Introduction
As a beginning poet, sometimes finding inspiration can be difficult. Most often we read or listen to poets speaking about powerful things, and this can be intimidating. However, even the most mundane activities in daily life can be turned into poetry. In fact, that's part of the beauty of it! You are already aware that you have to create an original poem and perform it in some fashion, and this webquest is designed to help you gain experience and find inspiration for writing your poem. Using various resources, you will discover and learn about poetry in hopes of inspiring your own powerful creation.
Task
Task I: Using the provided resources, read poems from several different authors. Using the information given to you in class prior to this lesson, ake notes on the types of figurative language you see used in each poem.
Task II: Choose three of the several available writing prompts and create one stanza of poetry for each prompt. Allow yourself to be creative and find inspiration. You will be turning these in for credit. Task III: Choose one of the three stanza's you have created and use it as a springboard for your spoken word poetry assignment. Remember: Your rough draft is due March 25th, 2015. You should use this poem as a starting point so that you have something to turn in. (next Wednesday).
Process
Process for Task I
Use the resources provided below to read poems from several different authors. You must read at least two poems. Resources: http://www.poetryfoundation.org/ - To browse poets on this site, click "browse poets" or 'browse" poems on the menu in the top left. http://www.poets.org/poetsorg/browse-poems-poets - To browse poets and poems on this site, click one of the many blue squares. 1. Label your paper with the author and title of the two or more poems you read. 2. Take notes indicating which type of figurative language you see in each poem. 3. When you have finished the above tasks, please answer the following question on your notes paper:
- What do you find most difficult about writing poetry? Please be specific in your response and use complete sentences.
Process for Task II Choose three (3) prompts from the writing prompts written below. With those prompts, develop one stanza of poetry for each one. You will be required to turn this in for a grade. Remember: You have knowledge of figurative language. Please try to use as many examples of figurative language as possible in your three stanzas. Writing Prompts: 1. These days, friendships are often formed over the Internet. Have you corresponded with someone via a social networking site or dating site who you’ve never met in person? Write a poem about what you imagine meeting this person would be like. If you’ve never seen a picture of him or her, write about what you think this person looks like based on how he or she writes. 2. Write a poem about your name. When you were born, you were given a name before beginning to develop a sense of self. Have you grown into your name, or have you always resisted it? Knowing who you are today, where you’ve come from, and where you see yourself going, would you choose a different name for yourself? 3. The Northeast was pummeled by a sizable winter storm that accumulated many ominous names. Write a poem about an imaginary, absurdly catastrophic blizzard. You can call it whatever you like, but here are some suggestions to help guide you: "snowmageddon," "snowzilla," and the bone-chilling "snownado." What is special about this storm, giving it the potential to be the storm of the century? 4. The holidays are over and the year is new. Now it’s time to take stock of what you have—what you’re starting with and what you will build from. First, read the late poet Tomaž Šalamun’s “I Have a Horse," and then write a list poem of your own. Begin each line with “I have . . . .” Write about the things that are important to you, the possessions you couldn’t live without, and the curious items you’ve acquired that you can’t bear to throw out. - To complete this prompt, you must read this first:https://manjamaksimovic.wordpress.com/2014/04/04/i-have-a-horse/ 5.Write a whimsical, nonsensical poem about a creature you’ve dreamt up. Try to let go of the meanings associated with the words you use every day when describing this creature. Instead, use words as springboards for weird associations, as colors in a vast mural. Let your mind run wild and hang on for the ride. For inspiration, read Lewis Carroll’s “Jabberwocky.” - To complete this prompt, you must read this: http://www.jabberwocky.com/carroll/jabber/jabberwocky.html 6. Take a moment to think about where you are from. If that's not so easy to pin down, think instead about a place that's had an impact on you, a place in which you've spent a relatively long time, or the place you live now. Now think about how the people talk there. What are the phrases or cadences that color their speech? Take this local voice and use it in a poem about the place you are thinking of. For example, write a poem about going to summer camp in Maine using the Mainer accent, or about moving to New Orleans in the voice of a Louisiana native.Process for Task III: Choose one of the three stanza's you have created and use it as a springboard (starting point) for your spoken word poetry assignment. Remember: Your rough draft is due March 25th, 2015 (next Wednesday). You should use this poem as a starting point so that you have something to turn in. Please spend the remainder of the period working on this poem. If you have already started a poem and wish to continue with it, use this time to work on your poem.Pay special attention to your use of figurative language.
Evaluation
You have been given a spoken word poetry rubric. During your presentation you will be evaluated based on what is listed on your rubric. For this webquest, you will be evaluated on your participation , as well as the completion of each task.
Conclusion
Using the materials provided, you were challenged to create poetry and find inspiration for your spoken word poetry project. From this point forward, your should be focusing on creating a polished piece of poetry that is ready to be presented. Take a moment to consider what you learned today. Did you find inspiration the prompts given? Did you realize that poetry is not always about changing lives, but finding the beauty in the way the world already is? Use these final questions to help craft your poem into its final state. Remember to show your reader, not tell them.