English II Honors - Poetry Notebooks

Objective:
The poetry notebook is designed to encourage student appreciation of the form of poetry. Students will find poetry examples by other authors that they can connect to and enjoy, and then examine the poetry more closely to gain a greater understanding of each work. They will then be able to analyze those poems and connections, both verbally and through analytical written assessments.

In addition, students will try many forms of poetry. From first draft to completion, students will reinforce the steps required to craft a piece of art from words.

Finally, students will organize their poetry and the poetry they connect with in a personal, illustrated anthology.

Procedure:

Poetic Techniques
Students will include the definitions for at least 15 of the poetic techniques covered in class in their notebooks.

Favorite Poems
Students will research 5 poems to which they connect (and hopefully enjoy) on the internet or in the library. After finding 5 poems, students will complete the following for EACH poem:

1. Read the poem looking for poetic techniques and ideas as discussed in the poetry technique lessons or in the poetry reading checklist.
2. Type the poem EXACTLY as it is found in the book.
3. Using MLA style citations (see examples below), document where each poem was found on the bottom of the page.

a. Poem from an anthology
, . “Title of the Poem.” Title of the Book. First and last name of the editor, ed.
City of Publication: Publishing Company, year of publication. page number.
Fleishman, Paul. “The Passenger Pigeon.” The Place My Words are Looking For. Paul B. Janeczko, ed. New York:
Simon & Shuster Books for Young Readers, 1990. 100.

b. Poem from an author’s own book
, . “Title of the Poem.” Title of the Book. City of Publication: Publishing Company, year of publication. page number.
Creech, Sharon. “September 27.” Love That Dog. New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 2001. 3.

c. Poem found on the internet
, . “Title of the Poem.” “Title of the Web site.” Web Address.
Date visited the web site.
Williams, William Carlos. “The Red Wheelbarrow.” “American Poets.”
http://www.americanpoems.com/poets/williams/thered.shtml April 22, 2003.

4. Illustrate major images or themes found in each of the 5 poems in scrapbook or collage style using clip art, magazine clippings, tissue paper, photographs, stickers, paints, ink drawings, etc.
5. Write a two to three paragraph summary of your impression of the poem, including possible meanings, techniques you enjoyed, and overall impact of the piece. Be sure to include many of the significant items you examined during step 1.

Personal Poetry

From the 15 or more styles of poetry that we try, choose at least 8 of your favorite poems to revise, edit and publish in your book. Each poem must be in a different form.

1. Frame poetry
2. Found Poetry or Magnetic Poetry
3. Acrostic
4. Cinquain
5. Haiku
6. Senryu
7. Tanka
8. Blues
9. Free Verse
10. Concrete poetry
11. Rhyme poetry (sonnet, ballad or other lyric
verse)
12. List poetry
13. Narrative poetry
14. Poetry for two or more voices
15. Alliteration poetry or Tongue-twister

After bring your poetry to publish-ready quality, students will complete the following:
1. Type the poem EXACTLY how you want it to look on the page. Remember to give each poem a title, and to type your name on each poem.
2. Illustrate major images or themes found in each of the 5 poems in scrapbook or collage style using clip art, magazine clippings, tissue paper, photographs, stickers, paints, ink drawings, etc.

Personal Reflection

1. Create a colorful cover page that names the entire collection. Be sure to put “selected by” and your name on the cover page.
2. Create an introduction page that tells a reader what to expect from reading your book.
3. Table of contents page that lists all of the poetry found in the book.
4. Notes pages that includes the following:
a. Three to four paragraphs about each of your poems that tell the reader what your inspiration was for the poetry and the techniques you used.
b. A short biography that tells about you the author.
Bind your book in a beautiful way. Don’t simply put a staple in it and call it done! Take time to really work it out!

Assessment
Refer to provided rubric for scoring information.

Due Date
Your poetry notebooks will be due after exactly three full weeks of in-class time - currently holding at March 9th.

Reading Poetry: A Checklist of Things to Consider

(WRITTEN BY THE GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY WRITING PROJECT)

Read the poem once straight through—and read it aloud. Don’t linger over things that confuse you. Read slowly—more slowly than you would read most prose—but keep going. Try to get an overall idea of what the poem is saying, at least on the surface.

Read the poem again with pen or pencil in hand. Circle unfamiliar words, phrases, images that strike you, and/or interesting moments. Mark places where patterns appear and/or more than one reading is possible. Ask questions in the margins. Don’t be afraid to write all over the poem and the page. Draw pictures or diagrams, whatever is useful.

Bother the reference librarians. Look up anything you don’t understand: an unfamiliar word (or an ordinary word used unfamiliarly), a place, a myth, an idea—anything the poem uses. Assume there is a reason for everything, from the space between words to the period at the end of the line.

Paraphrase the poem. One line at a time, restate the poem in your own words. This can help you understand obscure passages. Also notice, though, how paraphrasing may reduce the forcefulness of some lines and remove interesting double meanings from the poem.

Ask yourself, “what makes me think ______ is _____?” When you come to a conclusion about a poem, write down the specific details that made you come to that conclusion. If the tone seems somber to you, write down the details, images, word choice, etc that makes you feel that way. If you think the poem means X, make notes of the things that make you think it means X.

Imagine the poem as something someone says, or could say, in a given situation; most poems are imitations of speech. That’s why, “Who’s the speaker?” is usually the first question asked about a poem. It’s also a reason why reading the poem aloud is important. Try to identify the poem’s situation. What is said is often conditioned by where it is said, and by whom.

Identifying the speaker and his/her place in the situation puts what s/he says into perspective. Find out what is implied by the traditions behind the poem. Verse forms and metrical patterns all have frames of reference, traditions in the way they are usually used, and for what reasons they are used.

Learn more about the poem’s author, and about other poems by the author. Consider how this poem relates to other work by the poet, and how it might be connected to (or diverge from) incidents in the poet’s life.

Articulate for yourself what the title, subject, and situation make you expect. Poets often use false leads and try to surprise you by doing “shocking” things, but defining expectations lets you be conscious of where you are when you begin.

Be willing to be surprised. Things often happen in poems that turn them around. A poem may suggest one thing at first, then persuade you to its opposite (or at least be a significant qualification or variation).

Take a poem on its own terms. Adjust to the poem; don’t make the poem adjust to you. Be prepared to hear things you do not want to hear. Not all poems are about your ideas, nor will they always present emotions you want to feel. Be tolerant and listen to the poem’s ideas. Argue. Discussion usually results in clarity and keeps you from depending on personal biases and preoccupations, which sometimes mislead even the best readers. Talking a poem over with someone else (especially someone different) can expand the limits of a too-narrow perspective.