1. My Poems!
Powerpoint by Mr. Manley
Poem Templates by Keith Polette

2. My Poems!
Today, we are going to start a ten day
poetry unit. In this unit, you will read at
least one poem a day and write a poem a
day.
You will create a burrito book today and
begin writing poems.

3. How am I graded?
You will write a total of eight poems. Each poem
is worth ten points. Here’s what I want:





Poem follows the template.
Poem uses poetic elements and figurative language.
Poem is free of errors in spelling, grammar, and
mechanics.
Illustrated
Presented neatly

4. Build a burrito book

5. Concrete Poems
Make a prediction – what do you think a
concrete poem is?
A concrete poem is a poem in which the words take the
shape of the subject. Let’s look at some!

6. “l(a” by e.e. cummings
l(a
le
af
fa
ll
s)
one
l
iness

9. Two More
A
Fir
tree
makes
a great
Christmas
t
r
e
e
Arrow
t
h
e
I always hit
m
a
r
k

10. How do I do it?
1) Use your burrito books to write your final
draft. You may use your journal first to get
your ideas out.
2) List some details about a shape.
3) Write a very short poem, no more than four
lines about that shape.
4) Rearrange the words so that they fit in the
shape of the object you are writing about.

11. Example
Music





Moving
Melodious
Magical
Melancholy
My favorite
Use at least one poetic element:
Alliteration
Onomatopoeia
Rhyme
Simile
Metaphor

12. Diamante
What do you think a diamante is?
A diamante is a poem in the shape of a
diamond that uses specific parts of
speech. The words progress from short
lines to long lines and back to short lines.

13. Diamante Pattern
Noun
Adjective noun
Three describing words (-ing words, present participles)
Four describing words (-ed words, past participles if possible)
Three present tense verbs
Noun (synonym for the first noun)

14. Example 1
Rapunzel
morose maiden
looking longing languishing
disgusted disgruntled dejected demoted
waits wishes and wants
Daughter

15. Example 2
Wolf
corybantic canine
bullying blustering bellowing
determined destructive devious dangerous
hunts haunts and hungers
Carnivore

16. Example 3
Kenny
nervous naïve
reading regretting running away
bashful battered bruised
loves and laughs
Brother

17. Diamante Pattern- Follow the
pattern
Noun
Adjective noun
Three describing words (-ing words, present participles)
Four describing words (-ed words, past participles if possible)
Three present tense verbs
Noun (synonym for the first noun)
Try to use ALLITERATION in your poem to bring it to life.

18. Cinquain
What do you think a cinquain is?
A cinquain is a five line poem. The word
for five in French is cinq!

19. Wish upon a poem
We have all wished we were something
else, real or make believe. For your
cinquain, you will write about a wish.
Line 1: “I wish I were”
Line 2: who you would like to be
Line 3: Where you would like to be (prepositional phrase)
Line 4: What you would like to be doing using an –ing word
Line 5: How would you be doing it

20. “Cinderella”
I wish I were
A princess
At a royal ball
Dancing a waltz
Gliding and spinning perfectly.

21. “Ogre”
I wish I were
An opera singer
On opening night
Singing on the stage
Each note pitched perfectly

22. Big Bad Wolf
I wish I were
A race car driver
At the Indy 500
Revving my engine, peeling out, winning first
place
In my car named the pork-mobile.

23. “Mr. Manley”
I wish I were
A photographer
Deep in the darkened jungle
Peering through the vines, snapping my
shutter
At a Bird of Paradise

24. “Sunday Morning” poem
Something surprising happens in the novel
on a Sunday morning. Write a poem that
begins “On a Sunday Morning.”
5 couplets long
What do you think a couplet is?

25. Example
One minute after midnight
black is the dominant color.
One minute after midnight
spiders spin webs of dreams.
One minute after midnight
owls hoot and haunt thick forests.
One minute after midnight
stars begin to people-gaze.
One minute after midnight
words dance in books while authors sleep.

26. Example – using SENSORY
IMAGERY
One minute after midnight,
a fly buzzes in a frosted window.
One minute after midnight,
floorboards creak – who’s there?
One minute after midnight,
grandfather clocks tick-tock like metronomes.
One minute after midnight,
grandma snores and shakes the cottage.
One minute after midnight,
I am still awake.

27. Example – Using RHYME
One minute after midnight,
the moon is shining bright.
One minute after midnight,
we just turned out the light.
One minute after midnight,
my dreams are soaring kites.
One minute after midnight,
owls hoot and coyotes howl.
One minute after midnight,
the morning is closer now.

28. Adverb Poem
Adverbs are often overlooked by many
writers when they first put pen to paper.
Here’s a pattern poem that invites you to
use adverbs to write about a favorite
character, person, or job.

29. Adverb Poem Pattern
Adverb
Adverb
Adverb
Article + Noun
Verb
Noun+prepositional phrase

30. “The Weaver”
Humbly,
Wretchedly,
Desperately,
The weaver
Pleads
To the greedy king.

31. “Snow White”
Silently,
Serenely,
Somnolently,
The maiden
Sleeps
For years and years.

32. “The Fisherman”
Patiently,
Placidly,
Peacefully,
The fisherman
Plunks
A worm into the fishin’ hole.

33. Write Two
Prewriting: For the adverb poem, pick two
people. Write their names in your journal.
Under their names, write one verb that you
associate with the character. Then, write 3
adverbs to go with it. After that, the poem
is a piece of cake.

34. Prewriting
Coraline
Journey
Inquisitively
Inexplicably
Insightfully
Novelist
• Writes
• Methodically
• Magically
• Mysteriously

35. “The Novelist”
Methodically,
Mysteriously,
Magically,
The novelist
Weaves a tapestry of words.

36. “Coraline”
Inquisitively,
Insightfully,
Inexplicably,
Coraline
Journeys
Into another dimension.

37. Txt Msg Poem
Write a poem in the form of a TXT MSG
from one character to another. Use as few
letters as possible and use numbers in place
of words. Spelling doesn’t count (just this
one time:)
MUST CONTAIN FIGURATIVE
LANGUAGE (Simile, Metaphor,
Personification)

38. Ex:
From: red riding hood
To: 3 pigs
Just met a wolf 2dayLots o T-th, 2 many 2 countHope yr build’n strong housesB alert! Hungry as a shark
Heading yo way :/

39. Ex:
From: wolf
To: 3 pigs
Saw yr 1st 2 housesIs that the best u can do?
Just 8 but still hungryLungs ready 4 work!
C u 2morrow >=)

40. Ex:
From: Other Mother
To: Coraline
Got 2 buttonsShiny, ready 4 UNeedles sharp as scalpelsLv da cat at homeHe b vermin. >=(

41. Ex:
From: Coraline
To: Other Mother
Yo Othr MthrLet’s play a gameSouls r hidden in yr houseBut I no where!!
I B COMIN’ 4 U. ;)

42. Syllable Poem
For this poem, each line has a specific number of
syllables. The idea is to choose words that are
precise in their syllabic count and their ability to
communicate your ideas.
Pattern:
1 syllable
2 syl.
3 syl.
4 syl.
5 syl.

43. Examples
Bats!
Dark flockTogether
In the night sky.
Twist, flutter, and fly!
Frog
Green prince
With two
Webbed back feet.
He longs for lips
And a magic kiss.

44. Examples
Troll
Fuming
WrathfullyWishing that goats
Had never been born.

45. Persuasive Letter Poem
Prewriting: Think of a few characters from
books or stories you have read. Think of
the problems these characters have to
overcome. Choose one character and a
problem the character has.
EX: Harry Potter wants to get past Cerberus,
the three-headed dog.

46. Prewriting, Part 2.
List 5-10 people to whom this character could write
for help.
EX: a close friend, another wizard, a dog catcher.
Circle one person, then think of ways your main
character might persuade this person to come and
help solve the problem. List 5-10 reasons.

47. Drafting
State the problem followed by reasons 1, 2,
and 3 that would persuade the recipient to
help the main character. End with a
concluding sentence, one that wraps up or
restates the idea in the first sentence.

48. Example
(from HP to Sideshow Sam)
Dear Sideshow Sam,
I need your help.
I need to get past
A three-headed dog.
I thought you could
Help me because
You are good with dogs.
I read in the paper that
Your two-tailed dog ran away
From your sideshow.

49. Continued…
If
You can help me,
You can have the three-headed dog here.
I know a three-headed dog will attract
More people to your show.
I know you will make more
Money
With a three-headed dog
And become famous! Please help
All barked out,
Harry Potter

50. Revise – change weak nouns and verbs and add
powerful phrases/clauses
Dear Sideshow Sam,
I read in Bark n’ Bite magazine
That your two-tailed dog escaped from your
sideshow.
I’m sorry for your bad dog luck, but I may
Be able to help. How would you
Like a three-headed dog? I know where you
Can get your mitts on one!

51. Continued…
Such a beast is barring me from exploring
The belly of Hogwarts School.
If you capture the beast,
You’ll be barkin’ happy!
First, if you had a three-headed dog,
You’d have the most popular
Attraction at your carnival. People would be
Frothing at the mouth just to get a gander at such
a creature.

52. Continued…
Second, imagine
The money you’d be able to make!
After only three years of displaying the
Three-headed beast, you’d be able to make
enough money to retire and live a yaphappy life.
Fame would be a bone you could chew on for
years and years!

53. Finishing up…
What are you waiting for? The sooner you
Collect the fiendish hound that blocks me,
The sooner you’ll start living in dog heaven!
Sincerely,
Harry Potter

54. Assessment
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
The poem is persuasive.
The poem has a claim and three reasons.
The poem contains concrete, specific
language.
Phrases and clauses are used effectively.
Transition words are used effectively.
Ideas and images in the poem fit together.
GUM errors have been avoided.

55. Set up this chart on your ticket:
Strong
Verbs
Vivid
Adjectives
Poetic
Devices
Rhyme
Scheme

56. As you read “The Eagle,” fill out
your chart.
“The Eagle” by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
He clasps the crag with crooked hands;
Close to the sun in lonely lands,
Ringed with the azure world, he stands.
The wrinkled sea beneath him crawls,
He watches from his mountain walls,
And like a thunderbolt he falls.

57. Pre-writing: Imitation Poem
Pick an animal that you know many facts
about. List what you know about its:
1. Habitat
2. Diet
3. Attributes
4. Enemies
5. Actions
6. Life span

58. Write two stanzas like
Tennyson’s
Stanza 1: Tell what the animal is doing and
where it is.
Stanza 2: Describe some aspect of the
animal’s world and tell what the animal
does.
Challenge! Follow the AAA BBB rhyme
scheme.

59. “The Argument of His Book”
Create this chart on your new ticket:
Unknown
Words
Concrete
Nouns
Alliteration
Rhyme
Scheme

60. “The Argument of His Book”
I sing of brooks, of blossoms, birds, and bowers,
Of April, May, of June, and July flowers.
I sing of Maypoles, hock cars, wassails, wakes,
Of bridegrooms, bridges, and of their bridal cakes.
I write of youth, of love, and have access
By these to sing of cleanly wantonness.
I sing of dews, of rains, and piece by piece
Of balm, of oil, of spice, and ambergris.
I sing of times trans-shifting, and I write
How roses first came red and lilies white…

61. Imitate
Prewriting: Make a list of all the things you
could “sing about” or celebrate.
Rough Draft: Write a one-stanza poem (8-10
lines) that imitates his style. Begin each
line with “I sing of,” “I celebrate,” or “I
write of.”
End with “I sing of these things and one day
hope to have them all.”

62. “The Argument
of Mr. Manley’s Song”
I sing of newly-wedded bliss,
I sing of my maiden’s tender kiss.
I sing of bright and colorful tunes,
I sing of fast-approaching June.
I sing of learning, knowledge, mirth,
I sing of love and its natural worth.
I sing of mountains, looming tall,
I sing of these things and one day hope to have them
all.

63. “The Argument of My Song”
I sing of the bubblegum I chew.
I sing of summer vacations away from school.
I sing of new tennis shoes on my feet.
I sing of tadpoles becoming frogs.
I sing of cats in cardboard boxes.
I sing of roller-coaster rides.
I sing of polar bears in the snow.
I sing of whales swimming in the ocean.
I sing of these things and one day hope to have them
all.