You will be composing 19 poems following the examples given. These poems will be placed in a poetry book. This book will be decorated. Each poem should have illustrations, stickers, pictures, or some form of decoration to go with the poem. The poetry book should have a table of contents and should follow the sequence of the poems listed below. You will also need to find 2 poems or more of your choice (one could be a song that sounds like a poem). You need to include at least 1 poem of your own making. They don’t have to follow a pattern or rhyme. All these poems should be placed in the table of contents. A cover for your poetry book should be decorated and have your name on it. The following 20 poems should be ordered as outlined below.
1. Biopoem 2. Acrostic Poem 3. Cinquain 4. Diamond Poem 5. Five Sense Poem 6. Haiku 7. Listing Poem 8. Metaphor Poem 9. Parts of Speech Poem 10. Preposition Poem 11. Simile Poem 12. To Be Poem 13. Concrete Poem 14. Alphabet Poem 15. Limerick 16. Name Poem 17. I Used to Be Poem 18. Why Poem 19. One Poem of Your Choice 20. 1 Poem Which You Made Up
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1. BIOPOEM – A biopoem presents a series of images dealing with different traits of a person. It follows this form:
Line 1 – Write the person’s name.
Line 2 – Write four traits that describe this person.
Line 3 – Write the relation (brother, sister, daughter, friend, etc.) of _____________.
Line 4 – Write “Lover of _____” and list three things that this person loves.
Line 5 – Write “Who feels _____” and list three things that this person feels.
Line 6 – Write “Who needs _____” and list three things that this person needs.
Line 7 – Write “Who fears ______” and list three things that this person fears.
Line 8 – Write “Who gives ______” and list three things that this person gives.
Line 9 – Write “Who would like to see ______” and list three things that this person would like to see.
Line 10 – Write “Resident of ______” and state where this person lives.
Line 11 – Write the person’s full name.
Example:
Andres
Honest, happy, content and easygoing,
Brother of Joey, Eloy, and Eleazar,
Lover of freshness of spring, Paola's laughter, and the beauty of fresh green grass,
Who feels joy when traveling, loneliness in the dark, and happiness in a warm school room
Who needs sunshine, rain, privacy,
Who fears pain, hunger, and the end of a good book,
Who gives friendship, encouragement, and smiles,
Who would like to see contentment for humanity, laugher in people’s lives,
Resident of Grand Prairie, Texas.
2. ACROSTIC POEM – In an acrostic poem, the writer spells a word vertically on the page. Then, using the vertical letters, the writer composes a line that describes or evaluates the vertical word.
Examples:
Buy or borrow
Sharing thoughts with classmates
Old or new
Concentrating on learning
Outside or inside
inside
Hoping for good marks
Kids will read them
Opening our minds to ideas
Sitting or standing
Outstanding
Learning
3. CINQUAIN POEM – A cinquain is a five-line poem, named from the French word for five, which is cinq. The format for a cinquain is as follows:
Line 1: Write a noun.
Line 2: Write two adjectives that describe the noun (put a comma between).
Line 3: Write three verbs (or verb forms) that tell what the noun does (with commas between).
Line 4: Write a thought about the noun – a phrase, clause, or sentence.
Line 5: Write the noun again OR write a synonym for the noun.
Examples:
Commercials Trees
Clever, stupid Shady, bare
Amuse,inform,bore
Branching, blooming, growing
Refrigerator time They eat your kites
Commercials
Trees
4. DIAMOND POEM – A diamond poem is a seven-line descriptive poem that is formed in the shape of a diamond:
Line 1: Write a subject (one or two words).
Line 2: Write two adjectives describing the subject.
Line 3: Write three participles describing actions of the subject.
Line 4: Write four nouns associated with the subject.
Line 5: Write three participles showing a change occurring in the subject.
Line 6: Write two adjectives describing the altered subject.
Line 7: Write a subject which is the opposite of the word on Line 1.
Examples:
Summer
Golden, fragrant,
Budding, blooming, bursting
Warmth, flowers, youth, brightness
Fading, chilling, shrinking
Pale, dead
Winter
5. FIVE-SENSE POEM – A five-sense poem develops a human emotion by presenting images that relate to the senses. Follow these steps:
Line 1: Tell what color the emotions is.
Line 2: Tell how it sounds.
Line 3: Tell what it tastes like.
Line 4: Tell what it smells like.
Line 5: Tell what it looks like.
Line 6: Tell how it makes you feel.
Example:
Anger is black as midnight
It sounds like a lion locked in a closet.
It tastes like sour mold
And smells like rotten eggs.
Anger looks like a volcano blowing itself apart.
It makes you feel ugly.
6. HAIKU POEM – Haiku is a three-line Japanese poem which focuses on the smallest details of life. Usually haiku deals either with nature or love. A true haiku has a total of 17 syllables – 5 syllables on the first line, syllables on the second line, and 5 syllables on the third line. This strict form may be varied, however, as slightly shorter or slightly longer lines are also acceptable.
Example:
The falling flower (5 syllables)
I saw drift back to the branch (7 syllables)
Was butterfly (5 syllables) 7. LISTING POEM – A listing poem is made up of a series of images added to one another.
Example:
These have I loved: warm rain dripping over tile roofs
green frogs bellowing from lily pads
pink peonies damp with cool dew drops;
wet grass between my toes;
crinkly paper;
red ink;
chubby, blond-haired children building sand castles;
mud puddles moving as the wind makes tiny ripples across them;
large footprints on wet sand;
the sweet potato cart on bitter city streets;
cold nights and warm, woolly blankets;
light wind upon my face;
wet paint brushed on rough rice paper;
old men on park benches feeding the flocking pigeons;
silence -by Barbara Feinstein
8. METAPHOR POEM – A metaphor poem describes an event or object briefly. Then, the poem describes how the event or object resembles, or compares with, something else – a person, place, or thing.
Examples:
The carnival tilt-a-whirl spins in a mad frenzy, first left—then right—then around and around.
I too rush here and rush there and sometimes spin in circles.
We both are going nowhere quickly!
It’s lucky that gravity holds us down,
Or we would soon fly into space like shooting stars. -by Tom Boley
My sister Melissa’s hair is really brown spaghetti.
When she needs a haircut, she just gives herself a trim with her teeth.
When she needs a perm, she curls it with a fork and spoon. -by Sara Groves
9. PARTS OF SPEECH POEM – A part of speech poem has five lines and uses the following formula:
Line 1: 1 article, 1 noun
Line 2: 1 adjective, 1 conjunction, 1 adjective
Line 3: 1 verb, 1 conjunction, 1 verb
Line 4: 1 adverb
Line 5: 1 noun relating to Line 1
Examples:
The student
Intelligent but lazy
Talking and playing
Noisily
Failure
10. PREPOSITION POEM – In a preposition poem, most, if not all, of the lines begin with a preposition. It should have at least six lines.
Example:
My Place
Above the moon,
Below the sea,
Through the trees,
And alongside the river
Around the globe,
And beyond the mountains,
Against all odds,
I searched and found
My place in the world.
11. SIMILE POEM – A simile poem shows the differences between two objects by making a series of comparisons about each that point out their dissimilarities. The form for a simile poem is as follows:
Line 1: Write down a quality that the first object is like.
Line 2: Write something about the quality that shows the similarity.
Line 3: Write down a related quality that the second object is like.
Line 4: Write something about the quality that shows this similarity.
Line 5: Write down a different quality that the first object is like.
Line 6: Write something about this quality that shows this similarity.
Line 7: Write down a related quality that the second object is like.
Line 8: Write something about this quality that shows this similarity.
Continue additional verses in the established pattern.
Example:
The ocean is like spring,
Violent in its changes,
While a lake is like summer,
Placid and lazy.
The ocean is like corduroy,
The ridges of its waves stretching forever,
While a lake is like satin,
Shimmering in the sunlight.
The ocean is like a lion,
Clawing at the stubborn shore,
But a lake is like a lamb,
Content within its pen.
12. TO BE POEM – Choose anything that can follow the words “to be.”
Example:
To be a friend means to be a good person.
To be a good person means to be kind.
To be kind means to be caring.
To be caring means to who care for others.
To be someone who cares for others means to be smart.
To be smart means to be focused and willing to learn.
To be willing to learn means to have a higher education.
13. CONCRETE POEM – Poets sometimes arrange their words in a shape that is related to the subject of the poem, as in the illustration of the lamp below. In the space at the bottom of this page, try to compose a short concrete poem of your own on any subject. Then redraw it on another sheet of paper. Display all the calligrams on the bulletin board.
14. ALPHABET POEM
1. Choose a word to use as the subject of a poem. The word could be a feeling, such as love, hate, fear or boredom. The word could also be something you are interested in, such as football, fashions, or music.
2. Write the word with one letter under another to form a column. See the example below in the poem “Anger.”
3. Use each letter of your word as the first letter of each line of your poem. Each line will be a word or phrase that tells something about your main word.
Example:
Anger
A broken promise
Numbing disappointment
Grated nerves
Excited words
Raw hurt
15. LIMERICK POEM – A limerick is a short, funny poem that follows these rules. The rhyme scheme is a, a, b, b, a. Lines 1, 2, and 5 have eight to ten syllables. Lines 3 and 4 have five syllables. A common kind of limerick uses the name of a place at the end of the first line.
(1) There once was a lady in Spain. a (8 syllables)
(2) Who said she had nothing to gain. a (8 syllables)
(3) She gave it a try. b (5 syllables)
(4) And said she could fly. b (5 syllables)
(5) But crashed when she flew in the rain. a (8 syllables)
16. NAME POEM – A name poem is a good way to teach children to focus the influence that people (friends and family) around them have.
Method
Line 1 – your first name
Line 2 – “it means” then 3 adjectives that describe you
Line 3 – “it is the number” then any number you choose
Line 4 – “it is like” describe a color but don’t name it
Line 5 – “it is” and name something you remember experiencing with family or friends that makes you smile to recall
Line 6 – “it is the memory of” and the name a person who is or has been significant to you
Line 7 – “who taught me” 2 abstract concepts (such as “honesty”)
Line 8 – “when he/she” then refer to something that person did that displayed the qualities in line 7
Line 9 – “My name is” your first name
Line 10 – “It means” and in 1-2 brief sentences, state something important you believe about life.
Example:
Jenny
It means strong,
compassionate, friendly,
It is 100,
It is like strawberries,
It is going swimming in the
cold lake at Banff,
It is the memory of Grandma
Panchita,
Who taught me patience and
trust,
When she worked at the
School,
My name is Jenny
It means I believe in working
hard and never giving up.
17. I USED TO BE POEM – Before you begin to follow the steps outlined below, think of the projects that could symbolize (stand or) yourself—one to stand for the way you used to be when you were younger, and one to represent the way you think you are now. (Look at the two example poems to see what symbols other students have used to represent themselves). Once you’ve decided on the two symbols you will use, write your poem by following the steps below.
Example 1:
I used to be
A caterpillar,
Inching along.
But now I am
A butterfly,
Floating free.
18. WHY POEM – Below is a poem written by a tenth-grade student. Follow the steps given below ad you will end up with a poem similar to hers – a poem that tells why people behave the way they do.
My Sister
My sister
Combs and combs her long, brown hair
In front of the mirror in our bedroom
Every night.
She wants to show me how beautiful she is.
Step 1: On the first line, write down who your poem is about. You can use either an actual name or a phrase like “The runner” to identify the person).
Step 2: On the second line, describe some specific action done by this person.
Step 3: On the third line, write down where it is the person does the action.
Step 4: On the fourth line, write down when it is this person does the action.
Step 5: On the last line, write down why this person does the action or why you think he or she does it.
Step 6: Read over the poem you have written. Does it say something interesting (maybe even profound) about what motivates people to do what they do? If you are happy with the poem, copy it onto a fresh sheet of paper. If you are not happy with your poem, write another one, about a different person, or revise your first one before copying it.
19. 1 POEM OF YOUR CHOICE – Choose a poem or song that you like and attach it to your poetry book.
20. 1 POEM YOU MADE UP – Write a poem of your own or choose a poem that you wrote in the past and attach it to your poetry book.
