Third Quarter Poetry Assignment for 8th grade

Your poetry packet will contain 10 poems: six that your write yourself as well as your fourfavoriteswritten by others (with up to half of those being song lyrics if you feel the song lyrics qualify as poetry).

Each of the poems you write yourself (Section One) will center around one of “the enduring themes of life,” which may include (to name a few possibilities) birth, death, childhood, adolescence, faith, war, fear, rejection, salvation, joy, grief, honor, history, friendship, passion, compassion, power, beauty, romance, redemption, regret, striving, competition, accomplishment, humanity, slavery, freedom, fear, nature, dreams, patriotism, materialism, jealousy, envy, youth vs. experience, innocence vs. cynicism—the list could go on and on. The poems will be your ruminations on some of these themes.

Requirements for Section One: Poems Written by You (worth 60 points):

  1. Do not submit a poem that you wrote last year. You are not the same person you were last year. Challenge yourself; write new poems.
  2. Each poem needs a title.
  3. Please identify the thematic focus of each poem at top of page (for example: faith, regret, freedom, etc.)
  4. Each poem needs to have a minimum of 8 lines; at least two of your poems need to be 12 lines or longer; and at least one of your poems need to be 16 lines or longer. I provide a length requirement with some reluctance because quality is always moreimportant that quantity. Some great poems are very short and many terrible poems are very long (and vice versa). However, if I don’t provide a length requirement, some students will write nothing but short limericks or other gimmick poems.
  5. Use a mixture of literal and figurative language and include vivid concrete images and creative figures of speech.
  6. Use language carefully and concisely: every word should count.
  7. Remember the four cornerstones of effective poetry:
  1. Pleasant Sound (assonance, alliteration, rhyme, near rhyme, onomatopoeia, rhythm, etc.)
  2. Vivid Language (imagery, metaphors, similes, personification, etc.)
  3. Effective Form (there should be a reason why you structure your poem the way you do: remember, FORM MIRRORS CONTENT)
  4. Deep meaning (your poem should be meaningful and express interesting thoughts and sincere emotions)

(Turn over!)

Requirements for Section Two: Analyze Four Poems Written by Others (worth 40 points): In this section you will include copies of four of your favorite poems. (Note: Four separate authors must be represented, so if your favorite poems are all by the same author, you’ll need to expand your horizons and look for some new favorites!) All the writers that you choose must be poets whose work has been published. On a separate sheet after each of your favorites, please reflect on the poems you don’t write in this way:

  1. What is the “enduring theme of life” addressed in this poem?
  2. Finish each of these sentence beginnings with a 2-5 sentence reflection about the poem:
  1. This poem reminds me of … (write 2-5 sentences).
  2. This poem makes me think about … (write 2-5 sentences).
  3. If I could talk to the author, I would say … (write 2-5 sentences).
  1. Explain why you enjoy this poem.
  2. Explain what this poem means. Interpret it! This should be your longest section—at least one lengthy paragraph. Use textual evidence to support your ideas.
  3. What qualities and poetic techniques make this poem great? Refer to a few poetic techniques (choose from sound, language, and form techniques—choose the most pertinent ones) utilized by the author that increase your enjoyment of the poem.

Length requirement for your reflections on each poem: one-two pages typed.

Additional Requirements:

  1. You’re creating a book, so it needs a front and back cover (10 points), a title page (5 points), a table of contents (5 points), an About the Author page (10 points), and some type of attractive layout, format, illustrations, or artwork (10 points).

Total point value of your poetry notebook: 140 points

Due dates (subject to change):

Rough drafts of three of your poems are due ______.

Your reflections about two of your favorite poems (include a copy of the poem) are due ______.

Rough drafts of all six of your poems are due______.

Your reflections about all four of your chosen poems (include a copy of each poem) are due ______.

Your completed poetry notebook is due ______.