Poetry Madness: Game 6

Read the poems for Game 6. 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?

 ***Please tell me everything you think, but use your best writing. 

Here is an example of an advanced/proficient blog post:

The poem,”This Is Just to Say,” by William Carlos Williams, is an apology by the author about eating someone’s plums. The mood is humorous and the poem is very ridiculous. It is teaching people a lesson to not touch or eat other people’s things without asking.

The poem,”Choosing Shoes,” by Frida Wolfe, is about a person who is trying to choose the perfect show but can’t decide on a pair. The poem doesn’t really have a mood but it is teaching us that nothing is perfect like everything else.

I chose,”Choosing Shoes,” as the winner because I liked how it showed an example that everything is not perfect because the person couldn’t find the perfect shoes. I thought that was very interesting how the author choose shoes as an example. Anyhow, I liked the rhyme scheme (AAAB) because it went perfectly with the poem. It also had a simile when it said,”Stump-along-like-that shoes.” This poem should definitely be the winner.

Poetry Madness: Game 5

Read Game 5 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?

 ***Please tell me everything you think, but use your best writing. 

Here is an example of proficient writing:

The poem, “Who Has Seen the Wind?” by Christina Rossetti, is about how the wind passes. Nobody can actually see the wind, but you can feel it. The mood is calm because of the soft wind. This reminds me of when you are on a boat, the wind feels like it is compelling you away. The lesson is to like the wind, the wind can melt your bad thoughts away. It is like a dancer on a stage. Just plain beautiful! 

The poem, “If~,” by Rudyard Kipling, is about if things happen will you show grace. The mood is powerful, because if you don’t then bad things will happen. This reminds me of real life. If you feel useless, then people will treat you like that. The lesson is to believe in yourself, trust others, and show kindness. The person is talking to a young boy.

I really just have to choose “Who Has Seen the Wind?” It shows personification like, “but when the leaves hang trembling,” that wouldn’t actually happen. The poem also uses rhyme scheme of ABCC. This poem makes me feel very peaceful.

Poetry Madness: Game 4

Read Game 4 poems, If and Who Has Seen the Wind. 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?

 ***Please tell me everything you think, but use your best writing. 

Here is an example of proficient writing:

The first poem, “The Eagle,” by Lord, Alfred Tennyson, is about an eagle that is hunting, and he jumps off a crag into the water to get a fish. It is a powerful poem which shows the eagle as king of the skies.

The second poem, “Casey at Bat,” by Ernest Lawrence Thayer, is about a baseball star that is over-confident. He lets down his team when they need him to win a game. The mood of the poem changes from the fans starting out hopeless, then hopeful when Casey comes to bat. Then  the mood shifts to anger and blame at the umpire, until finally ending in defeat.

I chose the poem “Casey at Bat” because I like baseball.The author uses a rhyme scheme of AABB. The author also uses a simile to emphasize the volume of the crowd’s roar. He  writes the roar is "like the beating of the storm waves on a stern and distant shore." This poem is a definite winner!

Poetry Madness: Game 3

Read Game 3 poems, "The Eagle" and "Casey at Bat." 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  and mood of the first poem?

2. What is the meaning and mood of the second poem?

3. Based on the criteria, which poem did you choose and WHY?

 ***Please tell me everything you think, but use your best writing. 

Here is an example of proficient writing:

I think that the first poem,”Roger The Dog,” by Ted Hughes, is about a dog that always sleeps, except when he is called to eat. I think that the mood was very lazy because if you try to take him for a walk he doesn’t go and saves his energy to eat and sleep. I also think that this poem is relatable because some days we are tired, and all we want to do is sleep. 

I think the second poem,”The Falling Star,” by Sara Teasdale, is about someone who barely saw a falling star, but when she did see it, she thought it was beautiful as it went by in a glimpse. I think the mood is peaceful, because there was barely a sound as it went across the sky.

I chose “Roger The Dog” because it was more relatable. The rhyme scheme was AABBCC, and so on. I also loved the second two lines because it had a great simile which was, ”He hogs the fire, he bakes his head /As if it were a loaf of bread.” I think the simile means that he was sleeping by the fire, and he was tilting his head. This poem made me laugh, and I loved the simile.

Poetry Madness: Game 2

Read Game 2 poems, "Roger the Dog" and "The Falling Star." 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?

 ***Please tell me everything you think, but use your best writing. 

Here is an example of proficient writing:
The first poem, “Dust of Snow,” by Robert Frost, is about a crow that lifts up a boy's spirit. He notices the crow when it drops snow on him. The crow fixes the day he had rued. The man became glad.

The second poem, “Mother to Son,” by Langston Hughes, is about a mother who is talking to her son about all of the hard and scary times she has been through. She motivates her son to stay strong.

I chose “Dust of Snow” because the story is more calming and inspiring. It has a great rhyme scheme as well! I think the story will inspire readers and make their sad days good again! It makes me feel bright and happy.

Poetry Madness: Let the Games Begin!

During March, the best college basketball teams compete for the National Title. In order to be the best, each team must state their case by playing the best, scoring the most, and ultimately advancing to the next round.

To create a sense of poetry madness in our room and celebrate poetry, we will read two poems each evening and advance a class winner the following day. However, like the basketball tournament, we must use specific criteria to judge a poem: meaning, poet's craft (rhyme, line breaks, punctuation, simile/metaphor, word choice, repetition), ability to visualize, and your personal connection.

You will answer the following 3 questions about the poems you have read.

1. What is the meaning of the first poem? (Summarize in one-two sentences)
2. What is the meaning of the second poem? (Summarize in one-two sentences)
3. Based on the criteria, which poem did you choose and WHY? ***Please tell me everything you think, but use your best writing.

You will complete Game 1 in class.  Please read Game 1 (Dust of Snow and Mother to Son), choose your favorite, and leave your comment below.  I left an example in the comment section.

Here is an example of an advanced/proficient post:

The first poem, “I, Too,” by Langston Hughes, is about racial segregation. He dreams of a future where he is not treated unequally because of his race, and he is accepted because he, too, is American.

The second poem, “A Prayer in Spring,”by Robert Frost, is about a person’s gratitude for God’s blessings. It is a prayer about being thankful even when change comes.

I choose I, Too as the winner because I like the deeper meaning of change and how the poet uses each stanza to tell the story. I also like how Hughes changes one word (“sing” to “am”) in the first and last line to show acceptance.