Autumn S Advance

Autumn’s Advance

Goldenrod and Brown-eyed Susan,

weary foliage

Scattered throughout

Nature’s landscape.

Dragonflies and damselflies

flit and fly,

stop and go.

The reign of the sovereign

slowly unfolds

as she blazes her trail

with subtle colors

to charm Summer’s faded quilt.

The solar, regal crown shines

but lasts not quite so long.

The breeze, still gentle,

reaches out with chilled fingers.

The harvest nears,

the growing halts,

few blooms raise their

heavy heads –

a stiller color marks

the trail

as regally Autumn

approaches the stage.

B.J.Wilson

October 2009

Remembers a poem/song that a family member recited/sang to him/her when a small child – “I remember ...” / Can provide end words that will fit this pattern:
a
b
b
a
c
c
and knows what the “c,c” rhyme is called / Can create a tongue twister of at least eleven words using the initial of the first name of the person next to you. / Can list five sound words that would describe the raging sea or a great wind storm. / Can create a complimentary metaphor by completing this and saying it to someone they know, “You are a ______when you ______”.
Can complete this simile by complimenting someone in the room – “Your eyes are LIKE ______”. / Has a favourite poem and will tell you what it is and why it is a favourite. / Can explain to you the difference between prose and poetry. / Knows the lyrics to a contemporary song and will sing for you. / Knows a well known Nova Scotian poet and can name works by this poet
Can add rhyming words to these lines, “I must go down to the sea again, to the lonely sea and ______, and all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her ______”. / Can recite a nursery rhyme. / Can make a statement that is exaggerated and can tell what this figure of speech is called. / Writes poetry and will share with you something he/she has written or tell you about one poem that he/she wrote. / Likes poetry and will tell you why he/she likes it.
Can provide five words that describe the ocean, a river, or a brook. / Are there lines from poetry that you like to say to yourself or other people? What about lines you used to say to anyone, at some point in your life? Why those lines, and in what context do you like to say them? Tell. / Knows several different poetic forms and can name four of them. / Has remembered a poem and will recite it off by heart. / Knows interesting biographical information about a poet and will share three pieces of information with you.
Can list five words that illustrate the feel/texture of sandpaper or cotton candy or the asphalt on the highway. / Knows a famous children’s poet and can tell you the name of one of this poet’s works. / Can recall a time when poetry was useful–either to say or give to someone and will tell what the situation was and what the poem was. / Can sing and perform the actions to “YMCA” / Can think of a poem that he/she read which paints a picture in his/her head and will describe to you the scene that he/she visualizes when remembering the poem.
Poetry Warm-up: Naturally Alive How many initials can you get in just 10–15 minutes

General Curriculum Outcome # 9

Grade 4—Students will be expected to create texts collaboratively and independently, using a wide variety of forms for a range of audiences and purposes.(The Atlantic Canada English Language Arts Curriculum, Grades 4—6, p. 50).

Specific Curriculum Outcome:

Create written and media texts, collaboratively and independently, in different modes (expressive, transactional, and poetic) and in a variety of forms

Recognize that particular forms require the use of specific features, structures, and patterns

General Curriculum Outcome #8:

Grade 7—Students will be expected to use writing and other ways of representing to explore, clarify, and reflect on their thoughts, feelings, experiences, and learnings; and to use their imaginations. (The Atlantic Canada English Language Arts Curriculum, Grades 7—9, p. 78).

Specific Curriculum Outcome:

experiment with a range of strategies ( brainstorming, freewriting ) to extend and explore learning, to reflect on their own ideas and others’ ideas, and to identify problems and consider solution

Freewrite

Freewriting is to generate ideas:

write down everything that comes to your mind
feelings, opinions, information, connections
writing is continuous and non-stop
no editing, analyzing, correcting
ignore spelling, grammar, punctuation

Freewriting

The best way to improve writing.
Automatic writing, babbling, jabbering non-editing, don't stop.

Freewriting is inferior to careful writing but good "bits" of freewriting are better than anything you have created.
Think of digressions as paths to explore.
Start writing as a way to grow.
Start before you know your meaning at all; only after

you start will you know

“Freewriting, according to Elbow, is a terrific way to get things onto the page that you never knew you had in you: "Never stop ... to wonder what word or thought to use, or to think about what you are doing." Only after you have finished writing should you contemplate editing. And though much of what you produce when freewriting will be real garbage, Elbow promises that the best parts will be far better than anything you could have written otherwise. "You will use up more paper," he warns, "but chew up fewer pencils."from Peter Elbow “Writing Without Teachers” (1998).

Finding a MEMORY

This learning activity involves a period of 10 to 15 minutes.

Recall a time in the past – a happy, pleasant time, a sad, interesting or exciting experience that you have had.

“I remember when I was …”

“When I was…”

“It was the time when …”

Write about a special memory …

an event or a series of events
a special person
a special place
a childhood friend
a special vacation
an experience
…

“Many of my poems begin with a feeling, some deep urge. Sometimes it’s so strong I actually feel something me move. It can happen any time; it happens about ideas, memories, things I see every day. Often I start with an image, a picture in my mind. I use this as a resource to guide me in the making of the rest of the poem.”

(From the Good of the Earth and Sun, Georgia Heard, p. 10)

How to freewrite

The key to freewriting is to not think in your head. Do not think before you start - just pick up a pen and write... write on the topic if you can, and if you can't, just write anything and try to get there eventually. Write full, flowing sentences (freewriting looks like paragraphs, not like a list.) When you freewrite you do not need to worry about correct punctuation, grammar or spelling. The point of this kind of writing is flow, not correctness.

Writing from the Freewrite

Look back at your Freewrite

find three words that “speak to you” and circle them
find a sentence that you really like, underline it
find a paragraph or section that surprises you—a series of thoughts or ideas that asks for greater expansion, put brackets around this section [ ]
read over your Freewrite—look for the sentence the heartbeat, the pulse of what you wanted to say, put a heart beside it
write a free verse poem that focusses upon this thought or idea

Memories and more …

Memories and matters related to identity encourage rich, authentic writing. Halifax writer and spoken word performer Shauntay Grant’s picture book Up Home shows how a list of personal memories can be transformed into a celebration of family, community, and culture. (Shauntay Grant reads Up Home on

Line-breaks—How, Where and Why

It is the line and where it is broken that helps make the music and rhythm of a poem. Generally, the longer the line, the more like natural speech it will sound.

A line-break exercise— divide the following sentence in three different ways.

Make slash marks with your pencil to indicate the line-breaks. /

She loved the sound of the wind in the trees.

How does the meaning of the sentence change depending on where the lines are broken?

Which words are emphasized in each version?

Here's another line-break activity:

Read the poem "Red" below and listen to the rhythm of the words.

Where does your voice naturally pause?

Make slash marks with your pencil to indicate the line-breaks.

Try it two or three ways.

All day across the way on someone's sill a geranium glows red bright like a tiny faraway traffic light.

How does the meaning of the sentence change depending on where the lines are broken?

Which words are emphasized in each version?

Now look at the original.

RED

All day
across the way
on someone's sill
a geranium glows
red bright
like a
tiny
faraway
traffic light.

Why did Lillian Moore write the poem to look and sound like this?

Summer’s Sentiments

A summer day in the country childhood memories of pleasure,of pain. The freedom of space- green, yellow and vanilla fields, the open sky, blue, but not only blue. I saunter through the pasture of knee-high hay watching my step careful not to fall into the flats of ground, grazed grass, wandering past trees and streams all of Nature’s placements-the sun like the forked tongue of a serpent stinging, striking hard on naked skin. A body refreshed by the lick of man’s best friend – the dog bounded and bounced. I braced hard against the gesture of friendliness greeted but gasped and then the Fall a crushing crash against a wall of stone flesh and bone succumbing to the unyielding rock crack the broken body the hurt, the yell lost in summer’s space the pain retreat homeward a broken porcelain doll, teary-eyed and limp a shoulder snapped a sagging useless arm. I struggled home to uncaring words spit from the unknowing world of adults “Big boy don’t cry. Out and play. Don’t bother me now.” Outside the day unchanged the August sun soothing the afternoon’s hourglass sand slipping through the narrow channel performing pleasant hours. I stare at swaying daisies dancing in the sun and scream to the vast azure ceiling, “Why won’t they listen to me. Don’t they know that I am broken!” The pleasant pieces of the day overshadowed by the shattered fragments of bone and searing pain in a world that doesn’t hear.

Summer’s Sentiments

A summer day in the country

childhood memories of pleasure,

of pain.

The freedom of space- green, yellow and vanilla fields,

the open sky, blue, but not only blue.

I saunter through the pasture of

knee-high hay

watching my step

careful not to fall

into the flats of ground, grazed grass,

wandering past trees and streams

all of Nature’s placements-

the sun

like the forked tongue of a serpent

stinging, striking hard

on naked skin.

A body refreshed

by the lick

of man’s best friend –

the dog bounded and bounced.

I braced hard against the gesture of friendliness

greeted but gasped

and then —

the

Fall—

a crushing crash

against a wall of stone,

flesh and bone

succumbing

to the unyielding rock

crack,

the broken body

the hurt, the yell

lost in summer’s space,

the pain

retreat

homeward

a broken porcelain doll, teary-eyed

and limp

a shoulder snapped,

a sagging useless arm.

I struggled home

to uncaring words

spit from the unknowing

world of adults-

“Big boys don’t cry.

Out and play.

Don’t bother me now.”

Outside the day

unchanged –

the August sun

soothing the afternoon’s hourglass,

sand slipping through the narrow channel,

performing pleasant hours.

I stare at swaying daisies

dancing in the sun

and scream to the vast azure ceiling,

“Why won’t they listen to me?

Don’t they know that I am broken!”

The pleasant pieces of the day

overshadowed

by the shattered fragments

of bone and

searing

pain

in a world —

that doesn’t hear.

B.J.Wilson

Writing from the

The Doors of the HEART—

the HEART Door
the OBSERVATION Door
the CONCERNS ABOUT THE WORLD DOOR
the WONDER Door
the MEMORY Door

Mapping your Heart

Make a map of your Heart—Write down all of the important things that are in your HEART, all of the things that really matter to you. You can put: people and places about whom you care; moments and memories that have stayed with you; things that you love to do; anything that has stayed in your heart because you care a lot about it. Think about what might go into your HEART map—access feelings, memories, reflections, concerns, issues. What has affected/is affecting your heart? What people have been important to you? What are some of the experiences/central events that you will never forget? What sad/happy memories do you have? What small things/objects are important to you?

What are some of the events/issues/concerns

of the world that have happened/are

happening which have/are affecting you/have

affected you? Include all of these in you HEART map.

Poetry—Reading Strategically/Coding the Text

Identify reading and viewing strategies:

Making Connections

Questioning

Visualizing

Inferring

Determining Importance

Synthesizing Information

Once the strategies have been identified, create or learn text codes to help students to see and understand when, where, and how often these strategies are used.

– V (Visualizing) Connections:

– Q (Questioning) – T-S (Text to Self)

– P (Predicting) – T-T (Text to Text)

– R (Reminds me of) – T-W (Text to World)

– BK (Background Knowledge) – S (Synthesizing)

– PE (Prior Experience) – I (Inferring)

– C (Confusion)

Provide the students with accessible text.

Use Post-it notes to identify the strategy using the code from the above list and ask the students to write down “What you are thinking when you are reading this particular text.

Have students work in pairs or triads to discuss their codes and to explain their thinking.

Stage a Poetry Slam!

Arts & Humanities, Language Arts, Literature, Theatre

Brief Description

Students participate in a classroom or school-wide poetry slam.

Students

* select poems that lend themselves to being performed

* plan performances that follow established slam guidelines or rules

* practise their performances

* present their poetry reading in a videotaped slam performance

* use a rubric or scale to rate performances by their peers (optional)

Lesson Plan

Explain the concept of a poetry slam to students.

What Is a Poetry Slam? PoetrySlam.com

"Simply put, a poetry slam is the competitive art of performance poetry. It puts dual emphasis on writing and performance, encouraging poets to focus on what they're saying and how they're saying it.”

Often, in a poetry slam, the audience participates by judging each performance on a scale of 1 to 10. For more basic information about poetry slams, go to PoetrySlam's FAQ Page. There you will find the answers to such questions as What are the rules? and What can the audience do?

Tips for Your Poetry Slam

For the purposes of a classroom or school-wide activity, the rules of a poetry slam can be adapted in many ways, including the following:

* Students might perform poetry written by well-known poets, or they might perform poems they have written themselves.

* Student performances might be limited to two minutes in length.

* A ballot and rubric can be created so students can rate one another's performances, or the teacher might be the sole grader.

* Students might use props when they perform.

* Student performances can be videotaped in their classrooms; a panel of judges, including teachers and students, might review the videotapes to select the students who will perform in the school-wide event.

* The poetry slam might be open to any student who wishes to participate—or each class could hold a mini poetry slam and select three students to represent the class in the school-wide event.

* Performances might be rated on a scale of 1 to 10.

* One score might be given for each student's performance, or separate scores might be given for the student's content and presentation; the "content" grade could reflect the content of the poem if it is student-written or, if not, that score could reflect the research that went into finding the ideal poem to perform.

* If this is students' first experience with a poetry slam, it should first be introduced in class as a fun activity. That way, students will get a feel for the form.