Poetry Journal
POETRY JOURNAL
Listed below are your directions and requirements for your journal.
1. Must have the proper cover
2. Must have a title page (Poetry Journal) and include your name, period, and the date.
3. Must have a table of contents, which list both the type of poem and the title plus the proper page number.
4. You should include some appropriate art work, by hand or computer
5. Each poem should be followed on the next page with the paragraph explanation and insight into your poem.
The paragraph should follow the multi-paragraph format. This means: Topic sentence, concrete detail and two different sentences of commentary (your personal insight).
6. Your poems should be in this order:
1. Reminiscence
2. Name
3. Mock Serious
4. Haiku
5. Description
6. I do not understand
7. Nonsense
8. Children’s
9. Write your own pattern
10. Six original poems that you have composed
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I hope this will be a fun project and that you will learn something about yourself.
Reminiscence Poem
--I remember. . . (who or what)
--Describe the person or event
--Tell when
--Why do you remember it now
--Now when I . . .
I remember all of my fun family vacations,
Staying down at
Lying in the sun,
Swimming in the ocean,
And meeting friends old and new,
During the heated month of July.
I remember it now because it’s my favorite place to be.
It’s always cheerful and peaceful near the sea.
Now, when I think back on it I wish I was there,
Happy and free,
Near the sea !
Name Poem
--compare a person to an inanimate object. (use a metaphor)
--then compare the person to an animal
--Show the person in a dream-like state (ideal) setting
--Describe or name an emotion of the person and compare that emotion to something in nature.
EXAMPLE:
Pam is
A boulder etched
with beauty
By the desert winds.
She is a mountain lion,
Seeking quiet places
under the stars.
She walks through trees,
Ravished by the wind.
She is calm amid chaos,
Like a patch of wild flowers near a raging river.
MOCK SERIOUS POEM
--A strong symbolic setting
--Alliteration using color and a feeling (mood)
--Outlandish comparison referring to death
--Alliteration with powerful words that describe death, lobe, feeling mood, (any or all of these)
--Philosophical conclusion about life and/or time
Example:
The salty seawater crashing furiously against the rocks
Sprayed me with a feeling of coldness.
The gray cloudy sky added to my sorrow,
And looking through the mass of fog
Was like trying to resurrect my deceased friend,
Being there alone both physically and mentally scared me,
For I had lost a most precious gift in life,
a friend.
HAIKU’S
Japanese lyric poems of a fixed seventeen syllable form that simply points to a thing or pairing of things in nature that has moved the poet.
EXAMPLES:
A small wilting rose
Awaiting showers of life
Stands there patiently.
Trees standing alone
Their abundance of beauty
All going to waste.
The sun rose slowly
Over the glossy hillside
And made it all bright.
As the rainbow shone
The hills were greatly brightened
And shadows were cast.
These are four different haiku. They should be lines of 5, 7, 5.
I Do Not Understand Poem
1. I do not understand…
(List 3 things you do not understand)
Examples: a) Why people are so hateful,
b) The cruelness and vengeance people have towards others,
c) Some people’s inhumane attitudes toward others.
2. But most of all I do not understand…
(Here tell and describe the thing you don’t
understand and the most)
Example: But most of all I don’t understand what motivates people to harm others.
3. What I do understand is…
(List and/or describe 3 things in order of importance)
a) that all people have tempers,
b) why people get upset
c) that people have misunderstandings.
Example:
I do not understand:
Why people are so hateful,
The cruelness and vengeance people have towards others,
Some people’s inhumane attitudes toward others.
But most of all I don’t understand what motivates people to harm others.
What I do understand is:
That all people have tempers,
Why people get upset,
That people have misunderstandings.
Nonsense Poem
--My Life is like…
Example: My life is like a crashing wave
--Describe a loud noise…
Example: And the door slammed like a falling brick
--Name a dream come true about yourself. Something fantastical
Example: I was the first Black President to live in
--And… (Describe an emotion or feeling)
Example: And I quivered as I approached the rocky cliff
Put together:
My life is like a crashing wave,
And the door slammed like a falling brick.
I was the first Black President to live in
And I quivered as approached the rocky cliff.
My life is like an unfolding rose.
And the woman’s scream was like a siren.
I was the ruler of the world surrounded by decisions,
And I bounce with joy as I decided.
These are two examples.
Children’s Poem
--Describe a children’s toy or object
--Use simple language
Big Red Ball
Big Red Ball
So round and tall
Next to you I seem so small.
Bouncing down the hallway
I call to you and say
Come back big red ball and we’ll play.
Write Your Own Pattern Poem
Example:
--I remember… (something or someone that has hurt your feelings)
--Describe the person or event
--Tell briefly what it was that caused you to feel hurt.
--Tell how you got over it or how long it took
--Conclude with a lesson that it taught you, or a piece of advise about the incident.
Example:
I had a hard time passing geometry.
It was difficult and it didn’t matter to me.
“But” Night after night I worked harder and harder,
But the sad part was I didn’t get any smarter.
I will never forget how hard it was to pass,
And my advise to you is don’t take that class.
Rubric For Poetry Journal
Name _____________________________
Date Due: 1/16/2008
| | Points Possible | Points Earned |
| Cover | 20 | |
| Title Page | 15 | |
| Table of Contents | 30 | |
| Poems | 150 | |
| Explanation | 75 | |
| Usage and Mechanics | 50 | |
| Art and Presentation | 60 | |
Total Points Possible: 400 Total Points Earned: ________
Teacher Comments:
If you have questions please ask or email me.
Enjoy your vacation.
