WRITING POEMS

Sept 22-26

Alexis. A. Fruia

6th Grade English

OBJECTIVE

v Understand free-verse poetry.

v Plan, draft, revise, edit and publish a free verse poem.

INFO

v Unlike other forms of poetry, free-verse poetry does not have

regular patterns. Like other kinds of poems, free-verse poems are

filled with sensory details that evoke vivid images. The sounds of the

words are as important as the words themselves. Poetry is meant to be

read aloud, and so poets pay close attention to each word and its

relationship to every other word in the poem.

v  Page 365

FOG BY CARL SANDBURG

The fog comes

on little cat feet. 

It sits looking

over harbor and city

on silent launches

and then moves on.

WINTER POEM BY NIKKI GIOVANNI

once a snowflake fell

on my brow and I loved

it so much and I kissed

it and it was happy and called its cousins

and brothers and a web

of snow engulfed me then

I reached to love them all

and I squeezed them and they became

a spring rain and I stood perfectly

still and was a flower

FREE-VERSE POEM

Many free-verse poems contain sensory details. Sight, sound, smells, and other sensations let the reader “experience” the topic of the poem. Graphic elements such as capital letter or varied line lengths can add interests and emphasis to a poem. Caleb Carter wrote the following poem about the life of a firehouse dog.

WHITE FLAME BY CALEB CARTER

People call me White Flame.

I ride on a wailing fire truck

As it roars down the crowded streets.

I leap off the to sniff the smoky air

And face the blazing flames.

I splash through the hose’s spray

and sit by the little gray girl

And lick the salty tears

From her sooty cheeks

RESPOND TO READING

v On our own paper reflect on the ideas, organization,

and voice of the free-verse poem.

v Development of ideas

List the five details that refer to the senses.

Wailing, roars, crowded, sniff, smoky, blazing, splash,

spray, little, gray, salty, sooty

RESPOND TO READING

v Organization

v What words and letter sounds are repeated in this poem?

The word I is repeated three times. Several sounds are repeated in

different lines, The s sound is repeated most often some reasons the

author uses the s sound again and again include: it sounds like flames,

and water from hoses; its harsh sound creates a tone the dog’s

presence eases.

RESPOND TO READING

v Voice

Who is the speaker in the poem?

The speaker is the dog featured in the picture

How does the writer’s use of graphic elements affect your reading of

the poem?

The shape of the poem looks like drifting smoke.

PREWRITING

v Selecting a Topic

v Poets are inspired by all sorts of things. You will be

writing a poem about an animals you would like to be.

Caleb used a clustering strategy to determine an

appropriate animal for the topic of his poem.

PREWRITING SELECTING A TOPIC

v  Choose an animal that you know well enough to describe in a

poem. Students should be familiar with their animal, either through

real-life experience or though previous reading.

v Create a Cluster- List at least eight animals so as to give them

plenty to choose from.

CLUSTER C R E A T E A C L U S T E R

GATHERING DETAILS

v Sensory details are key to creating vivid images in the mind

of the reader of the poem. They are a good way to organize

the draft of your poem. Caleb created the following sensory

chart to help him plan.

GATHERING DETAILS

v  If you had your eyes closed, what clues would let you know that

you are close to the animals that you are writing about?

v When you see the animal, do you what to reach out and touch it?

Or do you want to keep your distance?

v What id your strongest impression of this animal?

SENSORY CHART

PREWRITING GATHER SENSORY DETAILS

v  Develop a draft of your peom by first creating a sensory chart like

the one above. Organize your char to include details about the animal

and about the setting of your poem.

PR E W R I TI N G U SING PO E TRY TE C H NIQU E S

v  FYI

v  Poets can make up original words that describe sound. I challenge

you to think of words that embody animal sounds.

v Examples

-  House running: Klumpada Klumpada Klumpada

-  Dog snarling: arragah

-  Bird greeting the day: slee dee dee dee

P R E W R I T I N G U S I N G P O E T RY T E C H N I Q U E S

v  Poets play with the sound of words. Two simple techniques will help

your create poetic sounds as you write your free-verse poem.

v Onomatopoeia- is using words that sound like the noises they name

Examples:

I ride on a wailing fire truck

As I roars down crowded streets.

I leap off to sniff the smoky air

And face the blazing flames.

PR E W R I TI N G U SING PO E TRY TE C H NIQU E S

v Alliteration- is repeating beginning consonant sounds.

Examples:

I splash through the hose’s spray

And sit by the little gray girl

And lick the salty tears

From her sooty cheeks

PREWRITING

USE POETRY TECHNIQUES

v  Look back at your sensory chart. Circle any words that sound like

the noise they name (onomatopoeia). Then underline words that start

with the same consonant (alliteration). Add a few more of each kind

of word. Share your findings with a partner.

DRAFTING DEVELOPING YOU R FIRST DRAFT

v  Now that you have fathered sensory details and learned two poetry

techniques, you are ready to write the first draft of a poem. Try these tips.

v  Imagine being the animal. What things do you sense? What

thoughts do you think? How do you feel about your world?

v  Tell your story. What important things do you do? What will be

happening in your poem? ( your animal should be doing something)

v  Play with words. Use poetic techniques to add interest. Think about

fun ways you can use words, letters, and line lengths.

WRITING YOUR FIRST DRAFT

v Before we get started I want you to think of yourself as the animal

you have chosen. I want you to describe what your see, hear, smell,

taste, and feel before you begin writing your first draft.

REMINDER!!!!

Refer to your sensory charts as you write your first draft. Feel free to

use some details from your charts and add others as they come to

your mind. J

DRAFTING

v Write your first draft. Create the first draft of your poem. Write as

if you were the animal, telling about something that happens in your

life. Use poetic techniques, like onomatopoeia or alliteration, to add

interest to you poem. Read your poem to a classmate. Discuss the

techniques.

REVISING IM PROVING YOU R POEM

v Exchange your first draft with a partner and think about these

traits of writing as you make suggestions for revision.

v Development of Ideas- are the ideas in the poem developed

clearly? Does each line add meaning to the one before it?

v Organization- Does one through lead to another?

v Voice- Does my writing voice express how the animal thinks and

feels? Do I use poetic techniques to show my individual voice?

REVISING YOUR WRITING

v Make changes to improve your poem using the new feedback you

have received from your partner. Continue working with your poem

until you like the way it looks and sounds.