Tips for Potential Poets Activity One: Tips for Potential Poets Activity Two: Poem Writing Time

Tips for Potential Poets Ideas are from: James Carter, http://www.poetryzone.ndirect.co.uk/index2.htm

Tip #1 Keep a notebook at home. Put all kinds of stuff in it – ideas, poems, doodles, thoughts, memories, little stories. Try and write something in it every day. Don’t show it to other people – just keep it as your private writing place.

Tip #2 If you want ideas for poems, find somewhere quiet and daydream for a while. See what ideas come to you. If nothing comes, why not try writing something that begins “I wish...” “I remember...” “When I was...” “100 years ago...” “Once when...”

Tip #3 Where do ideas come from? our memories and our imagination. Think of something that has happened to you and change it around so that it becomes a fiction. Use it in a poem.

Tip #4 Sometimes you can start to write a poem before the idea is ready to be written out. So it’s good just to think and ponder over your idea first. With a bit of luck, other ideas will come along too.

Tip #5 Once you’ve written a new poem and you feel you can’t do any more to improve it, leave it for a while – say a week or so. Then come back to it fresh and see what needs to be done next.

Tip #6 In your first draft, don’t worry about spellings or handwriting or punctuation, just get your ideas down. You can sort out all the spellings etc. later on.

Tip #7 Computers are very useful when writing poetry. However, it’s best if you can write your poems first by hand and then later put them on the computer.

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Poem Writing Time

In this activity, we’re going to practice a special type of poem: Poem Writing Time In this activity, we’re going to practice a special type of poem: the Diamante Poem

Diamante Poems Diamante is a seven-line, diamond shaped poem which contrasts two opposites. It is more a visual poem than one to be read aloud. Children can illustrate their final copies to produce an art piece. http://teachit.acreekps.vic.edu.au/poetry/poem4.htm

The Format of a Diamante Poem First Line and seventh line (Name the opposites.) Second and sixth lines (Two adjectives describing the nearest opposite.)

The Format of a Diamante Poem Third and fifth lines (Three participles (-ing words) describing the nearest opposite.) Fourth line – two nouns for each of the opposites. (This is the transition point where the poem changes from one of the opposites to the other.)

Example #1 The opposite Two adjectives, Four transitional nouns, V-ing, V-ing, V-ing, Four transitional nouns,

Example #1 Earth Two adjectives, Four transitional nouns, Moon Two adjectives, Two adjectives V-ing, V-ing, V-ing, Four transitional nouns,

Example #1 Earth Round, Big, Four transitional nouns, Moon Round, Big, Bright, Dust, V-ing, V-ing, V-ing, Four transitional nouns,

Example #1 Earth Round, Big, Shining, Glowing, Changing, Moon Round, Big, Bright, Dust, Spinning, Rotating, Moving, Shining, Glowing, Changing, Four transitional nouns,

Example #1 Earth Round, Big, Shining, Glowing, Changing, Moon Round, Big, Bright, Dust, Spinning, Rotating, Moving, Shining, Glowing, Changing, Planet, World, Craters, Luna,

Example #2 Moon Blue, orbit Moving, twisting, cooling Dark, still, light, busy Turning, burning, warming Yellow, bright Sun

Now It’s Your Turn… Follow the format and compose your own diamante poem The opposite Two adjectives, V-ing, V-ing, V-ing, Four transitional nouns,

You can try… Teachers…Students Children…Adults Spring…Winter Day…Night Love…Hate Peace…War

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