1. CLOSING DATE: FRIDAY 30TH OCTOBER 2015

2. TODAY WE ARE GOING TO: Learn about a constrained writing style: Lipogram Discuss ideas in a group setting Expand vocabulary Plan, draft and write a poem for ‘The Poetry Trials’

3. WHAT IS A LIPOGRAM? It is a type of poetic form that leaves out a certain letter, most often a common letter like, E, A, or T It can be on any subject/theme There is no set line length It is a form of constrained writing Constrained writing restricts what you are allowed to write or how you write to inspire creative thinking

4. HERE IS AN EXAMPLE OF A POEM WITHOUT ANY RESTRAINTS (FREE VERSE) White is a fresh start, a clean slate, It is the silence of an empty room where you wait It’s a dove, pure and light, flying free But it can also be bleak and lonely It tastes of rice and marshmallows, has the texture of books Like Jack Frost sprinkling diamonds on the floor is how it looks It feels like cotton wool and the brush of a feather And smells like clothes fresh and soft from the tumble dryer It sounds like church of fallen snow underfoot And the howl of a wolf in the deep dark woods White is a blank page of possibility and the unknown It is the future not yet written and the seeds not yet sown.

5. Your teacher will split you into 2 groups, one group will have the first 6 lines and the second group will have the last 6 lines. Your group now needs to re-write the lines without using the letter E. The first problem you will encounter is that ‘White’ has an E in it – what shade of white could you use to replace it? Discuss problems and ideas as a group before re-writing the lines.

6. NOW SHARE YOUR NEW LINES AND PUT THEM TOGETHER TO CREATE YOUR CLASS LIPOGRAM. What do you think of the new poem? Did you enjoy the activity? Was it harder or easier than you thought? This exercise is a great way for you to research other words and their meanings. The next exercise will help you to create clever ways to describe nouns when a vowel’s use is restricted...

7. In your groups write down these 4 objects: Washing machine Kettle Car Bed How can your group describe these simple everyday items when you can’t use the most-used vowel in each word? E.g. Washing machine becomes ‘Clothes rinser’ if the A is banned Kettle becomes ‘a hot drink cauldron’ if the E is banned Car becomes ‘people mover’ if the A is banned Bed becomes ‘land of nod cot’ if the E is banned Share your ideas with the class.

8. NOW IT’S TIME TO WRITE YOUR LIPOGRAM! Remember: A lipogram is a type of poetic form that leaves out a certain letter, most often a common letter like, E, A or T You can write on any theme/subject There is no set line length Write your name, surname and age on your work and on your entry form Be original! Enjoy writing your poem! Poems will be entered into The Poetry Trials competition. The top 5 poets will be asked to turn their poem into a video to bag an amazing Apple bundle (including a 35mm Apple Sport watch, an Apple MacBook and a pair of Beats by DRE headphones)

9. WHEN YOUR POEM IS COMPLETE Work with a partner Read your poem to them Your partner is to provide feedback; something they like about the poem and a suggestion on how it could be improved You then listen to your partner’s poem and provide them with feedback. Make any changes to your work before handing it in to your teacher.

10. WE HOPE YOU HAVE ENJOYED WRITING A LIPOGRAM TODAY! CLOSING DATE: FRIDAY 30TH OCTOBER 2015 WWW.YOUNGWRITERS.CO.UK