Journal #10: Catalog Poem

After viewing Taylor Mali's "What Teachers Make" and reading "Daily" by Naomi Shihab Nye and "Woman Work" by Maya Angelou, write a catalog poem of your own.  You may choose to write about chores you have to do, dreams you have, annoyances/pet peeves, fears that you need to overcome, etc. 

You must use the following:  refrain, metaphor/simile
You should try:  rhyme, alliteration, or assonance

Journal #9: Personification Poem

Write a poem in which you use personification in at least three lines.  You may personify a natural phenomenon or any object you choose.  If you wish, you may make it speak, which is also a form of personification.

Journal #8: Ode, or Poem of Praise

Write an original ode, or praise poem, about something or someone you admire.  Feel free to use humor in this poem.  Two drafts.

Journal #7: Precis for "Ode to My Socks"

Please write a complete precis for Pablo Neruda's "Ode to My Socks."

Journal #6: Precis for "Ode to La Tortilla"

Write a precis for Gary Soto's "Ode to La Tortilla."

Reminder of how to write a precis:

 Sentence One:  Title of poem, author, and general subject of poem.

Sentences 2 and 3 (or more):  Explain how the poet makes their main point.  Who is the speaker?  What literary techniques are used? What is the tone?

Sentences 4 and 5: Examples from the poem supporting how the point is made.

Sentences 6 through 8:   Explain the author’s purpose.  Why has this poem been written?  What is the poet trying to express altogether?  Go a little deeper, below the surface of the poem.

Journal #5: Extended Metaphor for Family or Friends

Write 2 drafts of an extended metaphor for family/friends poem of at least 8 lines.  In this poem, you will compare your family or friends to something that is made up of parts, showing your reader how each member can be compared to a specific part of the whole. 

Some ideas:  Compare your friends/family to a box of chocolate, a car, a bike, a bookshelf, a medicine cabinet, a flower, etc.

Journal #4: Where I'm From

Write a "Where I'm From" poem of at least 6 stanzas of at least 4 lines.  Remember, in this poem, you're not specifying the location of where you're from, but rather, things that have shaped you, things you see and hear around your house, on your street, in your community, etc. 

Here are the class versions:

Where We're From (Period 4)

We’re from basketball hoops, broken-down and rusted pick-up trucks, poorly-executed graffiti, cows, dirt roads, dying blackberry bushes, bird poop, white picket fences, and black pot holes.

We’re from boxes of Hawaiian rolls, overfed pets, deer heads on the walls, piano music, way too many paintings of fruit, computer-addicted family members, costume jewelry, candles, toys strewn across the floor, and Call of Duty games.

We’re from Coco Pebbles, spaghetti, pepperoni pizza rolls, deer meat, bear jerky, German chocolate cake, tamales, feta cheese, parmesan and noodles, undercooked snicker doodles, and overcooked banana bread.

We’re from shut the hell up, Aunt Mary’s kicking my ass at Words with Friends, barking dogs and moms, Callate, meow, screaming siblings, yelled Jeopardy answers, awkward silence, and I love you.

We’re from Melissa, Michele, Audrey, Darius, Keith, and Otis the Dog.

We’re from being vampires, swimming in oceans with dolphins, getting into Stanford, fame, travelling the world, Santa’s real, and to float through life without a single care in the universe.

Journal #3: Favorite Place

1.  Write at least one page describing your favorite place using sensory details.
2.  Create a "found" poem:  Look at what you wrote, underline your favorite chunks of words, then arrange them on a page in the form of a poem (which doesn't necessarily need to rhyme).

Journal #2: Definition of Poetry

1.  Define the term poetry.  (1 sentence)

2.  Write 1 paragraph about how you feel about poetry.  Do you like it, love it, or not?  Explain why you feel the way you do thoroughly.  If you think it's amazing, explain exactly why.  If you think it is boring, explain exactly why. 

(5 points)

Poetry Journal #1: Found Poem

Grab a random book, and open to random pages and scan the pages for interesting words or chunks of words.  Write them down in your journal.  After you've written about 20 chunks of words, create a poem out of what you've written by arranging your favorite poems in an interesting way on the next page.