Where I'm From Poem Due: 3/18 (B) 3/19 (A)

For the past several weeks we've been reading and discussing poetry. Now it's time to write one. The poem we are writing this week helps us each answer the question, "where am I from?" What we have discovered is that our childhood memories and experiences are what shape who we are today. Therefore, we are from much more than just the place where we live or were born. Our poems are inspired by the original poem by George Ella Lyon. The poems are due on 2/18 (B) and 3/19 (A). We will accept them the following class period for full credit if you need the weekend to finish it because you should also be studying for your poetry exam this week. You each received a copy of the rubric, but here are the requirements just in case.

WORD
CHOICE
· Rich, broad range of words are carefully chosen and thoughtfully placed for impact
· Accurate, strong , specific words that energize the writing
· Fresh, original expressions or ordinary words used in unusual ways
· Vocabulary is striking and varied, but natural and not overdone
· Words evoke strong images

LITERARY
DEVICES
Sensory details and figurative language contribute significantly to the meaning of the poem; The poem uses imagery (all five senses) and other literary devices: an extended metaphor that unites the entire poem, alliteration, individual similes or metaphors, dialect, personification, repetition, allusion, hyperbole, and/or irony.

STRUCTURE
The poem is inspired by the model poem. It follows the guidelines for poem length (20-30), number of stanzas (4-6), and appropriate line breaks.

FORMAT
The poem is formatted neatly (typed or legibly written in pen), single-spaced with an extra space between stanzas. Careful proofreading for spelling, typos, and mechanics is evident.

Prepare for your poetry test

Before FCAT week began, we were studying poetry. We've read close to fifteen poems and we've had lessons on all of the literary techniques listed on your four column notes. So, the final assessment on this unit is coming up. It will be broken up into two sections: short response and multiple choice. The short response section will be given on 3/18 (B) and 3/19 (A). The multiple choice section will be the following week: 3/22 (B) and 3/23 (A). Your four column notes will be collected on the second day because you may still need them to study. For more practice, the textbook has some excellent poetry that may help you on the exam. The poetry bulletin board has all of the poems we've read, so if you've been absent at all check it out. We'll also have an in class review for the exam on 3/12 (B) and 3/15 (A).

This is just one of many grades we have coming up this quarter. We will be writing a poem, we'll have a sourcebook and book card check, and we will have an assignment to jump start our feature article/research unit. So, it's going to be a busy second half of the quarter.