ocean is a
______________________________________________________________________________
Television is
______________________________________________________________________________
The moon is
______________________________________________________________________________
Kiss of
______________________________________________________________________________
Heaven is a
______________________________________________________________________________
House of
______________________________________________________________________________
Cigarettes are
______________________________________________________________________________
Hate is
_____________________________________________________________________________
School is
______________________________________________________________________________
Life of
______________________________________________________________________________
Shoulders are
______________________________________________________________________________
Hands are
______________________________________________________________________________
The army of
______________________________________________________________________________
Shoes are
______________________________________________________________________________
Activity B: Writing Similies
Complete the similies by adding nouns on the lines below. Example: Night is like a blanket.
Then expand some of your similies by answering: Who? What? Where? When? Why? Or How?
Example: The breeze is like a whisper (Where?) in the morning.
Television is like
______________________________________________________________________________
Summer is like
______________________________________________________________________________
Sleep is like
______________________________________________________________________________
The moon is like
______________________________________________________________________________
Night is like
______________________________________________________________________________
Day is like
______________________________________________________________________________
School is like
______________________________________________________________________________
A dream is like
______________________________________________________________________________
Time is like
______________________________________________________________________________
Red is like
______________________________________________________________________________
Fire is like
______________________________________________________________________________
Friendship is like
______________________________________________________________________________
Love is like
______________________________________________________________________________
The ocean is like
______________________________________________________________________________
Anger is like
______________________________________________________________________________
Activity C: Personification Naming Human Actions
Personify things, ideas and qualities by writing a human action next to each object listed
below.
Example: The moon winked. My refrigerator laughed.
Then, expand some by answering: Who? What? Where? When? Why? or How?
Example: Dirty clothes got up and walked (where?) into the laundry room.
The sun smiles (when?) in the morning.
Oceans
______________________________________________________________________________
_
Wave
______________________________________________________________________________
_
Cats
______________________________________________________________________________
_
Wheels
______________________________________________________________________________
_
Garbage
______________________________________________________________________________
_
Math
______________________________________________________________________________
_
Machines
______________________________________________________________________________
_
Computers
______________________________________________________________________________
_
Staplers
______________________________________________________________________________
_
Flashlights
______________________________________________________________________________
_
Sound
______________________________________________________________________________
_
Mosquitoes
______________________________________________________________________________
_
Hands
______________________________________________________________________________
Hats
______________________________________________________________________________
Eyes
______________________________________________________________________________