POETRY BOOK REQUIREMENTS

TYPES OF POEM

• I Can’t Write a Poem

• Acrostic

• Haiku

• Exaggeration

• Cinquain

• Clerihew

• Free Verse

• Tanka

• Concrete

• Quatern

• Rictameter

• Limerick

• Magazine (EC)

EACH POEM MUST:

• Have a title that is in “quotation marks.”

• Be labeled as to what format type it is. (clerihew, etc.)

• Have a visual illustration that relates to the meaning of the poem.

POETRY BOOK FORMATTING REQUIREMENTS

• Cover Page: Includes an interesting title, the author’s name, and a visual

• Table of Contents: Includes the names of each poem (in “”) and the page number it is found on.

• Each page needs to be numbered.

• Each page should average a minimum of two poems per page. Mix it up… buttercup.

“I CAN’T WRITE A POEM”

Create a list of excuses/reasons/etc. why you can’t write or don’t want to write a poem. This is a great way to let the creative juices start flowing!

Example:

“I Can't Write a Poem Forget it” -Bruce Lansky

You must be kidding.I'm still half asleep. My eyes keep closing.My brain isn't working.I don't have a pencil.I don't have any paper.My desk is wobbly.I don't know what to write about.And besides, I don't even know how to write a poem.I've got a headache. I need to see the nurse.Time's up? Uh oh!All I have is a dumb list of excuses.You like it? Really? No kidding.Thanks a lot. Would you like to see another one?

ACROSTIC

• Formed by writing a phrase (three of more words) vertically down the page

• One letter per line / All capital letters

• Each line of poetry must begin with the letter on that line and must pertain to the word

• Must use more than three words per line

• Does not have to rhyme

• Use adjectives and phrases that describe the word

ACROSTIC EXAMPLE

HAIKU

• Originated in Japan

• An experience with nature

• Three lines

• Unrhymed

• Seventeen syllables • Line 1 – five (5) syllables• Line 2 – seven (7) syllables• Line 3 – five (5) syllables

HAIKU EXAMPLE

Snowflakes falling downIn a whirl of dancing gleeCold ballerinas

Drifting overheadMaking shadows on the groundThe clouds swiftly fly.

EXAGGERATION

Do you know someone who ALWAYS has to “one-up” you? Do any of your friends constantly stretch the truth to look better than they actually are? Well, in this poem the person who can exaggerate the best wins!

• Five or more lines

• About a person, place, or thing

• Exaggeration is the key!

EXAGGERATION EXAMPLE

“My Mom Is Better Than Your Mom”- Bruce Lansky

My mom is better than your mom.The oatmeal she makes is so good for me I could bench press 100 pounds when I was five.She says "Have a bright day," as I walk out the door, ready to get straight A’s in school.She makes spinach and Brussels sprouts so delicious I always ask for seconds.People are always telling her, "You’re so beautiful, you should be a model." But she always responds, "It’s not your outer beauty but your inner beauty that counts most."She never nags me to do my homework. Instead, she asks "How are you doing with your homework? Need some help?" I never do. I want her to be proud of me.And when she puts me to bed at night, she tucks me, gives me a kiss,and I’m asleep—just like that.My mom is nicer than your mom.

CINQUAIN

• *1st line - 2 syllables - announce the topic

• *2nd line - 4 syllables - describe the topic

• *3rd line - 6 syllables - express action

• *4th line - 8 syllables - express feeling or describe the subject

• *5th line - synonym of 1st line - 2 syllables - renames the topic

CINQUAIN EXAMPLES

SnowmanChubby, cheerfulWaiting, grinning, winkingIcy weather keeps him smilingFrosty

Friendship UnderstandingTalking, caring, sharingTaking and giving all at onceBest pals

CLERIHEW

They are four lines long.

• The first and second lines rhyme with each other, and the third and fourth lines rhyme with each other.

• The first line names a person, and the second line ends with something that rhymes with the name of the person.

• A clerihew should be funny.

CLERIHEW EXAMPLE

The enemy of Harry Potter Was a scheming plotter. I can't tell you what he's called; I'd be ashamed To name "he who must not be named.”

Our art teacher, Mrs. Shaw, Really knows how to draw. But her awful paintings Have caused many faintings.

FREE VERSE

• More than five lines

• No real rhyme scheme

• Can be about anything

• Have fun!

FREE VERSE EXAMPLE

“Fog”- Carl Sandburg

The fog comeson little cat feet.

It sits lookingover harbor and cityon silent haunchesand then moves on.

TANKA

A Tanka consists of 5 lines.

• First line: 5

• Second line: 7

• Third line: 5

• Fourth line: 7

• Fifth line: 5

The lines do NOT repeat!

TANKA EXAMPLES

The leaves change colorWhen the fall winds start to blow,Yellow, orange and brownAre the colors of fall leaves,Slowly falling from the trees.

Beautiful mountainsRivers with cold, cold water.White cold snow on rocksTrees over the place with frostWhite sparkly snow everywhere.

CONCRETE

• Incorporates poetically pleasing words with a strong visual component

• Words form the shape of the subject and poem

• You may draw the shape of the subject of the poem and write your words around the outline of the shape

• Words do not have to rhyme

• Tells the reader about the subject using as many interesting words as possible

• Uses action words, feeling words, and describing words

• Try to use words that touch on all five senses

CONCRETE EXAMPLE

“Triangle”I

ama veryspecialshape I havethree points andthree lines straight.Look through my wordsand you will see, the shapethat I am meant to be. I'm justnot words caught in a tangle. Lookclose to see a small triangle. My anglesadd to one hundred and eighty degrees, youlearn this at school with your abc's. Practice yourmaths and you will see, some other fine examples of me.

QUATERN

• Four sets of four stanzas.

• A stanza has four lines.

• Each line has eight syllables.

• The first line repeats throughout.

• Line One is repeated in Line Six, Line Eleven, and Line Sixteen.

QUATERN EXAMPLE

“Message In A Bottle”

The tide carried the note to shoreSecret words from a time beforeIn a bottle sent long agoFor a love she did not yet know

With the sun reaching the sea floorThe tide carried the note to shoreGlass glinting in the rays of sunNote inside meant for a loved one

Glistening he saw from the beachBut the bottle still out of reachThe tide carried the note to shoreHe did know what the contents bore

Heart pounding he raced to the sea‘My love, I still remember thee’Secret words to be read once moreThe tide carried the note to shore.

RICTAMETER

A rictameter is a nine line poem. The 1st and last lines are the same with syllable count as follows:line 1-2 syllables

      2-4 syllables

      3-6 syllables

      4-8 syllables

      5-l0 syllables

      6-8 syllables

      7-6 syllables

      8-4 syllables

      9-2 syllables     (first and last lines are identical)

RICTAMETER EXAMPLE

Come back

I'm calling you

I know you can hear me

It's so painful to be ignored

One day you'll call and no-one will listen

Then you will know what it is like

Why don't you answer me

I need your help

Come back

LIMERICK

THE RULES OF LIMERICKS• They are five lines long.• Lines 1, 2, and 5 rhyme. (8 Syllables) • Lines 3 and 4 rhyme with each other. (6

Syllables) • They have a distinctive rhythm (Syllable Count)• They are usually funny.• They are usually about a person.

LIMERICK EXAMPLE

There once was a man from Peru

Whose wife loved to make a beef stew

But once, by pure mistake

In the stove she did bake

That stinky old man of Peru

MAGAZINE/ FOUND POEM

Inventive poetry that uses words/phrases/etc. from print (magazines, newspaper, etc.) to create at least a five line poem!

Steps:

1-Scan the written material for catchy words and phrases.

2-Cut them out.

3- Arrange these words and phrases to make your poem.

WORKS CITED

Lanskey, Bruce. “Poetry Teachers.Com.” Meadowbrook Press. Meadowbrook Press. 2004. Web. 13 October 2010.

Sloan, Luann. “Poetry Project.” Manassas Public Schools. Manassas Web Master. 15 June 2000. Web. 10 October 2010.