1. Super-Fabulous Poems YOU can write
6th Grade English Language Arts

2. Let’s Review: Figurative Language:
Words and phrases that add color to writing and are NOT to be taken literally!
Sensory Language:
Language that is meant to appeal to the senses.
It can be literal OR figurative!

3. Let’s Review: Poet: The term used for an author of poetry.
Stanza: Poem paragraph
Line of Poetry: Single line of words in a poem. DOES NOT need to be a complete sentence!

4. Let’s Review:
Rhyme - repetition of sounds at the ends of lines of poetry
Rhyme scheme – pattern of rhyme at the ends of lines in poetry (ABAB, ABBA, AABB, etc.)
Refrain: Phrase, line or stanza that is repeated after each stanza

5. “Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me Too” by Shel Silverstein
Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me too Went for a ride in a flying shoe. "Hooray!” "What fun!” "It's time we flew!" Said Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me too. Ickle was captain, and Pickle was crew And Tickle served coffee and mulligan stew As higher, and higher, and higher they flew, Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me too. Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me too, Over the sun and beyond the blue. "Hold on!” "Stay in!” "I hope we do!" Cried Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me too. Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle too Never returned to the world they knew, And nobody knows what‘s happened to Dear Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me too.
How many stanzas are there in this poem?
What is the rhyme scheme?
Is there a refrain?
What is it?

6. Free Verse No rhyme scheme No set line lengths No particular structure
Don’t follow the rules but are still considered an artistic expression

7. Free Verse I understand that people die I am artistic and helpful
I never say never
I dream about the future
I try to play soccer               
I hope to improve my learning skills
I am artistic and helpful
I am artistic and helpful
I wonder why people are polluting
I hear laughing all the time
I see soccer balls in the distance
I want to be heard
I pretend to go to outer space
I feel restless and worked up
I touch God
I worry about global warming
I cry for my hamsters

8. Free Verse
Mom made me a beautiful plum cake, Fragrant with spices and fruit And covered with sugar all sparkling as ice Rich and sweet, it called to me Promising to solve the world’s problems.

9. Write a Free verse On-Level and Pre-AP: Finish your “I Am” poem
Write a second, short free verse poem

10. Couplets The simplest rhymed pattern Two rhyming lines Often funny
Examples:
Papa’s what we call my dad,
Don’t go near him when he’s mad.
The teacher called the students in
Then wished she could escape the din.

11. Quatrains Four-line poems
Usually follow a set rhyme scheme (AABB, ABAB, ABBA, etc.)
May be grouped together in stanzas to form a long poem.

12. Quatrains
The rushing ocean waves Beat harshly on the sand. They roar and crash and foam As they break upon the land. Bumping at the windowpane He fought against the solid air That held him as a prisoner there, But all his struggles were in vain.
Upon this cake of ice is perched The paddle-footed Puffin; To find his double we have searched, But have discovered – Nuffin! - fjaklfjka Whose woods these are I think I know. His house is in the village though; He will not see me stopping here To watch his woods fill up with snow.

13. Now, you write: On Level: Two couplets, one quatrain
Pre-AP: Three couplets, two quatrains
Remember,
They can be about anything!
Try to make them silly or funny.

14. Haiku Invented in Japan
Often reflects on an aspect of nature, emotions or experiences
Composed of three short, unrhymed lines
Lines have:
5 syllables
7 syllables

15. Winter flurries are coming On my newly polished car....
Haiku
Gently drifting down
Winter flurries are coming
Tickling my cold face
~ 6th grade student
The rain falls softly
On my newly polished car....
Dang Texas weather!
~ Ms. Cox

16. Write a Haiku
1. Think of an object, an emotion, something in nature, or an experience you’ve had.
2. Put it three lines that have:
5 syllables
7 syllables
3. Now, write two more (four more for Pre-AP)

17. Acrostic Poem
The first letters of each line spell out a word or phrase (a name, an emotion, an object, etc.)
The first letter of each line is
capitalized and the poem runs
vertically down the page.
The lines don’t need to rhyme.

18. Acrostic Poem

19. Write an Acrostic
1. Decide what to write about. 2. Write your word down vertically. 3. Brainstorm words or phrases that describe your idea. 4. Place your brainstormed words or phrases on the lines that begin with the same letters. 5. Fill in the rest of the lines to create a poem.

20. Limerick A five-line “nonsense” poem written with:
2 lines that rhyme (couplet)
3 lines that rhyme (triplet)
Rhyme scheme is A, A, B, B, A
Lines 1, 2, and 5 rhyme
Lines 3 and 4 rhyme
Lines 1, 2 and 5 have around 8 syllables each
Lines 3 and 4 have around 5 syllables each

21. Limerick Wanda the witch on her broom It was quite a frightening night
The ghosts and the witches took flight
Children all hasty
Treats very tasty
A truly remarkable sight!
~ Ryan Poole
Wanda the witch on her broom
Swept through the town yelling, “ZOOM!”
Through a perchance of luck
Never heard the big truck
And she zoomed on her broom to her doom
~ Graeme King

22. Write a Limerick
A good way to start a limerick is by making the first line look something like this:
There once was a _________ named __________. Or
There once was a __________ from ___________.
Then, think of words that rhyme with the NAME or the PLACE that you wrote in the first line. You’re halfway done writing an awesome limerick!

23. Epitaph Writing on a tomb or headstone
Praising or reflecting on the life of a deceased person
Two to four lines; may be rhyming or not
Epitaphs can be funny, or they may be beautiful. But just like the people they memorialize, they are all unique and different!

24. While living men my tomb do view,
Epitaph
Here lies
ANN MANN
Who lived an old maid,
But died an old Mann.
~ Cemetery in London, England
While living men my tomb do view,
Remember well,
There’s room for you.
Here lies the body
Of Jonathan Blake
He stepped on the gas
Instead of the brake.
Cast a cold eye
On life, on death.
Horseman, pass by.
~ Headstone of W.B. Yeats

25. He was quick on the trigger
Epitaph
Here lies the body
Of Edward Hyde.
We laid him here
Because he died!
Here lays Butch.
We planted him raw.
He was quick on the trigger
But slow on the draw.
~ Boot Hill Cemetery
Tombstone, Arizona
I told you
I was sick.
~B.P. Roberts,

26. Write an Epitaph Think of a name (a made-up person… not real!)
Think of a way that person may have died
List some possible characteristics for that person
Think of some words that rhyme with their name, traits, or the way they died
Write a short poem about that person, their life, or the way they died
Be as funny, descriptive, or lovely as you like!

27. Poetry Imitation: The Red Wheelbarrow by William Carlos Williams

28. Poetry imitation So much depends upon a red wheel barrow
Through Poetry Imitation, we can use what we know about parts of speech, sensory language, and imagery to create an original poem.
When imitating a poem, you should strive to imitate the style of the writer as closely as possible.
Replace the adjectives in the poem with other adjectives, the nouns with other nouns, and the prepositions with other prepositions.
So much depends
upon
a red wheel
barrow
glazed with rain
water
beside the white
chickens
So much depends
upon
a green book
shelf
packed with good
stories
in the bustling
classroom

29. NOW: Create your own poetry imitation
So much depends
upon
a red wheel
barrow
glazed with rain
water
beside the white
chickens
So much depends
upon
______ _______ _______
_________
______ _______ ________
the noun
description
of the noun
(adjectival phrase)
Where it is (prepositional phrase)

30. Diamante Poem Unrhymed seven-line poem Written in a diamond shape
Has a specific set of rules:
Line 1 and 7 have one word (noun)
Line 2 and 6 have two words (adjectives)
Line 3 and 5 have three words (all verbs)
Line 4 has four words (all nouns)

31. Diamante Poem
Monsters Evil, Spooky Howling, Shrieking, Wailing Ghosts, Vampires, Goblins, Witches Flying, Scaring, Terrifying Creepy, Crawly Creatures
Cat Gentle, Sleepy Purring, Meowing, Scratching Whiskers, Fur, Collar, Leash Barking, Licking, Digging Slobbery, Playful Dog

32. Write a Diamante Poem
Pick a thing you’d like to write about (lines 1 & 7 are nouns).
Do you want to write a synonym or antonym diamante? For a synonym diamante, pick another noun that means the same as your subject. For an antonym diamante, pick another noun that means the opposite of your subject.
Make two columns and put your nouns at the top of each. Under each noun, list all the words you can think of that remind you of that word.
Follow the rules to arrange your diamante. The top half of the diamante should be words from the first column, and the bottom half should be words from the second column.

33. Diamante and Parts of Speech
Sun Fiery, Yellow Burning, Blinding, Exploding Flame, Light, Night, Crescent Shining, Orbiting, Reflecting Cold, Silver Moon
noun adjective, adjective verb, verb, verb noun, noun, noun, noun verb, verb, verb adjective, adjective noun

34. Extra credit & pre-AP enrichment
“The Witch” Identify rhyme scheme, figurative language, poetic techniques, sensory language “This is Just to Say” Imitate this apology poem by following the formula on the slide. Think of something to apologize for (but for which you’re not really sorry!) Cinquain Poem Follow the rules to write a cinquain poem!

36. This Is Just To Say William Carlos Williams Apology Poem
I have _________
_______ ________
______ ____ ____
______ _______
________ ______
_____ _________
_______ ________ ________ ______ _______ ________
____ ____ __________
____ _______
_____ ____ _____
I have eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox
and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast
Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold
What you did
Why it affected someone else
Why you aren’t really sorry

37. Cinquain Poem Daughter Child of my heart Laughing, dancing, dreaming
Inspired by Japanese Haiku
A cinquain poem can be written in several formats
The original format is:
Line 1: two syllables
Line 2: four syllables
Line 3: six syllables
Line 4: eight syllables
Line 5: two syllables
Daughter
Child of my heart
Laughing, dancing, dreaming
With you, the angels smiled on me.
Sweetness.
~ Ms. Cox