Third Quarter Poetry Assignment for 8Th Grade

Third Quarter Poetry Assignment for 8th grade

Your poetry packet will contain 10 poems: six that your write yourself as well as your four favorites written 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 three of your poems need to have a minimum of 12 lines. I provide a length requirement with some reluctance because quality is always more important 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:

a. Pleasant Sound (assonance, alliteration, rhyme, near rhyme, onomatopoeia, rhythm, etc.)

b. Vivid Language (imagery, metaphors, similes, personification, etc.) c. Effective Form (there should be a reason why you structure your poem the way you do: remember, FORM MIRRORS CONTENT)

d. 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 analyze four poems (see list on the following page). Reflect on the four poems you choose 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:

a. This poem reminds me of … (write 2-5 sentences).

b. This poem makes me think about … (write 2-5 sentences).

c. If I could talk to the author, I would say … (write 2-5 sentences).

3. 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.

4. 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. This should be your second longest section—provide adequate textual details!

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 (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: 130 points

Due dates (subject to change):

Rough drafts of three of your poems are due ______. Your reflections on two poems from the book are due ______.

Rough drafts of all six of your poems are due ______.

Your reflections on two online poems are due ______.

Your completed poetry notebook is due ______.

Poems from the Text That We’ll Read in Class

Assignment: In your journal, write reflections about the poems that we read in class. For each poem, include answers to the following questions: (a) what is the poem’s primary topic? (b) What is the poem’s theme? (In other words, what is the point about the topic that the author is conveying?) (c) List at least two poetic techniques used by the author and provide examples of these techniques. These may be language techniques (e.g., figurative language or imagery), sound techniques (e.g., assonance or alliteration) or form techniques (e.g., couplets, quatrains, or iambic pentameter). (d) What is your personal reaction to the poem? Do you like it? Does it “speak to you”? Why or why not? Your reflections for each poem listed below should be a minimum of half a page.

1. “My Parents” by Stephen Spender, p. 216. Journal Entry #1

2. “The New Colossus” by Emma Lazarus, p. 493. Entry #3

3. “Refugee in America” by Langston Hughes, p. 496.

4. “Introduction to Poetry” by Billy Collins, p. 622. Entry #2

5. “Paul Revere’s Ride” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, p. 629. Entry #4 6. “The Cremation of Sam McGee” by Robert W. Service, p. 637. Entry #5 (choose either one, two, or all three of the ballads to write about).

7. “The Dying Cowboy,” traditional, p. 643.

8. “Maiden-Savin Sam” by Jenny Ellison, p. 644.

9. “Casey at the Bat” by Ernest Lawrence Thayer, p. 650. Entry #6.

10. “O Captain! My Captain!” by Walt Whitman, p. 667.

Entry #7.

11. “I Hear America Singing” by Walt Whitman, p. 671. Entry #8

12. “I, Too” by Langston Hughes, p. 672. Entry #9 (Choose one or both poems to write about.)

13. “Legacy II” by Leroy V. Quintana, p. 682.

14. “The Naming of Cats,” p. 686. Entry #10.

Poems from the Text That We Won’t Read in Class (Choose Two to Analyze)

1. “In Response to Executive Order 9066: All Americans of Japanese Descent Must Report to Relocation Centers” by Dwight Okita, p. 475.

2. “My Mother Pieced Quilts” by Teresa Palomo Acosta, p. 563.

3. “Valentine for Ernest Mann” by Naomi Shihab Nye, p. 625.

4. “Ode to Thanks” by Pablo Neruda, p. 658.

5. “On the Grasshopper and the Cricket” by John Keats, p. 663.

6. “Grandma Ling” by Amy Ling, p. 679. 7. “Oranges” by Gary Soto, p. 696.

Poems You Can Find Online (Choose Two to Analyze)

1. “The Thief” by Sheryl Luna

2. “Streets in Shanghai” by Tomas Transtromer

3. “Special Problems in Vocabulary” by Tony Hoagland

4. “1 January 1965” by Joseph Brodsky

5. “The Wicked One Goes to the Makeup Counter” by Janet McNally

6. “Dangerous Electric” by Janet McNally

7. “Bleeding Heart” by Carmen Gimenez Smith