Poetry

//**

Mark Garland

9 June** Well...not sure how you're going to take this, but I came up with a pretty serious final assignment for you. I will be demonstrating how to analyze a song as poetry, then unleash this on you. It may look a little daunting, but I know you can do it...consider it as high school prep.//





[|Masters of War Lyrics]

//**6 June** Today I need you to finish off the three parts to your poetry assignment. If you feel you have finished these, please complete the following activity based on the notes. This should be on paper and is due in Monday. It's pretty easy.//

...and if you're REALLY keen, scroll down under June 2, and take a look at the file entitled POem. What do you think of that piece? You can open up the following document to get an idea of what we will be doing with song lyrics next week.

//**5 June** I'm out today...take the time to get the majority of your poetry assignments done. If you do well today, I'll give you the time tomorrow, too. If you have questions or problems, you can email me. I'll check as often as I can.

[|Enjoy!] See you tomorrow.

Three things need to be done before you leave school on Friday.// //1. Poetry response 2. Definitions (see below) 3. Nature poem (unless you're in 8H and your topic was open)//
 * It's Ketchup day today...**

//All homerooms are in different spots right now, so we'll tailor your lesson to suit you.//

//I've been sensing a bit of tension from a few of you about writing the poem. My advice to you is not to overthink it. That will lead to writer's block. Relax...come up with the first thing that comes to your mind and run with it. You can always change it in the mix. Poetry is meant to be a vehicle for you -- a stress release.//

//**3 June (me Mom's Birthday)**

The sunshine beams and so do I Thinking of the things that you will write It's nice today, I figured why Don't we sit and gaze into the light.

You must create a metaphor Illustrating natures glory Open up your soulful door And draw for us a poets' story

How do you feel when nature grows? Or the gentle breeze that makes you hear The leaves and other things that go. Along with this beautiful time of year.

You have the rest of class today. I want to hear what you have to say.


 * So that was a sonnet...We'll learn more about that later, but today I want you to dig deep. We're going outside to create an image -- a metaphor of nature. The catch is, you need to sit __by yourself__ somewhere in the courtyard or on the hill near the ballfield. You have the entire class to do this. Please use the writing process -- especially the predraft part -- to gather your ideas before building your poem. If you like, and if you have time, illustrate your poem with found images online. If you write your poem on paper, you might even wish to draw something.**

Enjoy.

The rest of your time today may be spent doing your response and definitions. By the end of the week, we should all have the following three things completed:


 * 2 June**


 * [[file:POem.doc]]**

The final push...3 weeks of middle school left.

Again, we'll start the class with a great reading. I think you'll find it similar to 'Our Deepest Fear', in that it is like a life lesson.



What do you think? Which of the two poems (Des vs. Deepest) do you find more appealing and why? For next class, I would like you to write a short response piece (minimum 250 words) outlining your choice. This should not be difficult i fyou include these parts://


 * Intro sentence: ("In my opinion, __,//insert poem name here// by__ //insert author name here// __is the better of the two poems.")__
 * 1st reason: ("One reason I found __so great was because__ .") ... explain why and **include lines from the poem**.
 * 2nd reason: see above
 * A personal connection: Maybe you have a specific reason or reflection that made this specific poem interesting.
 * Concluding sentence.

Do these things and there will be no problem reaching MORE than 250 words.

Sadly, we also need to do some notes in this unit. Please scroll down just below the 'Yawp' video to see your definitions assignment.


 * There have been a number of you speaking to me about your own works of poetry. I would be absolutely __honoured__ if you were to bring in a piece that you have written, or even a poem that really speaks to you, and read it to the class. Please let me know if you want to do this.**

We'll start with a quick reading today...this is a poem featured in the film Coach Carter. Poetry is all around us and, when done well, can elicit more emotion than prose.
 * 29 May**



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//Ok...today we'll be starting Poetry. This unit has particular imprtance to me. I hope some of you get beyond your phobia and fear of poetry and learn to sound your barbaric yawp over the rooftops of __your__ world.

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Calm down, it's not that bad. Sadly, however, we will need to start with a few comprehension notes so we're all speaking the same language. The good news is that I'm going to let you make your own notes based on the document below. Much of it will be information you have heard earlier in the year, but some of it is new. Read through and ONLY copy the information that you don't know -- be honest! There will be a quiz on it (mainly on definitions and rhyme scheme). When you have finished that, I would like you to complete the definitions listed afterwards.//



** 1. ****Alliteration:** ** 2. ****Assonance:** ** 3. ****Consonance:** ** 4. ****Onomatopoeia:** ** 5. ****Rhyme:** ** 6. ****Internal Rhyme:** ** 7. ****End Rhyme:** ** 8. ****Rhyme Scheme***: 9. Simile: 10. Metaphor: 11. Extended Metaphor***:** ** 12. ****Personification:** ** 13. ****Symbolism***: 14. Hyperbole:**
 * // Identify the following terms. Start with only the ones you know and give GOOD definitions with an example. PLEASE NOTE…the terms that have asterisks next to them need to really be mastered asap. You may use the notes I gave you to complete this, but it must be done completely in your notebook. //**

//If you still have time, please try// [|//this website//] //for an activity with magnetic poetry. A poetry peppermint for anybody who stands up to present their poem in front of class.//