Acrostic Poems

Personal Inventory: Step 1 Please copy this onto in your notebook and complete the boxes. You do not have to use full sentences, but instead list the words that complete each box. Likes/DislikesDreams/Plans PersonalityPhysical Characteristics Material TreasuresFamily and Family Life

Personal Inventory: Step 2 Look at the words you wrote down. Underline those you feel are most important or reveal a side of you other people might now know. Do all those words have something in common? Do you see a theme? Likes/DislikesDreams/Plans PersonalityPhysical Characteristics Material TreasuresFamily and Family Life

ACROSTIC POEMS use the first letter of a word or name to start the next line. Let’s create an acrostic using single words. KYLEEKYLEE

ACROSTIC POEMS use the first letter of a word or name to start the next line. Now let’s create an acrostic using phrases. KYLEEKYLEE

Create two poems: one using one word, and a second using phrases. Which one do you like better? Which one is more descriptive? Can you rework both poems into one? When you are done editing your poem, please write a final copy on a clean piece of loose-leaf. (Don’t forget your heading.)

Please retrieve your SSR book quietly and begin reading.

Haikus and Limericks

Haiku  Japanese poetry about nature An animal, season, raindrop, snowflake, etc.  3 lines – each line has a certain number of syllables Syllable: part of a word pronounced as a unit; *hint* every syllable has a vowel sound in it.  Line 1 = 5 syllables  Line 2 = 7 syllables  Line 3 = 5 syllables

A Haiku I am first with five Then seven in the middle -- Five again to end.

Example of a Haiku Green and speckled legs, Hops on logs and lily pads Splash in cool water. What animal is being described? = ____ syllables

Write your own haiku  Think of a topic in nature that you’d like to write about.  Draw a cloud and fill it with different words and phrases that can describe your topic.

Create your own haiku  Create three lines of descriptive words and phrases that describes your topic.  Remember how many syllables you can fit on each line: _______________________ (5 syllables) _______________________ (7 syllables) _______________________ (5 syllables)  Write, edit, rewrite your final copy on a new piece of loose-leaf. Don’t forget your heading.

Poetry Week: Limericks

Limerick  Silly poem Usually funny or nonsensical  5 lines – each line has a certain number of syllables Syllable: part of a word pronounced as a unit; *hint* every syllable has a vowel sound in it.  Line 1 = 7, 8, or 9 syllables  Line 2 = 7, 8, or 9 syllables  Line 3 = 5 or 6 syllables  Line 4 = 5 or 6syllables  Line 5 = 7, 8, or 9 syllables **Whatever number of syllables are one line 1, lines 2 and 5 need to have the same number of syllables! The same goes for lines 5 and 6.**

Example of a Limerick There once was a wonderful star Who thought she would go very far Until she fell down And looked like a clown She knew she would never go far. = ____ syllables

How to Write a Limerick  Line 1 An easy way to get started is to pick a boy’s or girl’s name that has one syllable (like Bill, Tim, Dick, Sue, or Jill). There once was a young girl named Jill

How to Write a Limerick  Line 2 Now make a list of words that rhyme with the last word in the first line—in this case, Jill. ○ Your list of rhyming words might include: hill, drill, pill, skill, bill, will, and ill. Now write the second line using one of the rhyming words. Here’s an example: “Who freaked at the sight of a drill.” (Notice that the last words in the first two lines rhyme.)

How to Write a Limerick  Lines 3 and 4 Now think of an interesting story. What could happen to someone scared of a drill? Well, you might have an interesting story if Jill had to go to the dentist. Here’s what might happen in the third and fourth lines. “She brushed every day.” “So, her dentist would say,” (Notice that “day” and “say,” the last words in the third and fourth lines.)

How to Write a Limerick  Line 5 Now you need to go back to the list of “A” rhyming words to find one that can end the poem. Here’s an example: “Your teeth are quite perfect. No bill.”

Our Finished Limerick There once was a young girl named Jill. Who was scared by the sight of a drill. She brushed every day So her dentist would say, “Your teeth are so perfect; no bill.”

Create a Limerick with Your Group  Line 1 (7-9 syllables) There once was a (young) boy/girl named __  Line 2 (7-9 syllables) Now make a list of words that rhyme with the last word in the first line ○ Who ________________  Lines 3 and 4 (5 or 6 syllables) Now think of an interesting story.  Line 5 (7-9 syllables) Now you need to go back to the list of rhyming words to find one that can end the poem

Narrative Poems

Narrative Poetry  Narrative Poetry is a poem that tells a series of events using poetic devices such as rhythm, rhyme, compact language, and attention to sound.  In other words, a narrative poem tells a story, but it does it with poetic flair!  Many of the same elements that are found in a short story are also found in a narrative poem. Here are some elements of narrative poetry that are important: Character Setting Conflict Plot

Example: Papa’s Fishing Hole I place my tiny hand in his as we walk to Papa’s Fishing Hole. I hand him a wiggling night crawler fighting for his life. The deadly hook squishes through the worm’s head, and I watch the brown guts ooze out. Papa throws the pole’s long arm back and then forward. The line lands in a merky spot along the reedy shore. Now I get to reel it in. Nothing yet, he says. He casts again. I reel it in. Still nothing. Three time’s a charm, he says. He casts. A strike. We turn the crank together. The fish jumps from the water and his colors form a rainbow as he arches his body above the reeds. My Papa handles him with the skill of a master as I stop helping to watch him work. A stiff jerk, a quick reel, a stiff jerk again. The fish doesn’t have a chance, I yell. I know. I know. I know, he says.

Example: The Lie Mother is in the hospital for an operation and Grandma Sanderson has come to take care of us. She’s strict. If I’m two minutes late from play, she grips my wrist tightly and swings me to a chair to think about it. I skin my knee and get a deep cut. She looks worried. “When you go to school, ask the nurse what to do.” On the way home, I remember I’ve forgotten. I know this is more serious than being late from play. I imagine a spanking, early to bed for a week, or extra work on Saturday. She asks me what the nurse said. “Wash it very carefully with soap and water, dry it, put on vaseline and then place a band-aid over the top.” (That’s what Mother would have said, except she’d use iodine which stings.)

Choose one of the poems and answer the following:  Who are the characters in the poem?  What do you know about the speaker in the poem?  What character traits does each of the characters have? What evidence in the poem shows this?  What is the setting of the poem?  What types of conflicts occur in the poem?  What is the mood of the poem?  Draw a small plot line. Tell what happens in the beginning, middle and end of the poem. Rising Action Falling Action Climax

Writing Narrative Poetry Bananas in a Van Characters Rising Actions Climax Falling Actions Conflict Setting

Writing Narrative Poetry  Now that you have your images, choose characters for your poem. What is he or she like? Who will be the speaker of the poem?  The next step is to determine the conflict. What are the inner and outer conflicts in the even that you have chosen? How is the conflict resolved?  To identify plot in you poem create your own plot line below.  Now, craft the lines of your poem. If it doesn’t come together in the first draft, that’s okay. Narrative poetry always takes a couple of drafts to get the spirit of the poem down on the page. Remember to include a wonderful title that adds to the meaning of your poem. Rising Action Falling Action Climax

Poetry Week: Free Verse

 Describes something  No rhyme  No specific syllable count  No plot or conflict

Let’s look at a free verse poem I listen to the rain as it drizzles on our roof and snuggle even deeper under the warm weight of my covers. My hands open my book, and I begin to read. In a moment I am lost as the story unfolds. Slowly, slowly, I feel my eyelids turn to lead. I shut my book and turn off the light. Already adrift I close my eyes, so glad to be where I am— half asleep in the warmth of my bed with the rain as my lullaby.

REVIEW Haiku Japanese 3 lines count About nature Limerick Silly, funny, nonsensical 5 lines Lines 1, 2, and 5 Must rhyme Must have 7-9 syllables Lines 3 and 4 Must rhyme Must have 5-6 syllables If line 1 has 8 syllables, lines 2 and 5 must have 8 syllables; if line 3 has 5 syllables, line 4 must have 5 syllables.

Review Acrostic The first letter in each line spells a word Each line describes the word Narrative Story in stanzas, not paragraphs Rising actions Climax Falling actions Characters Conflict

Review Free Verse Doesn’t rhyme No specific syllable count No conflict or plot Describes something Figurative Language Simile Metaphor Personification Hyperbole Onomatopoeia Alliteration

Poetry Test Today You know this stuff! Do your best and GOOD LUCK! When you are done, please catch up on “The Revealers” or SSR.