Mrs. Clements’ Poetry Webquest4th Grade Language Arts

Instructions for Growing Poetry by Tony MittonShut your eyes. Open your mind.Look inside. What do you find?Something funny? Something sad?Something beautiful, mysterious, mad?

Open your ears. Listen well.A word or phrase begins to swell?Catch its rhythm. Hold its sound.Gently, slowly roll it round.

Does it please you? Does it tease you?Does it ask to grow and spread?Now those little words are sprouting poetryinside your head.

Introduction

Calling all fourth graders! Random House Books is looking for writers for a new book called Poetry for Fourths: A Collection of Poetry for Fourth Graders. Do you know the types of things that fourth graders like to read? Are you sometimes funny, serious, quiet, shy, athletic? Well then, Random House needs YOU!

TaskRandom House Books wants your help to make a new

book Poetry For Fourths: A Collection of Poetry For Fourth Graders. By the time you are done with the "Process" step below you will have a poem book with:

• A glossary,• several different types of poems you selected from the

web of different styles, and• some original poetry written by you!

Process Part 1:   GlossaryYou may work with a partner on Part 1. One person will be the writer, the other the researcher. You will start by making a glossary. 1. Both partners should learn what a glossary is by visiting this link.2. The writer will copy the words below into a Microsoft Word document.

• stanza• rhymed poetry• free verse• alliteration• onomatopoeia• cinquain• haiku• limerick

3. The researcher should use the following web links to learn what each word means. Both partners then work together to write a definition that a fourth grader would understand. The writer should type this definition into the word document. – Kathi Mitchell– Schmoop– Shel Silverstein

4. Print the glossary you have created with your partner. Both partners need to put a copy in their poetry folder.

Process

Part 2 – Examples• Use the following links to look for examples of different

kinds of poetry. Read through several poems on each site. Look for poems about different subjects. Look for rhymed poems and free verse poems. Look for good examples of cinquains and haikus. Take your time! – Poetry 4 Kids– Giggle Poetry– Graham Lester– Just Poems– Fizzy Funny Fuzzy– ABC Teaches Haiku Poems– Jeff's Poems for Kids

• Choose one rhymed poem, one free verse poem, one cinquain, and one haiku to submit to the editors for inclusion in the Poetry for Fourths book. Print those 4 poems and place them in your poetry folder. Be sure to include the authors’ name.

Process

Part 3 – Write Your OwnThe publishers have asked that you include some original pieces of poetry in their new book. 1. Click the poetry engine link to help you write your own limerick.2. Write either a cinquain or a haiku using help from one of the links

below. Writing a cinquain• Cinquain help• Read-Write-Think Cinquains

Writing a haiku• Haiku 4 Kids• Read-Write-Think Haikus

3. Write one other original poem in any style. Illustrate this poem using whatever medium you think would work best - watercolors, colored pencils, crayon, or collage. This site can help you find words that rhyme.

Evaluation4 3 2 1 Points

Part 1: GlossaryAll 8 words are

defined correctly and words are

spelled correctly

All 8 words are defined correctly

and but some words are misspelled

Not all 8 words are defined correctly

but all words written are spelled

correctly

Not all 8 words are defined correctly

and there are misspelled words

Part 2: Examples

There are 4 different poems

included; one rhyming, one free verse, one haiku, one cinquain and

the authors names are included

There are 4 different poems

included with authors names; but they do not

include a rhyming, a free verse, a haiku, and a

cinquain

There are 4 different poems but no authors

names are included.

There are less than 4 poems included.

Part 3a : QuantityThree original poems were

written

Two original poems were

writtenOne original poem

was written

Poems were not original, or no poems were

written

Part 3b: QualityPoems are free of grammar have no

spelling or grammar mistakes

There were 1 or 2 spelling or

grammar mistakes

There were 3 or 4 spelling or

grammar mistakes

There were more than 5 spelling or grammar mistakes

Part 3c: Variety

There was 1 limerick, 1 haiku or

cinquain, and 1 free-choice poem

written and artwork

All three poems were present but with no original

artwork

There were only two different

styles of written original poems

All original poems written were in the

same style

Conclusion

Choose one poem from your folder to share with the class. Return all folders to me so I can put them in a class Poetry for Fourths book.

References

• http://www4.vmi.edu/faculty/squirejc/family/laura/poetrywebquest/Webquest.htm