Friday, March 11, 2016

Poetry Madness: Championship Game!

Welcome to the championship game!!!

Reread the poems, Life Doesn't Frighten Me and The Falling Star.

Your response must be at least 3 sentences long and include the following:

  • Who should win the championship.
  • Why you connect to the poem.
  • What you like about the poet's craft.

If your response is not detailed and does not answer both parts, it will be disqualified. In addition, if there are multiple grammatical and spelling mistakes, your response will be disqualified.

It takes attention to detail and hard work to be a champion, so your blog post needs to reflect your best writing and thinking. May the best poem win!

Wednesday, March 9, 2016

Poetry Madness: Final Four, Game 2!

Welcome to the last game of the Final Four! 

You will need to read The Falling Star  and Do you carrot all for me?

Your response needs to be a paragraph with at least 3 sentences, but you do not need to summarize the meaning of the poems. Instead, your response should include the following information:

  • Which poem's meaning is more important to you?
  • What personal connection can you make?
  • Which poet's craft do you enjoy more? Poet's craft can include repetition, word choice, rhyme, simile/metaphor, etc.
 Make sure your answer is detailed and explains the three bullet points.

Tuesday, March 8, 2016

Poetry Madness: Final Four, Game 1!

Welcome to the Final Four! 

You will need to read Mother to Son  and Life Doesn't Frighten Me.

Your response needs to be a paragraph with at least 3 sentences, but you do not need to summarize the meaning of the poems. Instead, your response should include the following information:

  • Which poem's meaning is more important to you?
  • What personal connection can you make?
  • Which poet's craft do you enjoy more? Poet's craft can include repetition, word choice, rhyme, simile/metaphor, etc.
 Make sure your answer is detailed and explains the three bullet points.

Monday, March 7, 2016

Poetry Madness: Elite 8, Game 4!

Now that you have read through all of the poems and chosen a winner to advance to the Elite 8, the pressure has mounted. Read the winners of Game 6 and Game 8.

Choose your winner based on the following criteria:
  • Which poem's meaning is more important to you?
  • What personal connection can you make?
  • Which poet's craft do you enjoy more? Be sure to give examples.
    • Poet's craft can include: repetition, imagery, personification, rhyme, alliteration, couplets, onomatopoeia, simile/metaphor, etc

 Make sure your answer is detailed and explains the three bullet points.

Here is an example of proficient writing:

I chose Choosing Shoes because it is a fun poem. For example,I liked how they were choosing from all different kinds shoes. 

I also liked this poem because I can make a connection.It is hard for me to chose what shoes I like best.

Finally I really liked this poem because it has poet's craft. For example, it had four quatrains and the rhyme scheme for each is AAAB. In each quatrain, the author talks about a different kinds of shoes. This is why I liked Choosing Shoes as the winner.

Friday, March 4, 2016

Poetry Madness: Elite 8, Game 3!

Now that you have read through all of the poems and chosen a winner to advance to the Elite 8, the pressure has mounted. Read the winners of Game 5 and Game 7.

Choose your winner based on the following criteria:
  • Which poem's meaning is more important to you?
  • What personal connection can you make?
  • Which poet's craft do you enjoy more? Be sure to give examples.
    • Poet's craft can include: repetition, imagery, personification, rhyme, alliteration, couplets, onomatopoeia, simile/metaphor, quatrain, etc

 Make sure your answer is detailed and explains the three bullet points.

Here is an example of a  proficient comment:

I chose The Falling Star as my favorite poem because I thought it had a deeper meaning. For example, I liked how it was about a special moment and you should not waste it.

I also liked this poem because I can make a connection. I really enjoy watching beautiful stars too.


Finally, I really liked this poem because it had poet's craft. For example, it had a rhyme scheme AABBCC. Also, the author used couplets in the poem. For example, "I saw a star slide down the sky. Blinding the north as it went by." 


This is why I chose The Falling Star as my favorite poem.

Thursday, March 3, 2016

Poetry Madness: Elite 8, Game 2!

Now that you have read through all of the poems and chosen a winner to advance to the Elite 8, the pressure has mounted. Read the winners of Game 2 and Game 4.

Choose your winner based on the following criteria:
  • Which poem's meaning is more important to you?
  • What personal connection can you make?
  • Which poet's craft do you enjoy more? Be sure to give examples.
    • Poet's craft can include: repetition, imagery, personification, rhyme, alliteration, couplets, onomatopoeia, simile/metaphor, etc

 Make sure your answer is detailed and explains the three bullet points.

Here is an example of proficient writing:

Mother to Son is a more important poem because it has a deeper meaning. A mother is telling her son to never give up in life even when it gets hard. 
I can make a connection to Mother to Son because sometimes I want to give up, and my mom always comforts me.
I enjoy the repetition of the metaphor, “Life for me ain't been no crystal stair.”
I choose Mother to Son as the winner.

Wednesday, March 2, 2016

Poetry Madness: Elite 8, Game 1!

Now that you have read through all of the poems and chosen a winner to advance to the Elite 8, the pressure has mounted. Read the winners of Game 1 and Game 3.

In Round 2, you need to choose your winner based on the following criteria:
  • Which poem's meaning is more important to you?
  • What personal connection can you make?
  • Which poet's craft do you enjoy more? Be sure to give examples.
    • Poet's craft can include: repetition, imagery, personification, rhyme, alliteration, couplets, onomatopoeia, simile/metaphor, etc.
 Make sure your answer is detailed and explains the three bullet points.


Tuesday, March 1, 2016

Poetry Madness: Game 8!

Read Game 8 poems. Answer each question below. Remember to explain WHY you chose the winner based on poet's craft (rhyme, line breaks, punctuation, simile/metaphor, word choice, repetition) AND your personal connection to the meaning. Don't forget to write with M.I.N.T.S.!


Your post needs to include the following:

1. What is the meaning of the first poem? (Summarize in one sentence)

2. What is the meaning of the second poem? (Summarize in one sentence)

3. Based on the criteria, which poem did you choose and WHY? (Use examples writer's craft to support your answer!)


Here is an example of proficient writing:

The poem, Some One, is about someone who thought they heard knocking on their door, but it was just the sounds of the night.

The second poem, Life Doesn't Frighten Me, is about a brave little child fighting all the fears in life.

I chose the poem Life Doesn't Frighten Me because I think we shouldn't be afraid of life, and what it throws at us. Also, the writer used repetition when he said, "Life doesn't frighten me". I also liked the author's use of alliteration, "Mean old Mother Goose" and "Panthers in the park." I think Life Doesn't frighten me was a well-written poem.