Poetry

I asked the Zebra,Are you black with white stripes?

Or white with black stripes?And the zebra asked me,

Are you good with bad habits?Or are you bad with good habits?Are you noisy with quiet times?

Or are you quiet with noisy times?Are you happy with some sad days?

Or are you sad with some happy day?Are you neat with some sloppy ways?

Or are you sloppy with some neat ways?And on and on and on and on

And on and on he went.I'll never ask a zebra

About stripesAgain.

What do you think this poem is about? Take a minute and think about it on your own. Then on my cue, speak to the person next to you and exchange your ideas. Afterwards, we will share our ideas together as a class.

Zebra Question- SHARE

What is Poetry? - SHARE

A form of expression written seeking approval

from no onebut read and interpretedby anyone and everyoneIt reveals your most inner

thoughtsthat may never be spoken

forming a deep communication to othersand for you, a cherished

tokenthat you will always

remember.

People write poems when they want to express how they feel or how they look at certain things in the world. It is a special form of writing.

It is easy to recognize poems. They usually don’t take up much space of a page.

Poetry speaks to the heart as well as to the mind. You can like a poem for what it says (that’s the mind part), and you can like it for how it makes you feel (that’s the heart part).

Poets create word picture using ‘sensory’ details that describe sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and other physical feelings. For example:

I was standing on the street when…

The rusty old black Cadillac (sight)Grunted rack-a-bump-she-bang, (sound)And heated up my cool spot of air (physical

feeling)And spewed oily smoke (smell)All over my mustard-covered pretzel (sight)

Poets carefully arrange words so that certain sounds stand out. You already know that words sometimes rhyme in poems. But there are a lot of other ways to make poems sound pleasing. Poets may repeat certain consonant and vowel sounds to help make their poems pleasing to the ear.

Purple PoemsQuiet purple clouds rolled in.

Purple rain drops drip from the clouds.Smooth purple shells wash in with the

waves.Purple lightening strikes a tree.

Purple poems litter the field.

Alliteration: The repeating of the beginning consonant sounds in words like dance, dare, and drop

Assonance : The repetition of vowel sounds in words like rain, makes, pavement, and wavy.

Read the poem to yourself several times.

Read the poem aloud; listen to what it says.

Read it with feeling to friends or classmates.

Talk or write about the poem.Copy it in a special notebook.

Acrostic Poem: A poem in which the first letters of each line form a word or message relating to the subject.

After a long winterPretty TulipsRise from the onceIcy ground bringing fresh signs

of Life

Alphabet Poetry: A poem that uses all or part of the alphabet to create a funny list poem.

CharlesDeliveredEverybody’sFruitcakes

Cinquain: It is a form of poetry written using a recipe. The words you choose and the form they take on paper are an important part of the writing.

Line 1 – One word to name the subjectLine 2- Two words to describe it.

Line 3 – Three actions words about itLine 4 – a four or five word phrase describing the subject (a

thought, not a complete sentence)Line 5 – One word that means the same thing as the first word,

or a word that sums it all up.

TreeTall, green

Growing, reaching, standingA witness to the past

future

Free Verse: A form of poetry which does not follow any rules.

My Birthday Party in My Backyard  My party was fun and exciting

My friends were overMe and my friends played basketball all day

We went to the park We were on swings and slides

We were flipping and doing back flips We had a barbeque.

My relatives had a ball Music was playing

It was almost over and I started a new day

Haiku – is a Japanese poem that uses the eye as a camera to capture one moment in time. It describes something in or about nature. The form has 17 syllables arranged in 3 lines of 5-7-5.

Snowflakes falling downIn a whirl of dancing glee

Cold ballerinas

Rhyming Story – Poetry using a rhyme pattern of a-a-b-b-c-c.

First FlightHigh on a hill overlooking a stream, (A)An elephant had an exciting dream. (A)

He dreamt he could fly over the valleys and plains, (B)

Higher than eagles, swifter than trains. (B)He flapped his ears and throttled his trunk, (C) Over the hill he dashed and landed ker-plunk.

(C)

Five Senses: Choose any subject and write about it, using as many of the five senses – taste, touch, smell, sight and sound. Start off with choosing one word (adjectives) to describe each sense.

Subject - HoneySight – Yellow

Sound – BuzzingTaste – Soft

Touch – HeavySmell - Clover

Next, you take your short list and write a phrase or short clause about each sense, rather than a single word.

HoneyYellow, flowing gold

Buzzing Bees Soft, warm ooze on my tongue

Heavy, sticky, liquid streamClover-rich smell, everywhere

Definition Poetry: This is poetry that defines a word or an idea creatively.

FriendshipFriendship is like stars in the sky. Like

goingTo fly with Peace,

And the moon shinesOn us while we fly. We walk

Through the sky and clouds. And we Share the future in a treasureChest, topped with diamonds.

N-V-A Poetry – A 3 word poem that uses alliteration and consists of a noun, verb, and adverb.

Noun: SnakesVerb: SlitherAdverb: Silently

Here are a few ideas that may help you get ready to write.

Don't think about writing a poem. Just think about some special thing that is on your mind, and figure out what you have to say about it. For instance, let's say you want to introduce your cat.

    Examining the breeze     a package neatly wrapped with tail

    flicks a whisker     pleased.

    Napping everywhere     stretched in the sun

    as if the sun were hers.     Awash in warmth

    and furs.

    The flow of a cat walking     over the lawn

    to place herself like a soft stone     in the middle of the paper

    I am working on.

Each of these simple descriptions is a quick picture in words — sort of a snapshot. The lines are short and you can hear rhythm in them, like the rhythm in a song. You don’t always have to write whole sentences. When you write this way, your writing looks like a poem, and it is.

 Examining the breeze     a package neatly wrapped with tail

    flicks a whisker     pleased.

    Napping everywhere     stretched in the sun

    as if the sun were hers.     Awash in warmth

    and furs.

    The flow of a cat walking     over the lawn

    to place herself like a soft stone     in the middle of the paper

    I am working on.

Don't worry about grammar!!! A poem doesn't have to have complete

sentences or paragraphs. Just get your main idea or feeling, or both,

down on paper. Later, as you reread, you can fix what you think needs

fixing.

Read poetry by different poets. Read it aloud and to yourself. As you read, see if you can feel the rhythm a poet has used. Can you tap your foot to the rhythm or drum your fingers to it? Song lyrics are simple poetry set to music.

For example…

Eighteen luscious, scrumptious flavors–Chocolate, lime and cherry,

Coffee, pumpkin, fudge-bananaCaramel cream and boysenberry,Rocky road and toasted almond

Butterscotch, vanilla dip,Butter-brickle, apple ripple,Coconut and mocha chip,

Brandy peach and lemon custard,Each scoop lovely, smooth, and round,

Tallest ice-cream cone in town,Lying there (sniff) on the ground.

Now you try it. Here are some challenges that should help you begin writing.

Write a description of something that interests you, something you know very well — your cat, dog, or bird. If you don't have a pet, how about a stuffed animal? Or your running shoes, or the picture in your room that has been there so long you don't look at it anymore.

Now take a long look at the subject you have chosen. Think about it. What makes it special? Be descriptive. Does your dog have long ears that look like old socks? Write that. Do your running shoes light up when you run at night? Write that. What color are the lights? Where are they on your shoes? Pay attention to little things, the details that make your shoes or the dog or that picture on the wall different from something else. Don't write that your dog is "nice" or that a picture is "pretty." Instead, write about those things that make something nice or pretty. When you write this way, you are making a picture out of words. The following poem is a word picture of a cat's nose:   

There is no nose I know    no nose I think

   no point as pale and pink.    A rose among fur snows.

   If I could choose    to be a snoot as suitable    as it that sits on Toots

   I would have chose    to be that very nose.

There is a lot of rhyming in those lines. And there are lots of words that almost rhyme and sound funny together, like nose and know, and snoot and suitable. Rhyming is fun to read, but a poem does not have

to rhyme. Many wonderful poems do not rhyme at all.

Here is a picture of an orange. With a partner on your left or right, come up with a couple of descriptive sentences that will make a word picture of the orange. Use your senses as a guide.

Now, you have written a description of something you know well. Try describing something new to you. Take a walk outside and find something you have never looked at closely, the street light, the sky at 4:30 in the afternoon. As you write this description, listen carefully to the sounds of the words you use, and to their rhymes — but try not to rhyme. Just concentrate on making a picture of what you see.

When you've finished your description, put your work down for a little while. Go back and read your words again. Do you still like them? Is there something you think could be better? Try changing it. Here are a few things to look for:

One way to see how your words sound is to read them aloud to yourself or someone else. How do you like the way your words sound together?

Do the words you have written express a feeling? If a friend reads your words, will he or she feel what you have felt?

Don't be afraid to change your words. Reread what you've written several times. The better you know it, the better you will know if it needs to be changed, or if it says what you want to say as it is.

If you like to draw, try illustrating one of the descriptions you have written. Writing and drawing make a good combination, and each one helps you to see things more sharply.

When your poem is complete publish it and share with others to enjoy.

The following guidelines will help you write a free verse poem. Free verse poetry does not follow any specific rules and it does not have to rhyme.

Select a Subject: Write your poem about a person, place, event, object, or idea that you find interesting. You might write about a special room, a friend, a favourite animal, music, and so on.

Collect your thoughts: I decided to write a poem about my favourite animal, the dog. To get started, I wrote freely for a few minutes about one certain dog.

When I was younger I knew an alley dog. My mom said I was to touch him ever, but

sometimes I crawled down the fire escape and he would sit near me, but we would not touch each other. Once I took him an

old sandwich and he was happy. We would watch the sun on the buildings.

Create a Poem: Here’s how a free writing can be the start of a poem. Begin by making line breaks. At first, make these breaks where you naturally hear pauses in the sentences. Then you may try moving words (or parts) around. You may also try adding or changing words.

Never touch him! My mom said.But once I fed him an old sandwich,

And he was happy.And sometimes I would

Crawl down the fire escapeAnd he would creep up near me

And we would watchThe sun on the buildings.

Add Word Pictures: Does this first draft contain any specific word pictures or pleasing sounds?

Yes, “crawl” and “creep” sound good and are specific. But I wanted to add more word pictures and pleasing sounds, so I thought some more and wrote this new draft.

Never touch him! My mom said.

But once I fed him an old sandwich,

And he was happy.And sometimes I

wouldCrawl down the fire

escapeAnd he would creep

up near meAnd we would watch

The sun on the buildings.

Never touch him! My momShouted loud as a train. But once

I tossed him half my butter sandwich And he danced like loose litter in wind.

And once I climbed Slow as an Old fly

Down our fire escape,And he crept up,

StopAnd go,

Like a car in bad traffic,And we sat near each other,

And watched how the sun bullied The cracked brick wall

Into the dark

Now the poem has more word pictures (for example, “loud as a train”) and pleasing sounds (“like loose litter”), and it has a shape that is more interesting.

Some poems do not follow accepted rules of capitalization, punctuation, or spelling. If you decide to make these sorts of changes, be sure you have a clear reason for doing so. And you still need to proofread!

The following checklist will help you edit your poem.1. Make sure that your poem is complete. Have

you left anything out?2. Check the line breaks. Do they add special

meaning to your poem? Are they interesting or fun?3. Make sure your poem has plenty of specific

details. Do the details paint interesting word pictures? Do they “sound” good? Have you used fresh, new comparisons?

4. Make sure your poem reads well. Do you stumble over any words or lines when you read your poem? If so, change them.

5. Write a final copy of your poem, making all of the corrections. Proofread this copy before sharing it.

To create effective word pictures, poets often make special comparisons. These special comparisons are often called figures of speech.

A SIMILE compares one thing to something unlike it using like or as. Coat hooks hold winter hats like bare branches hold old nests.

A METAPHOR makes a comparison without using like or as. The street is my heart.

PERSONIFICATION makes a comparison which something that is not human id described with human qualities. My eggs stared back like sick eyes.

HYPERBOLE makes exaggerated comparisons for effect. Sometimes these are funny. It was so hot we fried.

End Rhyme – The rhyming of words at the ends of two or more lines of poetry, as in the first two lines in Robert Frost’s famous poem called “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”:

Whose woods these are I think I know.His house is in the village though;

Onomatopoeia – The use of words whose sounds make you think of their meanings, as in buzz, thump, snap, pop, crack, and bang.

Repetition – The repeating of a word of phrase to add rhythm, or to emphasize a certain idea: The wind hissed, hissed, hissed down the alley.

Listed below are some of the devices poets use to make their poems sound pleasing to the ear. (Use some in your poems).

ALLITERATION – The repeating of the beginning consonant sounds in words like dance, dare, and drop.

ASSONANCE – The repetition of vowel sounds in words like rain, makes, pavement, and wavy.

CONSONANCE – The repetition of consonant sounds anywhere in the words: The catcher wore a black jacket.

 Like inhaling and exhaling, like listening and

speaking--sharing and making  poems are two parts of a larger process. When we read or hear poetry, we absorb words, images, ideas, fresh perspectives, new ideas. When we discuss or write poetry, we call upon an ancient tradition that constantly changes and reshapes itself.

The more poetry you read, write, and discuss, the more you'll appreciate the range of possibilities open to you. And your understanding of life, of what it is to be human, will keep growing, too.