Values in Verse: Poetry Project

Values in Verse: Poetry Project In your research, you will need to answer the following essential question: How does a poet communicate values? This is an essential question because your research will not be complete until you have answered the question.

Procedure 1. Select a poet from the web site Poets' Corner: http://www.theotherpages.org/poems/SubjIdx/life.html (This link will direct you to the Subject Index of this website.) Select a subject that interests you. There will be a brief description of various poems. Click on these links until you find a poem that appeals to you. Notice that each web page contains the work of a single poet. Keep reading until you have selected two poems by the same poet. 2. Find a general biography of the poet and read it. You must search the following places: o Gale series (book) including Poetry for Students o the Internet (ex: "William Blake" AND biography) o OPAC (for books on individual poets -- especially those who died before the invention of the Internet!) You may also search the following places: o Mrs. Murphy's Literature Links (http://oneonta.k12.ny.us/hs/murphy/lit.htm) o Mrs. Murphy's On-Line texts (http://oneonta.k12.ny.us/hs/murphy/olt.htm) o April is National Poetry Month : their web site: http://www.poets.org o Library books: o Critical Survey of Poetry (Authors) o Current Biography 1940 – o Dictionary of American Biography o Encyclopedia of World Biography o Scribner's Encyclopedia of American Lives o Scribner's Writers Series (CD-ROM OHS Library) o World's Best Poetry (CD-ROM OHS Library) o encyclopedia (both print and multimedia) o an electronic database: ProQuest is best (get the password from Mrs. Dalton for use at home) 4. Using the above information, formulate a research strategy to focus your investigation. o gather data o examine results o search for patterns and "holes" o synthesize data o examine data for relevancy and specificity

srmurphy 5. Formulate an answer to your essential question. Your answer must include references to the lines of poetry. Begin to outline your findings. You may use a traditional outline or a web. Examine the rubric to gauge your progress. 6. Final Report: you will transmit the information you discovered to the class in a rehearsed oral presentation of about 2 - 5 minutes in length. You must refer to the lines of the poems in your presentation. Create a visual aid that will help your audience understand the answer to your question: a pamphlet, a poster, Inspiration handout, Power Point presentation, a web page, etc. Follow the Basic Communications Model. 7. Bibliography: o Bibliography formats compiled by Mrs. Dalton: http://oneonta.k12.ny.us/hs/Stylesheet.htm o EasyBib: interactive bibliography builder http://www.easybib.com/ o Citation Machine: interactive bibliography builder http://landmark- project.com/ (scroll down and click on Citation Machine) 8. Hand in: o visual aid o bibliography

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