Music is Poetry; Poetry is Music - Blog Post #1

Poetry is all around us! Whether it's a nursery rhyme we learned, a children's book we read when we were young, or a few beautiful lines spoken by our favorite character in a movie or TV show (hello, Grey's Anatomy!), we encounter poetry on a daily basis. Perhaps one of the most frequent run-ins with poetry we experience is listening to music. For this assignment, think of a song whose lyrics really made you feel something. Copy the lyrics down as a comment and identify the sound devices used by the artist in the song. This can be done by either writing out the song lyrics and the devices you identify, or by creating a Google Doc using various colors, underlining, etc. with a key and linking the Doc in your comment. Below is my example.

REQUIREMENTS
1) The song lyrics must be school appropriate
2) You must use at least two verses of the song
3) You must identify at least three sound devices
4) For one of the sound devices identified, write a sentence or two explaining how it adds to the meaning or mood of the song

Black Cats and Witches and Ghosts-- OH MY! Blog Post #2

Halloween is the best time of year to write poetry!! Is it the sound of screaming ghosts long dead, or just the wind howling outside your window? Is it a monster making things go bump in the night, or just the creaking of your old pipes downstairs? What about the shadows stretching along the wall? Are those the gnarled fingers of a witch, or just the bare branches of a tree in the moonlight? When Halloween time comes creeping in, things are not always as they appear...*dun dun dun*
Poetry uses figurative language to create that same effect! You and your group will work collaboratively in class during a "circle write" to create your own spooky Halloween poem!
Listen to the instructions carefully when they are presented and be sure to meet all of the requirements listed below.

REQUIREMENTS:
1) Each person in the group must write at least two lines
2) The poem must include the setting or speaker/subject pulled from the envelope
3) The poem must include one example of the figurative language device pulled from the envelope

Miss Ertle's example: "Black Cat"

Twaiku Time! - Blog Post #3

Lyric poetry is one of the most common forms of poetry we see in today's world. Many of the songs we listen to on a daily basis are good examples of lyric poetry, as they express the thoughts and feelings of a single speaker and are often emotionally charged. One popular type of lyric poetry is the haiku. Written in formal verse, the haiku follows a fixed pattern of three lines in the 5-7-5 format. The first line contains 5 syllables, the second line contains 7 syllables, and the third line goes back to 5 syllables. Haikus are often reflective and contain messages about nature or human experience. We are going to write our own haikus-- but with a modern twist! Introducing the twaiku! This poetic form combines the syllabic pattern of the traditional haiku style with the 140 character limit on Twitter. Think of something you saw or experienced that impacted you in some way. Did you see something beautiful in nature? Did you witness an extraordinary act of kindness? Did your best friend move away? Did you adopt a pet? Lose one? Turn that experience into a twaiku. Remember, you can clap out the syllables to a word to make sure it fits the pattern.

REQUIREMENTS:
1) Follow the 5-7-5 pattern of a traditional haiku
2) Use 140 characters or less
3) Your poem must be reflective on either nature or an emotional experience

Below are my examples:

Un-Naming: Using the Five Senses - Blog Post #4

Imagery in writing is using language that appeals to the five senses:

1) sight
2) sound
3) taste
4) touch
5) smell



Writers use imagery to connect to their readers by helping us experience their writing through the senses. This allows us to imagine ourselves in the scene they are describing. In class, we wrote sentences describing a Hershey kiss without naming it or using the words chocolate and candy. Instead, we used imagery to describe the sight, sound, smell, feel, and taste of it. Now it's time to take those sentences and turn them into an "un-naming" poem!

REQUIREMENTS:
1) You can't use the words chocolate, candy, Hershey, or kiss
2) Your poem must use at least three of the five senses
3) It must look and sound like a poem, not sentences-- use poetic devices!!

Below is my example:

Free Write

It's always wonderful when a teacher can spark an interest in a student's mind-- It's the reason I chose this profession, because I care deeply about each and every one of you! A few of you have expressed an interest in writing poetry, and other genres, and have shared with me examples of your own beautiful writing done outside of class. Publishing our work is one of the best ways to express our views to the world around us-- and ultimately connect to each other through words! I have decided to create this post as a place where you can publish any outside writing you have done to share it with the world. Whether you enjoy poetry, short stories, or creating simple lines of writing, this is a space where you are able to express it. Feel free to post any of your literary creations here!