Poetry Portfolio
This 9 weeks we are studying the great art of poetry. Poets use a variety of techniques to create their masterpieces and we are going to follow in their footsteps.
First, you will begin by writing a few masterpieces of your own. You will write 10 poems as are detailed on the attached sheet.
Second, you must answer the questions on the attached sheet.
Third, you must make sure that the portfolio meets the following guidelines:
· You have followed the directions for each poem.
· The portfolio is typed or very neatly written.
· The portfolio is bound.
· The poems are in the order I have listed above.
· There is a table of contents in the front.
· Your poems are not plagiarized: you must write them YOURSELF!
Lastly, you must understand the rubric. The portfolio is worth 200 points and will be graded as follows:
Each poem- 10 pts each for a total of 100
Questions- 50 pts.
Table of Contents- 10 pts.
Neatness (including being bound)- 10 pts.
Poetry slam reading- 30 pts.
Total- 200
I will have an example of a portfolio available for you to see in class as well as located on my website. You may access the website at www.rcstn.net/samantha.head.
The portfolio is due Wednesday, December 16, when you will be required to recite one poem aloud for the class at our poetry slam.
Good luck!
Types of Poetry
All poems should have at least 8 lines unless designated otherwise in the description.
- Acrostic -Choose a word that describes you. Write a line of poetry for each letter. It does not have to rhyme.
- Bio- Write a poem about your life, personality traits, and ambitions.
- Cinquain- Poetry with five lines. Line 1 has one word (the title). Line 2 has two words that describe the title (adjectives). Line 3 has three words that tell the action (verbs). Line 4 has four words that express the feeling, and line 5 has one word which recalls the title.
- Free verse (vers libre)- Poetry written in unrhymed lines that have no set fixed metrical pattern.
- Haiku- A Japanese poem composed of three unrhymed lines of five, seven, and five syllables, usually containing a season word.
- Lyric- A poem that expresses the thoughts and feelings of the poet
- Narrative- A poem that tells a story
- Ode- A poem in honor of a subject and uses an elevated style.
- Rhyme- A rhyming poem has the repetition of the same or similar sounds of two or more words, often at the end of the line
- Sonnet- A lyric poem that consists of 14 lines which usually have one or more conventional rhyme schemes
Questions for Poetry Portfolio
1. Find a simile or a metaphor in one of your poems. Explain how it is used.
2. Find an example of personification in one of your poems. Explain how it is used.
3. Explain the imagery in one of your poems.
4. Find an example of a rhyme scheme and detail it.
5. Find an example of alliteration in one of your poems.
6. Explain the tone of one of your poems.
7. Explain the difference between your free style and rhyme poems.
8. Explain the difference between your narrative poem and your lyric poem.
9. In your acrostic poem, why did you choose that word? Which line of the poem do you think most embodies the description of you and why?
10. Why do you think a poet would write a biography poem? What can we learn by reading them?
11. Why do you think poems like cinquains and haikus are popular? Are they easier or harder to write and why?
12. Which do you enjoy writing more: free style or rhyming poetry? Why? Why do you think authors may choose one over the other?
13. Which do you enjoy writing more: narrative or lyric poems? Why? Why do you think authors many choose one over the other?
14. What is the point of an ode and why do you think it relies on a more elevated style?
15. Which of the poems that you wrote is your favorite and why?