Poetry: The Write Thing!

Welcome Poets! Whether you've written numerous poems, or this is your first experience with poetry, there is a poet inside of you. Poetry is a way to express your thoughts and feelings in a shorter way than writing out paragraphs. Before you can write a great poem you must explore poetry and its different formats.

Task

In this webquest you will be given resources to explore poetry background information, several types of poetry, and untimately begin creating your own poems.

Process

Before writing poetry it is important to familiarize yourself with poetry terminology and formats. Visit the Glossary of Poetry Terms or Poetry Terms to find the definition of key poetry vocabulary terms including: stanza, foot, meter, stress, verse, rhythm, and rhyme. Next explore different types of poetry using the following websites:

Students in grades 6-8 and high school students with accomodations are only required to find two poetry formats. A format called a Tritina is provided in section five for your use.

 
After you find three poem formats your are interested in writing complete the Heart Mapping Activity to brainstorm topics for writing your three poems. Once you have completed the brainstorming activity being to write your own poems. To help with word choice or finding rhyming words try visiting Rhyme Zone. Once you have completed your Heart Map and three poems explore some of the fun poetry webpages below:

Heart Mapping Activity

Heart Mapping is a brainstorming tool that was developed by Nancy Atwell and is featured in her writing manual Lessons that Change Writers. Heart Mapping is a great tool to use for poetry because often good poetry comes from what I like to refer to as significant life events. Significant life events are the events in our lives that cause emotional response and shape us into the people we are. Try to explore events that made you happy, sad, angery, frustrated, or what ever other emotion you can think of. When we have an emotional response to something it is imprinted in our heart and mind and helps provide us with some great writing topics. To begin Heart Mapping get a blank sheet of paper and draw a large heart and start to map out what is in your heart, the most important things should be in the center. Some questions and a sample are provided to help you mine your heart, so start mining!

Sample Heart Map

If you are struggling with the concept of Heart Mapping click the heart icon for another example

  Questions to Help Mine Your Heart

What is and has stayed in your heart?

What memories, moments, people, animals, objects, places, books, fears, scars, friends, siblings, parents, grandparents, teachers, journeys, secrets, dreams, crushes, relationships, comforts, and learning experiences are in your heart?

What is at the center of your heart? What is at the edges of your heart?

     
Writing a Tritina    
     
A Tritina is a repetative type of poem that follows a specific format as follows:
  • Lines in a tritina are grouped into three tercets and a concluding line for a total of 10 lines.
  • The lines of a tritina can be any length, but are ususally consistent throughout a single poem.
  • The three words that end each of the lines of the first stanza are repeated in a different order at the end of lines in each of the subsequent two stanzas.
  • The repeated words are unrhymed.
  • The first line of each tercet after the first ends with the same word as the one that ended the last line of the tercet before it.
  • In the closing line, each of the three words are used.

To begin writing your Tritina, choose a topic from your Heart Map. Write your first three lines of your poem then repeat the end words 1-3 at the end of the lines that they correspond with.

Tritina option is only available for students in grades 6-8 or high school students with accomodations.

  
     
For examples of Tritina poems follow this link: TRITINA POEM SAMPLES    

Evaluation

Once your poems are written and edited they will need to be turned in. Poems will be evaluated using the following Poetry Rubric

Criteria 4 3 2
Ideas and Content

Focuses on an idea, feeling, or experience from the Heart Map. Uses specific, concrete images to convey meaning.

 Exceptional focus of an idea, feeling, or experience from Heart Map. Exceptional use of poetic devices explored in webquest. Adequate focus of an idea, feeling, or experience from Heart Map. Adequate use of images. Includes some poetic devices explored in webquest. Inadequate focus of an idea, feeling, or experience, did not use Heart Map. Inadequate use of poetic devices from webquest.
Oranization

Correctly follows the format and structure for the type of poem chosen and thoughts are logically organized.

 Closely follows the format for the type of poem chosen and uses an exceptionally logic and effective organizational approach. Mostly follows the format for the type of poem chosen and uses an adaquate organizational approach. Does not follow the format for the type of poem chosen and does not have an organizational approach.
Voice

Uses own unique style. Writes from the heart and shows honest emotion to connect with audience.

 Uses an exceptional and unique writing style. Writes from the heart showing great emotion and connects to the audience. Uses an adequate writing style. Writes from the heart showing some emotion and attempts to connect with the audience. Uses an inadequate writing style. Does not make an attempt to connect with the audience.
Mechanics, Grammar,Spelling,Punctuation,Capitalization,

Students will accomdations will be graded accordingly.

 Text contains minimal errors. Text contains several errors. Text contains numerous errors.

Resources

Atwell, N. (2002). Lessons that change writers. Portsmouth: Heinemann.

 

Michigan Content Expectations

English Language Arts

CE 1.1.1, CE 1.1.2, CE 1.1.3, CE 1.1.4, and CE 1.2.3