Model Alphabet Poems

The Letter “L” is an upturned bridge The front of a forklift

Chicken legs 9,3,3:30,3:15

An arrow with out a head An RT. On left turn sign

A drying rack A street pole

A flock of seagulls from a distance in a painting A backwards “J”

A chair A laptop

The Greek letter iota A seven

Captain hook A ladle

A 2-D corner A doorjamb

Ludicrous Loosey

Lobotomy Linguist

Limburger Lizard

By John H., Max, Jacob, John C.

Model Alphabet Poems

W

The letter “W,” the first letter

Of my last name looks like two V’s

Holding hands or kissing if flipped

Upside down. “W” is a pair

Of beautiful mountains with snow-

Covered hills.

The letter “W” turned on its side is a 3

Or a crazy-looking E, or maybe

Big black cats flying in the night sky.

“W” has a lot of power, but it goes

Unnoticed by people; it feels neglected

And alone. The sound of “W” is the wind

Whistling past city buildings. “W” is

A young yellow flower blossoming.

By Becca, grade 12

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Model Alphabet Poems

W

It kinda looks like two mountains or two bunny ears.

Upside down it looks like two u’s. It kinda looks like a smiley face— when you use your imagination.

If there was little holes between them

they’d have little caves.

If you turn it upside down and give it two little dots and lines,

it looks like a nice teacher peering down from his glasses.

If you draw a little line between the two

ends and some little Martians and Mat-Mons, it kinda looks like you’re on Venus.

When you draw an M with flat lines on top

and you add a guy and his henchmen it looks like they’re getting the chest of Davy

Jones, and it looks like they’re on the deck of the

Flying Dutchman.

By Ted, grade 12

BETI_EduMarket 2—Using Poetry To Teach English_L/01

Model Alphabet Poems

W

It kinda looks like two mountains or two bunny ears.

Upside down it looks like two u’s. It kinda looks like a smiley face— when you use your imagination.

If there was little holes between them

they’d have little caves.

If you turn it upside down and give it two little dots and lines,

it looks like a nice teacher peering down from his glasses.

If you draw a little line between the two

ends and some little Martians and Mat-Mons, it kinda looks like you’re on Venus.

When you draw an M with flat lines on top

and you add a guy and his henchmen it looks like they’re getting the chest of Davy

Jones, and it looks like they’re on the deck of the

Flying Dutchman.

By Ted, grade 12

Self-Reflection When you complete this project, reflect on the process by answering the statements below What I did (explain what you or your group did to finish your project)

What I enjoyed (write about what you liked most about the project)

What I found difficult (write about any part of the project you found hard to do)

What worked (write about any part that you thought worked well)

Next time (write what you would do differently next time)

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There is something unusual about the arrangement of this poem on the page. First, read the poem on your own, silently. Then, work with your partner to figure out how to read the poem so that it makes sense.

Suppose Columbus Charles Suhor

wrong been had Columbus Suppose

sheet this as flat was earth the Suppose

goodships the And

NINA PINTA MARIA SANTA

East the to get to west Traveling

the is fact the But

NINA PINTA MARIA SANTA

cliff watery a towards Racing

the of nests crow's the in And

NINA PINTA MARIA SANTA

"!ho Land" cry to wanting men Frightened

the on But

PINTA MARIA SANTA

gone was ship sister their that only crying Men

the on And

MARIA SANTA

gone were ships sister his that only crying man crazed A

end the and abyss airy an suddenly And

Columbus Of

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Concrete P

oetry

Concrete poetry is poetry in w

hich the meaning or effect of the poem

is conveyed partly or wholly by visual m

eans, using patterns of w

ords or letters and other typographical devices. Concrete P

oetry is also sometim

es called Pattern P

oetry, Shape

Poetry or V

isual Poetry. C

oncrete Poetry is an arrangem

ent of linguistic elements in w

hich the typographical effect is more

important in conveying m

eaning than verbal significance. The very first visual poems have been dated as far back as 1700B

C.

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Concrete Poems—Response Sheet

Work sheet Name: _____________

How does the poet show what the poem is about?

Why is the poem in this particular shape?

Are there other shapes that would have worked?

What do you notice about the way that words are placed on the page? Take a look at line

breaks, stanza breaks, hyphenated words, and so forth.

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Cinquain Poems—Sample 1

Spaghetti

Messy, spicy

Slurping, sliding, falling

Between my plate and mouth

Delicious

Penguin

Black, white

Waddling, swimming, leaping

A tuxedo in the cold water

Emperor

Party

Happy, cheerful

Singing, eating, playing

My eighth birthday party

Perfect

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Cinquain Poems—Sample 2

Mules

Stubborn, unmoving

Braying, kicking, resisting

Not wanting to listen

People

Dessert

Cold, creamy

Eating, giggling, licking

Cone with three scoops

Ice cream

Keyboard

Fun, new

Reading, laughing, writing

You have 6 new messages

E-mail

BETI_EduMarket 2—Using Poetry To Teach English_L/03

Cinquain Poems—Sample 3

Puppy

Ornery*, naughty

Growling, jumping, chewing

A playful bundle of trouble

Boxer

Apple

Red, delicious

Crunching, chewing, eating

My favorite snack

Apple

Tree

White, tall

Reaching, bending, fluttering

Leaves and twigs in the wind

Aspen

*ornery: bad-tempered or difficult to deal with

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Cinquain Poem Organizer Work with your partner to write a Cinquain Poem. First, decide if your poem will be about a person, a place or a thing. Then, follow the structural prompts below to create your poem.

Name______________________

Date_______________________

Cinquain Graphic Organizer

A cinquain is a five-line poem that describes a person, place, or thing.

dessert a one -word title, a noun cold, creamy two adjectives

eating, giggling, licking three - ing participles cone with three scoops a phrase

ice cream a synonym for your title, another noun Use this organizer to write your own cinquain.

1______________________________ a one word title, a noun that tells what your poem is about

2 ________________, _____________ two adjectives that describe what you're writing about

3 _________, ___________, _______ three -ing participles that describe what your poem is about

4 ______________________________ a phrase that tells more about what you're writing about

5 ______________________________ a synonym for your title, another noun that tells what your poem is about

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Cinquain Reflections Worksheet In order to hone your poetry writing skills, use this form to help you investigate your own writing process, and your creative process too. This is a personal reflections worksheet; you do not have to share it with or show it to anyone, and you will not be asked to hand it in.

Cinquain Reflections Worksheet

1. What do you like most about your poem? 2. If you could change something about the poem, what would you change? 3. Of the poems that you heard when we shared our cinquain, which poems did you like best and why? 4. What will you do differently the next time you write a poem?