In this program, students will have an opportunity to write various types of poetry based on the classroom's needs. This program can be adapted for different grade and skill levels. Examples of poetry writing exercises are as follows: (Sample exercises:) "Hairs" Begin by reading aloud a prose poem "Hairs" by Sandra Cisneros and after a short discussion on figurative language, students work together to find all the metaphors and similes in the poem. Using the first line in the piece as a writing prompt, students write their own prose poem starting with "Everybody in my family has different____________". "Jar of Emotions" and "Color Poems" Working with a jar full of emotion words such as "fear", "excitement", "disappointment"...students pick a word at random and complete a worksheet using all their senses answering questions such as "What color is this word?" and "What does it taste like?" Another option is offering paint card samples to the students from which to chose a color. Whether having chosen a color or emotion word, each student will then work to create an original poem based on their words and using all five senses while employing original imagery and unique language. "Ode Poems" Begin by reading ode poems by Kenneth Koth, "To Kidding Around" and "To Carelessness", an another one by Stephen Dobyns, "Grief". After brief discussion, students use their emotion word from the previous exercise to then write their own ode poem to their word considering tone and style After writing their poems, students work to present their work aloud to the class considering how to best communicate the emotion of their poems through their performance/reading.
