Writing Poetry

1. Writing Poetry Woo Hoo!!!!

2. First Poem: Emotions Poem • I will split you into five groups, arrange desks in a circle!!! • Now, on a blank sheet of paper, write down a feeling/ idea. . .you can’t use LOVE!!! • Next to your feeling or emotion, write “is” • So mine looks like this right now. . . Love is. . .

3. Emotions Poem • Now, pass you paper one person to the left • On the new sheet of paper, write down what the idea/ topic at the top means to you • Example: • Keep passing the papers around until every group member has written on your piece of paper • Choose one person from each group to share your poem Love is. . . patient

4. This, students, is NOT real poetry • Poetry comes from the heart • It is not meant to be a cliché group of words/ it’s supposed to tell readers about the author’s view on life • We are going to be doing this activity again, for real this time! • Get out a new piece of paper and write the same emotion/ idea down • When you pass the paper around this time, write something more specific!!! • What you write should be so specific that nobody in this class but you could have written it

5. Example • Love is. . . • Going to Meijer for Sprite and crackers at three in the morning when my husband has the stomach flu • My father texting me every night since I left for college to check in on me

6. Five senses Poem • Pick any object in my room • Consider the five senses (sight, taste, touch, sound, smell) • Address each of these in your poem • We will have some of you share out and try to guess the objects!!! It looks like an illuminated carnival. It smells like perfume and smoke. It feels like butterflies in mystomach. It tastes like myfirst bite of chocolate ever. It sounds like jazz and wind blowing through the trees.

8. Haiku • A haiku is a three-line, Japanese nature poem • They have a set number of syllables per line: • First Line: 5 Syllables • Second Line: 7 Syllables • Third Line: 5 Syllables • Your haiku has to deal with a specific experienceYOUhad in nature My Wedding Day Sand between my toes Sun shining on my white dress Flowers in my hair

9. Simple Word Cinquain • Poem with five lines: • First line: One Word • Second Line: Two Words • Third Line: Three Words • Fourth Line: Four Lines • Fifth Line: One Word • Example: How I Read a Book Silence Comfy Couch Dog beside me After a long day Paradise

10. Dream Poem • Step One: Write a Paragraph About a Nightmare/ Dream you have had in the past • Example: I will unfortunately never forget the nasty nightmare I had about an evil doll. I was in my basement; there were no lights on, so it was extremely dark. I was about to go upstairs, but I tripped and fell. Suddenly, the stairs got even steeper. I tried to get up, but I couldn’t. My legs were weak. Suddenly, this ugly, plastic doll with curly blonde hair and blood red eyes comes walking towards me. She starts speaking in a high-pitched voice, but it soon turns into a devilish, nightmarish growl. I frantically try to fight to get my legs to move. The doll comes closer. As soon as it touches my leg, I jolt awake, sweaty and scared.

11. Step Two: Take Words/ Phrases from This paragraph I will unfortunately never forget the nasty nightmare I had about an evil doll. I was in my basement; there were no lights on, so it was extremely dark. I was about to go upstairs, but I tripped and fell. Suddenly, the stairs got even steeper. I tried to get up, but I couldn’t. My legs were weak. Suddenly, this ugly, plastic doll with curly blonde hair and blood red eyes comes walking towards me. She starts speaking in a high-pitched voice, but it soon turns into a devilish, nightmarish growl. I frantically try to fight to get my legs to move. The doll comes closer. As soon as it touches my leg, I jolt awake, sweaty and scared.

12. Step Three: use these words to create your poem Jolt Nasty nightmarish Dark devilish Suddenly steep Frantically fight Sweaty scared Never forget Doll

13. Concrete Poem • Poem written in the shape of what you are writing about • Example: