Creative Writing Assignments

Creative Writing Lesson 1

Objectives:
1. Students will practice writing dialogue that fits a given situation and character.

2. Students will insert dialogue into an already begun piece of writing.

Activities:
1. Students will read the Micro-fiction "The Appalachian Trail" by Bruce Eason.
a. Students will focus on the use of dialogue to both give add to characterization and advance plot.

2. As a large group, students will study a photograph of two children fighting. Then the class will write a piece of dialogue that explains the situation and says something about who the children are. Students will brainstorm possible causes and resolutions for the fight. Then, as a group they can make decisions about the way each character sounds.

3. On their own, students will examine another photograph, this time each student will have their own photograph. Students will determine what the characters will talk about, and how they will sound. In class, they should take time to work out a piece of a conversation between the people in the photo.

4. Students will trade photos with a classmate and repeat step 3.

5. With their partner, students will examine their conversations and provide feedback asking each other:
1. Does this advance the plot?
2. Does this say something about the character?

6. Once students have finished giving each other feedback, they will look back at a piece of writing they have started that needs more dialogue. Making decisions about character and purpose, students will write at least 5 lines of dialogue into that story.

Assessment:
1. Students will be informally assessed on their interaction in the large and small group interactions.

2. Students will be assessed on the in class writing they completed, and the dialogue they added to their story.


Creative Writing Lesson 2

Objectives:
1. Students will practice writing sensory detail for a given situation.
2. Students will insert sensory detail into an already begun piece of writing.

Activities:
1. Students will read the Micro-fiction "Bread" by Margaret Atwood.
a. While reading, students will highlight details that appeal to the 5 senses. After reading students will discuss which senses are used for description in the piece.

2. As a large group, student will study a photograph of a Thanksgiving dinner. As a class, the group will brainstorm details for each of the five senses. Together, the group will write a description of the scene choosing from the details on the board.

3. With a partner, students will examine another photograph. Together, they will brainstorm details that could be used to describe that piece. In class, students will write a description of that scene using as many sensory details as possible.

4. With their partner, students will evaluate their work be reading it aloud and asking the other person to picture what is happening. The object is to paint an accurate picture for the listener.

5. Once students have finished sharing with their partner, they will look back at a piece of writing they have started that needs more description. Using details that appeal to the five senses, students will write at least one paragraph of description into that story.

Assessment:
1. Students will be informally assessed on their interaction in the large and small group interactions.

2. Students will be assessed on the in class writing they completed, and the description they added to their story.


Creative Writing Lesson 3

Objectives:
1. Students will brainstorm many different possible first sentences for a story.

2. Students will begin five different stories using the same first sentence.

Activities:
1. Students will read a list of first lines and leads taken from magazine articles.

2. Taking a few minutes on their own, and using the leads as inspiration, students will write as many first lines as possible without editing.

3. As a large group, students will share some of their first lines, generating a large class list on the board.

4. Students will choose one first line that they find interesting. Using that first line they will begin the first few lines to a paragraph of a story.

5. Once they have finished one beginning, students should take the same first line and write the beginning a completely new story. Some questions to help them change their stories could be:
1. Does a new character enter?
2. Does the setting change?
3. How old is the character?
4. Is the character surprised?
5. Does an unexpected event occur?

6. Students will repeat steps 4 and 5 until they have the beginnings of five stories. From those stories, students will choose one that they want to work with for the next day. That night, students should add one page of writing to those opening lines, working with plot and character.

Assessment:
1. Students will be informally assessed on their interaction in the large and small group interactions.

2. Students will be assessed on the in class writing they completed, and the story they began as homework.

Fiction Exercises 3

Exercise 39 - The Skeleton

We were locked in the attic. This happened often when our nanny Ethel got tired of our behavior. It didn't take much to get sent to the attic. A spilled juice, dirty clothes, loud play indoors, any of these offenses could send my brother and I up to the attic. Once she had us on the stairs, Ethel would turn the lock on her side of the door, shutting us in. In our earlier days we would cry and pound on the door, begging to be released. However, as time passed we began to realize that this was a futile effort. In fact, the louder and longer we cried, the longer Ethel kept the door locked.

One day Aaron and I sat on the dusty floor boards waiting for our captivity to be over. The hot, stale air stung my nostrils as light dimly peered through the small window. From the corner of his eye Aaron spotted something that he hadn't seen before. "What is that?" He asked. "Has it always been there?" I followed his gaze to the corner where strange looking mountain had grown. It must have been there for years, we just failed to notice.

Aaron and I moved to the corner, and waited to our eyes to adjust to see the item. It was an old trunk. The black exterior was gray with dust. The top was covered with a pile of old quilts and afghans. The pulls were so old that they were black with tarnish.

Together we pushed the pile of blankets off the top. A plume of dust rose from the stack as they hit the floor. It took both us to pry the lid open. When we finally succeeded, the hinges squealed as the lid slowly parted open. Inside the trunk was a pile of old clothes. Brown pants, while linen shirts, a blue jacket. There were also gray and maroon dresses with long sleeves and high necks. We took turns pulling the musty clothes over our heads and modeling for each other. As Aaron pulled up the last item, an army uniform, a small pocket knife fell out onto the floor. It spun at our feet before coming to rest.

As the younger sister, I was scared. "I think we should put it back. It's not ours."
But Aaron had a much better vision of what the knife could do. "Come on, I think I can get us out." He crept to the door and opened the knife. When he put the blade into the lock and turned, we both heard the click of the lock. Slowly, Aaron turned the handle and peered around the corner. He looked back to give me the "all clear" and we were finally free.

Exercise 52 - 1 Syllable Story

The full box hit the floor with a thud. My eye ran the length of the room. The sink, walls, floor and door of this place were all old and foul. The air smelled stale and no light came in. "Is this it?" I thought to myself. It was a long move here, and right now, did not seem worth it.

His shoes trod through the door. "Well," he said, and blew a gust of air. "It could be worse."

My eyes stung as though I had been hit in the nose. "How?"

"Look. I know it's bad. But it won't help to dwell." The veil of his optimism grew thin.

"How can I not? I moved here. I will live here. Live means the same as dwell. I'll dwell if I want to." My chest felt tight in the stale room.

"I know. But we can fix this place up. Spruce it up a bit. It could work."

He touched the small of my back. His hand was warm and firm on my tense back. When I stayed in his touch, he ran a hand up my neck and smoothed my hair.

It was that same tug. The same pull to stay here, to stay with him. I leaned back and felt his chest hold me up.

"But I still hate it." I said.

"I know."

Exercise 63 - Stairs: Setting and Place

I came rushing through the door and up the first set of stairs. My afternoon meetings always ran late, and I knew that I would have a student waiting for me. As I bounded around the landing I almost ran into Anne. She had her bag and jacket, and must have been on her way out. Except, her hands were empty, and she looked surprisingly unburdened by her bag. Normally Anne walks out with a crate of work. Her bag is so heavy that she had to lean to one side to counter the weight of the work she brings home. But today her arms swung freely at her sides and she walked tall.

"Hey," I said, unsure how to approach this unusual situation.

"Hi."

"Are you leaving," I asked, even though it was pretty obvious that she was.

"Yeah, I'm done." She responded, nodding her head as she spoke.

"Wow! You're caught up?" I couldn't believe she had finished all of her work. No one here was ever caught up.

"No." Anne shook her head. "I'm just done."

The pause sat between us, weighing down the air.

"I got cut today. Bruce told me." Anne's tone was flat, and she looked at the wall as she spoke. I immediately wished I hadn't been in that stairwell, and hadn't asked the questions.

"Oh God. Anne. I'm sorry." I fumbled to make words and fragments into full thoughts.

"Thanks," she replied. "I need to go. See you tomorrow." Anne breezed down the stairs and into the sunny, windy day outside. Two stray papers blew past her feet as she crossed to the parking lot. When she reached her car, I turned and finished up the stairs to the pile of work waiting for me.

Fiction Exercises 2

Part Four Dalogue:
Exercise 27 - Telling Talk:

Gina whirled into the apartment.
"You will not believe what Matt did today," She called from the entryway. The closet door opened and closed, her keys hit the table. I could hear her voice before she appeared next to my seat.

"So, you know how I had that big meeting with HMAC today?" She asked. Without pausing for a reply from me (response is unnecessary to Gina's storytelling) she launched into a summary of the past three meetings with this client, proving the loaded importance of this single meeting. "Well I asked Matt to order some food for the meeting. Donuts and coffee and whatever the catering provides. You know, to look nice. Do you know what he said?" Again, no wait. "He said that he was too busy with his work to order food." Her neck flares an angry pink as she recounts the office showdown. I got lost somewhere between "What do you mean 'your' work" and "stuffing envelopes for a month." But I knew enough not to suggest watching baseball over her celebrity dance show when the story finally reached its conclusion.

Exercise 29 - Dialogue with Action:

Slowly, my grandmother shuffled the cards. She held them in one soft, wrinkled hand and let them flip into the other. Then she laid out the solitaire board. One card methodically laid on the next to form perfect rows. Watching her deal was a painfully slow process.

"So, what did the doctor say about the chest pains?" I ask. I know that she doesn't want to tell me, but can't resist asking her when we're finally alone.

"Oh, just that I should keep eating my cheerios. I have the body of a forty year old." She pulled three cards from the top of the deck and flipped them face up, studying their suits and numbers.

"Grandma. You are having chest pains almost daily. He probably was more concerned that that." I stare at the game board. There is a move she could make but doesn't see. Instead she flips three more cards over, covering that move for good.

"Hmm?" She asked without looking up from the cards.

"I give up." I say. I push my chair out, scraping it against the linoleum floor. "I give up."

Part Five:
Exercise 32:
"Fuck you," I say. "Fuck you and all your bullshit. I'm tired of always carrying the water for you. Just sick of it." Or, at least, that's what I would say. Out loud. To her face. "Fuck you." I can just see her expression. Shock first. Her mouth a big, gaping O, making her look even more stupid than she already is. Then the quick transition to angry. Oh she'd be pissed. Her face would go all red. And the big blue vein that runs down the center of her forehead would pop out and say hello. But she wouldn't be able to speak at first. She wouldn't know what to say. And in that precious, golden moment of silence I would say, "I quit." When I walked out people would clap and slap me on the back. They'd all want to be me, wishing they had been the ones to tell Cathy off. God it would be great. I elevator dings and the door opens. I walk into my office, the sound of phones and desk chairs greeting me.

"Good morning" Cathy says as I walk past.
"Good morning," I respond. "Fuckface," I add in my head. It's very satisfying.

Fiction Exercises

Part One Beginnings:
Exercise 1 - First Lines:

1. As Steven finished packing his lunch - turkey on wheat and carrot sticks - he saw on the table the lunch his wife forgot.

2. The note on the mirror said "Don't forget - 4228 Glendale at 5:30 XOXO." She had written it in purple marker on a pink post-it, in her big, hasty handwriting.

3. Gina skated through a yellow light, rolled a stop sign and slid into a parking spot just as Steven was getting out of his car.

4. Gina waved from the gate and walked through the door. A week in Puerto Rico with the girls would do her some good.

Exercise 2 - Second Sentence:

1. As Steven finished packing his lunch - turkey on wheat and carrot sticks - he saw on the table the lunch his wife forgot.
In her downtown office, Gina opened her door, pulled out her chair and noticed her hands were feeling unusually free.

2. Gina skated through a yellow light, rolled a stop sign and slid into a parking spot just as Steven was getting out of his car.
"You might want to roll up your windows," Steven called as he crossed the street to her. "It looks like rain."

3. The note on the mirror said "Don't forget - 4228 Glendale at 5:30 XOXO." She had written it in purple marker on a pink post-it, in her big, hasty handwriting.
"Hi Lido," Steven muttered as the dog jumped at his leg. Gina's dog had failed puppy school, barked at friends and foe alike and jumped on anything that moved. In short, Lido was difficult to love.

4. The note on the mirror said "Don't forget - 4228 Glendale at 5:30 XOXO." She had written it in purple marker on a pink post-it, in her big, hasty handwriting. Steven looked at the note, trying to wrap his head around the idea that just this morning she had been energetic and full of life. Now, she was plugged into a million different machines that did god-knows-what. The car hadn't even stopped to look for someone in the crosswalk.

5. The note on the mirror said "Don't forget - 4228 Glendale at 5:30 XOXO." She had written it in purple marker on a pink post-it, in her big, hasty handwriting. Now, instead of house hunting, Steven and his wife would be bailing out his brother and hiring a lawyer. Steven know that John was an idiot, he'd always said so. But he didn't think he was dumb enough to line his own pockets with the association dues.

Part Two Characterization:
Exercise 10 - That Sort of Person:

1. John was the sort of person who never offered to bring anything to Christmas Dinner

2. Steven was the sort of person who always gave the best birthday gifts - generous, observant and well-planned.

3. Gina was the sort of person who put out too many snacks whenever she hosted a party, and still worried about running short.

4. Elaine is the sort of person who gives excellent directions.

Exercise 12 - Props:

Steven's Briefcase:
4 file folders - each labeled with the client's name and contact information
Business card holder - 1 side his own, the other side filled with other contacts
Toothbrush
Breath mints
Leather folder - black with tan interior
Legal pad
3 pens
Blackberry - black
Wallet - black leather

Gina's Purse:
2 receipts - 1 for lunch last week, 1 for shoes yesterday
Gum
Mints
More Gum (she often forget and buys more)
Lip balm
Lip glass
Kleenex
Phone
Sun glasses
Pen
Sharpie
Highlighter
Photo of herself and Steven at a party, both smiling
Notebook with cardboard front and back cover

Part Three Point of View, Perspective and Distance:
Exercise 20 - Distance:

1. In Minneapolis a clear sun rose, finally lifting the city from the cool, dark slumber.

2. Standing in his crowded two bedroom, Steven placed turkey on bread, sliced diagonally, and put the sandwich into his lunch bag.

3. Steven allowed his mind to wander as he went through the automatic motions of packing a lunch.

4. Steven's mind rehashed the details of his fight with his wife as he methodically packed his lunch.

5. "Why aren't you listening to me?" Steven mimicked her angry, high-pitched voice as he slapped together a sandwich.

Exercise 23 - The Reminiscent Narrator:

As an 8 year old, I had never been adventurous. The youngest of three, I had seen what happened to those who lived dangerously. Glory, sure. But they also suffered a lot of pain. As an observant child, I understood that the best way to avoid this pain was to simply be careful. I dutifully avoided climbing trees and swinging too high in an effort to avoid getting hurt.

That is, until one day, when I decided I had enough of being cautious.

There was a monster hill two blocks from my house. Only the bravest people rode their bikes down it, and even then, their brakes smelled hot when they reached the bottom. Riding home from a nearby park, I passed the hill. Normally I would have taken another route, past the hill and down a safer street.

That day, I stopped at the top of the hill and looked down. My stomach did flip-flops as I inched my bike closer to the edge of the hill. Then, for a reason I cannot remember, I picked up my feet.

Immediately I wished I had not. The regret was so complete that I don’t even remember the first few feet of the hill. I knew from the moment that I put my feet on the pedals that I was in over my head. Lawns and trees whizzed past my peripheral vision in a blur. I couldn't make myself look up, rather, I stared at the road just inches in front of my bike.

The handles shook and wobbled. I could not make them sit still even though I pushed my elbows out and gripped them tightly with my hands. I rode the brake hard, trying to slow down to a more reasonable pace.

Then I hit a rock. Because I wasn't looking out, I didn't even see it coming. I heard the pinging noise it made against my tires. I don't remember how I hit the ground, but I must have been thrown from the bike. I looked down at myself and saw blood dripping from both of my knees. Pain scorched through my elbows, and I saw red drips hit the sides of my yellow t-shirt.

I wanted to cry. But I was so far from home and feeling so alone and I didn't. I picked up my bike and stood at the side of the road. No cars came. No one came out of a house. My mother did not race down the street to save me. That was when I realized that I was alone, and my pain did not constitute an emergency for anyone else.

Slowly, I walked my bike home. My injuries stung when the wind hit them. By the time I got home blood had dried to my shins and forearms. I was nearly done cleaning my sores in the sink when my mother walked into the bathroom. And when she pulled me into her chest, I let out a childish, wailing sob.

Poet Presentation: Sandra Cisneros

Sandra Cisneros

Biography:
1. Born in Chicago in 1954
2. Studied at Loyola University in Chicago and the University of Iowa
3. Worked as:
a. teacher and counselor
b. Artist-in-Schools
c. college recruiter
d. arts administrator
e. visiting writer at many universities
4. Currently:
a. Founder and president of the Macondo Foundation - an association of socially engaged writers working to advance creativity, foster generosity and honor their communities.
b. Writer-in-Residence at Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio

Publications:
1. Poetry
a. Bad Boys (1980)
b. My Wicked Wicked Ways (1987)
c. Loose Woman (1994)
2. Collection of Stories
a. Woman Hollering Creek and Other Stories (1991)
3. Novels
a. The House on Mango Street (1991)
b. Caramelo (2002)

Awards:
1. MacArthur Foundation Fellowship (1995)
2. Texas Medal of the Arts (2003)
3. National Endowment of the Arts Fellowships for fiction and poetry (1988 and 1982)

Philosophy of Writing:
1. Button Boxes:
Grandmothers keep buttons "just in case" they will one day need them.
The process of writing is like making a garment, and Sandra makes buttons long before she knows which piece they will go with or look like. She often writes, first, without sequence or worry, just getting ideas out and saving them for later. "Grandmothers know: Never throw anything away. It might be just what you need someday."


Source Information:
http://sandracisneros.com
Updated 17 Jan. 2010
Accessed 18 Feb. 2010







"Night Madness Poem" by Sandra Cisneros

How I would use it in my class

Objectives:
1. Students will examine images and phrases for emotional connotation.

Activities:
1. Students will participate in a "Mixer"
a. Each student has an index card with a phrase or line from a poem.
b. Students walk around the room, saying only their line to other students.
c. After a few minutes, students regroup and list the words or phrases as a group
d. Students then relate an emotional response/ reaction to some or all of the phrases
Sentence Stems:
1. ______________ reminds me of _______________ because…
2. ______________ makes me feel _______________ because…
e. As a group, students discuss and try to guess the possible meaning and emotion behind a poem
f. Students then read the poem and determine whether they think they got the meaning and emotion right


For This Class:

Choose your weapon Both black as gun I have the magic of words

It's no secret Swoop Circling Delighted with her disasters

Crazy lady they warned you about High on tobacco and holy water

Too many cups of coffee A sadness in my heart

Night Madness Poem, by Sandra Cisneros

There's a poem in my head
like too many cups of coffee.
A pea under twenty eiderdowns.
A sadness in my heart like a stone.
A telephone. And always my
night madness that outs like bats
across the Texas sky.

I'm the crazy lady they warned you about.
The she of rumor talked about - -
and worse, who talks.

It's no secret.
I'm here. Under a circle of light.
The light always on, resisting a glass,
an easy cigar. The kind

who reels the twilight sky.
Swoop circling.
I'm witch woman high
on tobacco and holy water.

I'm a woman delighted with her disasters.
They give me something to do.
A prefession of sorts.
Keeps me industrious
and of some servicable use.

In dreams the origami of the brain
opens like a fist, a pomegranate,
an expansive geometry.

Not true.
I haven't a clue
why I'm rumpled tonight.

Choose your weapon.
Mine - - the telephone, my tongue.
Both black as gun.

I have the magic of words,
the power to charm and kill at will.
To kill myself or to aim haphazardly
And kill you.

Midterm: Three Lesson Plans

These three lesson plans are meant to be taught in any order. I think that if I taught them, I would keep them in their order. The first is to help them loosen up and use their own knowldege and ideas to write. The second is to help them come up with new language for writing poetry, not the same old, same old. The final plan is to allow students some freedom in their writing by letting them try their hand at a list poem. All of the lesson plans are based on ideas from the class text. More specifically, the use of images to convey emotion and meaning, the use of figurative language and the list poem.

Assignment 1
Objectives:
1. Students will use word association to brainstorm ideas for a poem.
2. Students will write a poem based on the form for the "Where I'm From" poem.

Directions:
1. Introduce students to the idea of word association through large group discussion.
a. List a common word and have a student say the first thing that comes to their mind. Some examples are school, lunch, family, homework, etc. When introducing this technique keep the words common and simple, so that most, if not all students will have some prior knowledge with which to connect.
2. When students are opened up a bit, share that they will be writing about themselves, their family and their homes.
3. Model how to use word association to create a web. For example, start with the word "home" in the center. Shooting off of that, I would place Mom and Dad, the beach, my apartment, etc. Then I would show how one idea, like "Mom" can lead to other ideas, such as "Sarie Lou" and "pots of coffee." I would model more links to my web, asking students for ideas when I get stuck. I would also model that in brainstorming, it can be messy and bad, but I don't erase any ideas or censor myself yet.
4. Students will create a web of their own, using "home" as the center. They should list all ideas that come to them, building off of items on their list.
5. Once students all have ideas on paper, we would read the model of the "Where I'm From" Poem by George Ella Lyon. We would look at the items and people she associates with where she is from. We would also look at the way she uses concrete objects, quotes and memories to show where she is from.
6. With input from the students, I would model how to write a "Where I'm From" poem by rearranging, adding to and cutting some of the ideas from my web.
a. First, choose 3-5 items or images that stick with me or the class.
b. Start placing those in line form.
c. Add phrases or connecting images and ideas to the originals from the web.
d. Look at line breaks, rhythm and figurative language when I'm done, trying to add to the "poetic nature" of what the class and I have written.
7. Students will then use their own webs to create a poem about where they are from. They should focus on line breaks, rhythm and figurative language to try to enhance their ideas. Students are often most pleased with their work after they have read it aloud to hear the piece.

Where I'm From

I'm from clothespins,
from Clorox and carbon-tetrachloride
I am from the dirt under the back porch.
(Black, glistening
it tasted like beets.)
I am from the forsythia bush,
the Dutch elm
whose long gone limbs I remember
as if they were my own.

I am from fudge and eyeglasses,
from Imogene and Alafair.
I'm from the know-it-alls
and the pass-it-ons,
from perk up and pipe down.
I'm from He restoreth my soul
with a cottonball lamb
and ten verses I can say myself.

I'm from Artemus and Billie's Branch,
fried corn and strong coffee.
From the finger my grandfather lost
to the auger
the eye my father shut to keep his sight.
Under my bed was a dress box
spilling old pictures,
a sift of lost faces
to drift beneath my dreams.
I am from those moments-
snapped before I budded-
leaf-fall from the family tree.

- By: George Ella Lyon

Assignment 2
Objectives:
1. Students will practice using reference texts by using a thesaurus.
2. Students will rewrite common words and phrases using new and poetic words from the thesaurus.

Directions:
1. Introduce the idea of the cliché by listing some on the board.
a. Some to use are easy as pie, tough as nails, give me a break, no pain, no gain.
2. Have student help you list as many clichés as the group can think of.
3. Ask students what it would be like to write a poem of only clichés. Why wouldn't that be effective?
4. Hand out to students a list of commonly used words and phrases from poetry.
a. Some to use are colors, emotions, weather, etc.
5. Have students add 5 items from the board to their list.
6. Model for students how to rewrite some of the ideas or words using a thesaurus. Tell students to put their ideas into a phrase or line, something that they might read or want to write in poetry.
a. For example, the sheet says "sunny". I might write the warm buttery rays dripped off the sun and fell onto our afternoon walk.
7. Students will rewrite the ideas and phrases on their list, trying to think creatively to come up with a new way to say the old idea.
8. When students are done, they will have a duel to see who has the best phrases. The moderator will read the item on the sheet. Then, students who think they have a good rewrite will come up to the front. They will all read their items. A class applause-off will determine which rewrite is the best. The student with the most wins will be dubbed "The Cliché Killer" and given a handsome reward (of candy).


Assignment 3
Objectives:
1. Students will use a wheel graphic organizer to brainstorm ideas for a poem.
2. Students will write a list poem.

Directions:
1. Students will begin by reading an excerpt from Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson labeled "10 Lies They Tell You in High School."
2. Students will discuss some of the elements that make this a poem, even though it is from a novel.
a. Some items to discuss are rhythm, repetition, imagery and figurative language.
3. Students will work as a large group to list some of the "They" in high school
b. For example, teachers, friends, jocks, popular kids, guidance counselors, etc.
4. I then model how to create wheel, writing down things I have heard people say that turn out to be untrue. The lines should come out of each they group. I often enlist students help when I am stuck.
5. Students will then create their own wheel listing lies that they have heard or that they know about for each they.
c. Examples are, we are here to help, everyone is going to the game on Friday, prom is the best day ever, etc.
5. One students have created a wheel, they will choose some of the items to use to create a list poem. When they are writing they should focus on the order of the items, word choice, rhythm, repetition and figurative language. They should practice reading the poem aloud to get a better feel for the rhythm and music of the poem.

Spoken Word Assignment

Here is the link to a spoken word piece titled "Coded Language" by Saul Williams

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzY2-GRDiPM

why does the piece work?how does it work?what's to admire?what's no so good?how is it a 'poem' as well as a performance?

This is a great piece of performance poetry for several reasons. One thing that makes this such a great poemto perform is the fact that it is so rhythmic. The artist uses several techniques to add to the musicality of the poem. Rhyme, both internal and slant, are used throughout the piece. Also, Williams heavily relies on repetition to make this piece more musical. The rhythm and music in this piece make it a strong example of performance poetry.

Williams is also successful because he is able to connect with his audience. He repeats the word "We" at the beginning of many sentences throughout the piece. This helps him to connect with the audience and draw them in. The idea of shared experience and identity is used to help Williams create a relationship with the audience. The list of names that he recites is also a powerful way to capitalize on the collective knowledge and understanding of the audience.

The interaction and energy that Williams creates when speaking to an audience, as well and the delivery of the piece make it a performance poem. Without the cheering and interaction the audience provides, the piece would not have as much energy and would not be as effective. Also, the piece is one to be performed because it ends with such a strong call to "flip the conscienceness of the entire world." The call to action at the end shows that this piece is not one to be left in a drawer. This is a piece that is meant to be shared. These are some of the things that make Williams' piece so successful.

Performance Poetry Lesson Plan:
Objectives:
1. Students will write a poem about themselves as a way to connect with classmates
2. Students will perform a poem to the class, focusing on rhythm and musicality.
Directions:
1. Students will warm up by brainstorming adjectives that describe themselves. Students will mingle around the room, sharing their adjectives with classmates.
2. Students will use these adjectives, and other ideas to write a bio-poem. Students should try to write a poem that focuses on being musical, so look to add rhyme, rhythm, repetition, etc.
3. Students will rehearse their poem, trying different styles, speeds and places to put emphasis in their poem.
4. Students will share their poem with classmates at a poetry slam.

Bio-poems
Line 1 Your first name only
Line 2 4 traits that describe you
Line 3 Sibling of...(or son/daughter of)
Line 4 Lover of...(three people or ideas)
Line 5 Who feels...(three items)
Line 6 Who needs...(three items)
Line 7 Who gives...(three items)
Line 8 Who fears...(three items)
Line 9 Who would like to see...(three items)
Line 10 Resident of (your city, street or state)
Line 11 Your last name only.

Example:
Kaitlan
Petite, bubbly, happy and energetic.
Daughter of Greg and Missy
Lover of gymnastics, roses and cheerleading.
Who feels happiness with friends, loneliness at night, and joy at ball games.
Who needs friends, love and acceptance.
Who gives friendship, love and encouragement.
Who fears pain, death and losing friends.
Who would like to see the world, the future and neverending joy.
Resident of Stigler, Oklahoma
Kasbaum.

My poem for the week:
The Lone Ranger
It piles up.
Stacks and stacks surround me until there is no air.
There is no air to breathe or space to move.
My chest is tight under the weight of my mile long to-do list.
No one hears my cries for help through the rubble
Of grading and planning and advocating and intervening and disciplining and recommending and coaching and mothering and caring and loving.
Because that is what we are told to do.
Because we love them.
So I grade and plan and advocate and discipline and recommend and coach and mother and care and love.
And I go home and the end of the night
Through the half-lit hallways
And I ask myself - Am I the only one here?
Am I really the Lone Ranger?
Or does it just feel that way?

Poetry and Lesson Plans

I jump at the startling, yet satisfying, smash as the glass hits the floor.
Glass bits hit the tile with a musical quality,
Tinkling like rain in our kitchen.

It was a wedding gift,
Full of promise - new and perfect when we opened it.

That day the glass I took down from the cabinet
Was chipped and etched,
Worn down by daily use.

Finally, it was flung into pieces,
Set free from the mold it was pressed into.

Objectives:
Students will use a poem as a mentor text and imitate the style to create their own work of poetry.

Directions:
1. Read "This Is Just to Say" by William Carlos Williams
2. Make a special note of the length of the lines and other stylistic features of the poem
3. Brainstorm things you have done that you weren't really sorry for
4. Write a poem about that instance, imitating Williams' style
5. Be sure you finish the poem with the reason why you're not really sorry
6. Proofread your poem for fluency and any errors
7. Be prepared to share you poem with classmatesThis is Just to Say
-William Carlos Williams

I have eatenthe plumsthat were inthe iceboxand whichyou were probablysavingfor breakfastForgive methey were deliciousso sweetand so cold

Objectives:
Students will write a five line poem describing an emotion using figurative language.

Directions:
1. Think of an emotion that you have experienced and feel strongly about
2. Now write a five line poem using the format below:

The first line of the poem involves an emotion: sadness, anger, confusion, hurt.
For Example - I was hurt when my mother forgot my birthday
Or - The anger rose inside me, making my hands ball into fists
The second line describes the emotion as a color.
For example - My anger was red as a stop sign
Or - Happiness as pink as a puppy's tongue
The third line starts with "It happens when . . .."
For example - Anger happens when I'm told to get up in the morning
Or - Confusion happens when I have a test but don't do my homework
The fourth line begins with "It sounds like . . .."
For example - Sadness sounds like a kitten left out in the rain
The last line of the poem repeats the original emotion.

Prose Poem/ Poetry Assignment

An Inconvenient Birthday

I pushed through the door with a hastily wrapped gift and an un-hung birthday banner. I was calculating the minutes I had to celebrate while noisily throwing clothes from my gym bag to the hamper when, from my peripheral vision, I saw you staring at me. You handed me a clean towel to put into my bag, and I accepted in without meeting your eyes, the pain in the back of my throat swallowing all of my apologies.

Poetry Lesson Plan

Objectives:
1. Students will read background information on the Holocaust and Elie Wiesel.

2. Students will begin to write poetry using found language in a Found Poem.

Activities:
1. Read the handouts on the victims of the Holocaust, the survivor story, and Elie Wiesel's acceptance speech for the Nobel Peace Prize.

2. For each text, write a short 1/2-1 page reaction/reflection about what you read. Keep these on the same piece of paper and label each with the title of the text.

3. Then, go back to the text and look for words and phrases that catch your eye or that seem to contradict each other if you take them out of context. Look for repeated words and see what the text is trying to emphasize.

4. Select words and phrases from the text, and begin to arrange them on your own page. Try to keep them in order, even if you are leaving out phrases or sentences in between.

5. Look for poetic interest in these words. Look for ways to cut and arrange them to point out contrasting ideas or contradictions. Look for images that they provide.

6. Sometimes identifying an emotion you sense in the text or feel when or after reading can help you better select words and phrases to use in your poem.

7. Arrange your selected text into a 10-20 line found poem. Be prepared to share your poem with a small group or maybe the entire class.

Poetry Posting

I wake up, the house quiet
It's the middle of the night for me
A small child. From under the crack of the door
the kitchen light peers into my bedroom.

My mother sits at the table.
A cream colored afghan is wrapped around her
Small shoulders. In her hand is a green grading pen.
It looks just like the one I use now.

Hoping to delay being sent to bed, I offer to fill her coffee.
I carry the pot, looking down at the sloshing brown liquid
That laps the sides. Her mug was white with blue angels.
I pour the steaming sledge but miss the mug.

Instead, a surprising, searing, pain grasps my hand.
It's the confusing pain of a burn, one I saw before I felt.
Before I can react arms swoop me up and race me to the sink.
My feet kick in pain, suspended above the floor.

Back in her chair, I bury my face into the neck
Of her crew neck sweatshirt. Sobs shake loose
From my stomach. Her cool hands brush tears from my hot, red cheeks.

I still have the scar on my left hand.
An ever present reminder of the night mother
Left her work to comfort me like I was the only person
In her world.