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34 Writing Free-Verse Poetry

Page
177
from
Write on Track

Writing Free-Verse Poetry

Start-Up Activity

Have a student read the first two paragraphs of this page aloud. Ask students how they feel when they read those words. Then have them study the illustration on pages 176–177. Ask how they feel when they look at the illustration. Have them say what they like most about the illustration.

Let students know that poetry paints pictures with words. Poems are full of beautiful details that invite the reader to linger and smile and think.

Then have a volunteer read the last paragraph on the page. Tell students that they will soon be inviting their own readers to join them in the world of their own poems.

Think About It

“Painting is silent poetry, and poetry is painting with the gift of speech.”

—Simonides

State Standards Covered in This Chapter

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.5

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.7

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.9

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6.4

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6.5

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6.6

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6.7

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6.8

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6.9

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6.10

LAFS Covered in This Chapter

LAFS.6.RL.2.5

LAFS.6.RL.3.7

LAFS.6.RL.3.9

LAFS.6.W.2.4

LAFS.6.W.2.5

LAFS.6.W.2.6

LAFS.6.W.3.7

LAFS.6.W.3.8

LAFS.6.W.3.9

LAFS.6.W.4.10

TEKS Covered in This Chapter

110.22.b.10.A

110.22.b.10.B

110.22.b.10.C

110.22.b.10.D

110.22.b.10.E

110.22.b.12

110.22.b.12.D

110.22.b.12.E

110.22.b.12.F

110.22.b.12.G

110.22.b.6.C

110.22.b.10

110.22.b.11

TEKS Covered in This Chapter

Page 178 from Write on Track

Making Friends with a Poem

Help your students realize that poems are meant to be enjoyed like an ice cream cone. They shouldn't gobble them down just to get them done. Instead, they should savor each line and each word slowly. Reading a poem isn't like running a race, but like lying in a hammock and listening to the wind in the leaves and the frogs in the reeds.

Lead your students through the four bulleted points about reading and savoring poetry.

Then have a volunteer read the sample poem through from start to finish. Afterward, give a pause for students to think. Ask students what they liked most about the poem. Then have another volunteer read the poem again. Pause and reflect again. Ask for a third volunteer to read, and follow with reflection. Help students understand that this is how to savor a poem.

 

State Standard Reference:
LAFS Standard:
LAFS.6.RL.2.5
NE ELA Standard:
LA 6.1.6.b

Related Resource Tags

Click to view a list of tags that tie into other resources on our site

Level:
Grade 3
Mode:
Creative Writing
Form:
Poem
Theme:
Animals
English Language Arts:
Reading

Page 179 from Write on Track

What Makes Poems So Special?

Read aloud the text under point 1: "Poetry looks different." Then have a volunteer read the sample poem aloud. Ask students what they like about the poem. Ask them about the look of the poem. What do they notice about it that makes it more exciting to look at.

Then have students look again at the poem on page 178. How does the look of that poem change the way it is read?

Next, read point 2: "Poetry says things in special ways." Have students return to the sample poem to find some special ways that it says things.

Finally, read point 3: "Poetry sounds good." Have students find examples of what sounds good in the sample poem.

Related Minilesson:
State Standard Reference:
LAFS Standard:
LAFS.6.RL.2.5
NE ELA Standard:
LA 6.1.6.b

Related Resource Tags

Click to view a list of tags that tie into other resources on our site

Level:
Grade 3
Mode:
Creative Writing
Form:
Poem
Theme:
EducationFreedom
English Language Arts:
Reading

Page 180 from Write on Track

Learning About Free Verse

Help your students understand that a free-verse poem may not have a specific rhythm or rhyme, but that every word still must be carefully chosen. When writing free-verse poetry, the sounds and meanings and the look and rhythm of words are still very important. Remind them that free verse poems lack regular rhythm and rhyme but still are carefully constructed.

Have a volunteer read aloud the free-verse list poem. Pause afterward to let the poem sink in. Then lead a discussion about the sounds, appearance, and ideas in the poem. Afterward, have another student read the poem aloud again, and have students reflect again. Ask what makes this poem a list. Tell students they will be writing their own list poems.

State Standard Reference:
LAFS Standard:
LAFS.6.RL.2.5
NE ELA Standard:
LA 6.1.6.b

Related Resource Tags

Click to view a list of tags that tie into other resources on our site

Level:
Grade 3
Mode:
Creative Writing
Form:
Poem
Theme:
FutureGoals
English Language Arts:
Reading

Page 181 from Write on Track

Writing a List Poem

Let students know that they can write their list poems about any topic that they choose. They can use any of the topic suggestions at the top of the page or create their own: things I see on the way to school, what I would change if I could, colors in my back yard, moments of friendship, ways to look at a pencil, and so on.

After students choose a topic for their list poems, have them create a cluster of ideas around the topic.

When students have gathered enough ideas, have them create first drafts of their list poems.

Related Minilesson:
State Standard Reference:
LAFS Standard:
LAFS.6.W.2.4
TEKS Standard:
110.22.b.10.A, 110.22.b.10.B
NE ELA Standard:
LA 6.2.2

Related Resource Tags

Click to view a list of tags that tie into other resources on our site

Level:
Grade 3
Mode:
Creative Writing
Form:
Poem
English Language Arts:
Writing ProcessPrewriting

Page 182 from Write on Track

Revising, Editing, & Proofreading

After students complete the first drafts of their poems, lead them through the material under "Revising." Have them use the questions in the bulleted list to help them make large-scale improvements to their writing. (If students answer "no" to any of these questions, use the material on page 183 to give minilessons on playing with sounds and figurative language in poems.) Also, have peer reviewers use the questions to help poets improve.

Once revisions are complete, have students edit their poems for punctuation, capitalization, and spelling. Remind them that in a poem, they can use punctuation and capitalization for effect, like putting an important word in ALL CAPS or putting punctuation where it usually doesn't go (s*p*a*r*k*l*e*r*s).

State Standard Reference:
LAFS Standard:
LAFS.6.W.2.4
TEKS Standard:
110.22.b.10.A, 110.22.b.10.B
NE ELA Standard:
LA 6.2.2

Related Resource Tags

Click to view a list of tags that tie into other resources on our site

Level:
Grade 3
Mode:
Creative Writing
Form:
Poem
English Language Arts:
Writing ProcessRevisingEditing

Page 183 from Write on Track

Making Pleasing Sounds and Comparisons

Use this page to teach students poetic techniques, such as playing with sounds and using figurative language. Give each explanation and have students read and discuss each example. Then challenge them to try one or more of these techniques in their poems.

State Standard Reference:
LAFS Standard:
LAFS.6.W.2.5
TEKS Standard:
110.22.b.10.A, 110.22.b.10.C, 110.22.b.10.D
NE ELA Standard:
LA 6.2.1, LA 6.2.1.a, LA 6.2.1.e, LA 6.2.1.f, LA 6.2.1.h

Related Resource Tags

Click to view a list of tags that tie into other resources on our site

Level:
Grade 3
Mode:
Creative Writing
Form:
Poem
English Language Arts:
Writing