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Poetry: Home

John Lewis Call to Resist

“U.S. Rep. John Lewis' Call to Resist: "The Fight Is Not Over".” YouTube, uploaded by Oprah  Winfrey’s Master Class OWN, 15 Jan. 2018, https://youtu.be/TQRLkIGpNEU. Accessed 12 Mar. 2018.

Essential Questions:

1. What does protest sound like?

2. What protest look like?

Today's agenda

1. Explore poetry from the Civil Rights Movement

2. Explore images from the Civil Rights Movement

3 .Construct an original poem

  • Record your thoughts as well as those of others
  • Return to your seat with your notes
  • The goal is to write a short poem based on the shared words, phrases and impressions
  • Use what you gathered or combine with new ideas
  • Use one of the poetic formats (including free verse)
  • Share what you have written with the group.

 

Librarian

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Mimi Marquet
Contact:
John R. Lewis High School Library
6540 Franconia Road, Springfield, VA 22150
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Poetry forms - definitions and examples

Sonnet

  • A sonnet is a 14 line poem with a specific rhyme scheme.
  • Each type of sonnet follows a different rhyming scheme.
  • Example: English (Shakespearean) Sonnet 14 line poem 3 quatrains (4 line stanzas) followed by 1 couplet (2 line stanza) Rhyming scheme of ABAB CDCD EFEF GG

Limerick - a five-line witty poem with a distinctive rhythm.

  • A Limerick consists of five lines.

  • The first line of a limerick poem usually begins with 'There was a....' and ends with a name, person or place.

  • The last line of a limerick is normally a little farfetched or unusual.

  • A limerick should have a rhyme scheme of aabba:

  • The 1st, 2nd and 5th lines, the longer lines, rhyme.

  • The 3rd and 4th shorter lines rhyme. (A-A-B-B-A).

Haiku - This ancient form of poem writing is renowned for its small size as well as the precise punctuation and syllables needed on its three lines. It is of ancient Asian origin.

Haiku's are composed of 3 lines, each a phrase.

  • Line 1: 5 syllables
  • Line 2: 7 syllables
  • Line 3: 5 syllables
  • There is usually a seasonal reference included

Tanka - A tanka poem is a Japanese poem which can also be known as a waka or uta. A tanka poem is similar to a haiku but has two additional lines.

A tanka consists of 5 lines and 31 syllables.

Each line has a set number of syllables see below:

  • Line 1 – 5 syllables 
  • Line 2 – 7 syllables 
  • Line 3 – 5 syllables 
  • Line 4 – 7 syllables 
  • Line 5 – 7 syllables
Narrative - A narrative poem tells the story of an event in the form of a poem. There is a strong sense of narration, characters, and plot.  Couplet - two lines of verse which rhyme and form a unit alone or as part of a poem

Diamante - when a diamante poem is written it takes on the shape of a diamond.

A diamante poem is made up of 7 lines using a set structure:

Line 1: Beginning subject
Line 2: Two describing words about line 1
Line 3: Three doing words about line 1
Line 4: A short phrase about line 1, a short phrase about line 7
Line 5: Three doing words about line 7
Line 6: Two describing words about line 7
Line 7: End subject

An example of a diamante poem:

                                          Bike
                                    Shiny, quiet,
                       Pedaling, spinning, weaving
           Whizzing round corners, zooming along roads
                         Racing, roaring, speeding
                                     Fast, loud,
                                            Car

Cinquain - A cinquain poem is a verse of five lines that do not rhyme. 

A cinquain consists of five unrhymed lines.

Each line has a set number of syllables see below:

Line 1: 2 syllables
Line 2: 4 syllables
Line 3: 6 syllables
Line 4: 8 syllables
Line 5: 2 syllables

An example of a Cinquain Poem

My mom (2 syllables)
Is so caring (4 syllables)
She is always helpful (6 syllables)
She is so beautiful and kind (8 syllables)
Love you. (2 syllables)
Epic - a lengthy narrative poem in grand language celebrating the adventures and accomplishments of a legendary or conventional hero Free Verse - A Free Verse Poem does not follow any rules. Their creation is completely in the hands of the author. Rhyming, syllable count, punctuation, number of lines, number of stanzas, and line formation can be done however the author wants in order to convey the idea. There is no right or wrong way to create a Free Verse poem.