Poetry Portfolio

For this unit, you get to take control of your own learningboth in terms of what you
learn, and the order you want to learn it in. Just like when you go to a restaurant and
can choose what the meal you want to eat, with this, you will have different activities
to choose from to create your unit. Now, this is a quality classroom, so like eating at
any quality restaurant, there will be more than one course to choose meals for, so
choose wisely!
Appetizers: These are designed to help you familiarize yourself with what good
poets do to help you discover more about the process. These dishes will also help
you to better see how we use poetry as a way to express culture, beliefs, and ideas.
They are designed around a thick question to help guide your thinking as you
begin this project. You must complete one of these before starting other courses.
Main Course: There is one main dish with multiple parts. You must complete all
parts in order to successfully complete the assignment.
Side Dishes: These activities are to allow you to explore other aspects of poetry.
Some will add more onto your main course while others allow for more creativity.
You must complete 2 of these, but they can be done at any time and in any order.
Desserts: These activities allow you more opportunity to explore areas of interest.
You can complete any of them that you want to, but only after you have completed
all of the required dishes. Dessert is optional.
You will have time daily during your Language Arts block to work on the activities in
this learning menu, but be sure to use that time wisely. All appetizer, main course, and
side dish activities must be completed by March 24th. You can continue to work on
any dessert options beyond this date if you choose as they have no specific due date.
How does the menu work?
1. Use the guidelines above and additional details on the following pages to
complete your activities. Make sure you follow the directions carefully to
ensure you are showing us your best work and are successful in this project.
2. Use the check boxes provided to help you keep track of where you are for each
activity. As you may choose to work on more than one at a time, this will help
you keep from missing steps.
3. When you are finished with a main dish activity, share it quietly with a
classmate and have them sign and date your menu. You may only use each
classmate once.
4. When you are checking someones activity, you must make sure they completed
all of the steps. If they are missing part of the assignment, circle the checkbox
for them so they know what they forgot. You may also give suggestions on
what to improve. Do not sign their paper unless the entire activity is completed.

Appetizers:
(You must choose and complete at least one of these activities)

1. How do poetic elements aide in organizing and expressing ideas?

Read How to Eat a Poem by Eve Merriam and Unfolding Bud. By
Naoshi Koriyama
Each of these poems is an extended metaphor. This means the comparison is
made throughout the entirety of the poem instead of in just one line. To help
you understand the extended metaphor, draw what you are imagining while
you read. Have at least 2 drawings for each poem.
What is each author comparing? Write this under the drawing for each poem.
Write a short paragraph explaining how the use of this metaphor helped the
author to share their ideas. Think about what message the author is trying to
share with the reader.

2. How is the tone of a poem affected by the words chosen?

Read The Squirrel by Anonymous and To a Squirrel at Kyle-na-gno by
W.B. Yeats
What is the tone of each poem? Write one or two emotions for each poem.
Write a short paragraph comparing and contrasting the two poems. How did
the authors create the impression of these very different squirrels? What sort
of word choices did each author make? Think about the rhythm and rhyme
of the poems as you write your answer.

3. How do poets use descriptive elements to express their ideas?

Read The Lion by Mary Howitt and The Monkeys and the Crocodile by
Laura E. Richards
List 3 nouns and 3 verbs from each poem that help you to understand the
character of the animal.
Write a short paragraph describing one of these animals. Are they serious?
Silly? Scary? Something else? What clues do you have from the language or
format of the poem that lets you know?
Draw a picture of that animal as the author wants us to see them.

Main Course:
(You must complete all parts of the main dish. When youre finished with one part, ask a partner to
check that you have completed everything. They need to sign on the line agreeing that you are done.)

A. Writing Poetry in Different Forms

Choose 4 of the 6 forms of poetry that we studied. Circle your choices:
o Limerick
o Haiku
o Acrostic
o Concrete
o Sonnet
o Cinquain
Write one poem in each of these 4 formats, following all the rules of that
form. These poems can be about any topic you want. (Emotions, animals,
friends, vacations, sports, and many more are all acceptable. The important
thing is that you follow the poetic form.)
For the forms you did not choose, find one poem each that you like which
fits that form.
Signed: ______________________________________

Date: ____________

B. Poetic Elements.
Go back through the poems you wrote and identify the places where you
used the following poetic elements:
o Simile or Metaphor
o Hyperbole
o Alliteration or Assonance
o Personification
o Oxymoron or Onomatopoeia
If you are missing one or more of these elements, revise your writing to
include them.
**Note: You only have to include each of the required elements once in your
poems. You can have alliteration in one poem and simile in another, or they can
both be in the same poem.
Signed: ______________________________________

Date: ____________

C. Poetry Portfolio
Create a portfolio to display your work. This can take many forms, but some
examples include creating a book, organizing your work in a folder, or even
creating a digital portfolio.
Include a table of contents that identifies which poems fit each form and
contain each of the poetic elements. Make sure all 6 forms and all 5 elements
are represented in your portfolio.
For the poems you found, and any photos you used from the internet, include
a bibliography. You must have __________________________________
Make it attractive!
Signed: ______________________________________

Date: ____________

Side Dishes:
(You must complete at least two of these activities)

1. More Poetry Writing you may choose to write additional poems to include in
your portfolio. Check the two extra forms you are choosing to write.
An extra limerick, haiku, acrostic, concrete poem, cinquain, or sonnet
Free verse
I Am Poem
Diamonte

2. More Poetic Elements you may choose to include additional poetic elements
in your portfolio. Check the two extra elements you are choosing to write.
Extra simile/metaphor, hyperbole, alliteration/assonance, personification, or
oxymoron/onomatopoeia.
Pun
Imagery
Idiom

3. Choose 2 different poems by the same author to compare and contrast.

Complete a Venn Diagram for the poems where you have at least 2 similarities
and 3 differences.

4. Illustrate a Poem
Find a poem you like that we have not read in class.
Illustrate the poem in a way that helps the reader understand its meaning.
Write 2-3 sentences on the back explaining why you illustrated it this way.

5. Create a poetry glossary for your portfolio where you define all of the elements
of poetry and different poetic forms. Include this at the end of your portfolio.

6. Create your own idiom dictionary using at least 10 examples. Make sure to
explain the figurative meanings.

Desserts
(These can be done only after you have completed the required dishes and you have extra time.
These are completely optional. You choose how many you want to do.)

1. Do an additional side dish or appetizer.

2. Research a known poet. What can you discover about his/her life and style of
writing? Why do you find this poet interesting and why did you choose to
research him/her? Write 2-3 paragraphs to share this information.

3. Give a dramatic reading of one of your poems to a small group of classmates

(pre-planned with teacher). Use instruments to accompany your reading.

4. Play these games and record your highest score:

http://www.starrmatica.com/standalone/starrMaticaFigurativeLanguageBaseball.swf

http://ereadinggames.com/orpheus/
Baseball: _____________

Orpheus: _____________

5. Write at least 3 jokes (or puns) using at least one kind of figurative language in
each. You may include illustrations if you choose.

6. Create and record a 30-second radio advertisement that encourages people to

use more of one type of figurative language (your choice) when they talk.

How to Eat a Poem

By Eve Merriam
Don't be polite.
Bite in.
Pick it up with your fingers and lick the juice that
may run down your chin.
It is ready and ripe now, whenever you are.
You do not need a knife or fork or spoon
or plate or napkin or tablecloth.
For there is no core
or stem
or rind
or pit
or seed
or skin
to throw away.

Unfolding Bud
By Naoshi Koriyama
One is amazed
By a water-lily bud
Unfolding
With each passing day,
Taking on a richer color
And new dimensions.
One is not amazed,
At first glance,
By a poem,
Which is tight-closed
As a tiny bud.
Yet one is surprised
To see the poem
Gradually unfolding,
Revealing its rich inner self
As one reads it
Again
And over again.

The Squirrel
By Anonymous
Whisky, frisky,
Hippity hop;
Up he goes
To the tree top!
Whirly, twirly,
Round and round,
Down he scampers
To the ground.
Furly, curly
What a tail!
Tall as a feather
Broad as a sail!
Wheres his supper?
In the shell,
Snappity, crackity,
Out it fell.

To a Squirrel at Kyle-na-gno
By W.B. Yeats
Come play with me;
Why should you run
Through the shaking tree
As though Id a gun
To strike you dead?
When all I would do
Is scratch your head
And let you go.

The Lion
by Mary Howitt
When Lion sends his roaring forth,
Silence falls upon the earth;
For the creatures, great and small,
Know his terror-breathing call;
And, as if by death pursued,
Leave him to a solitude.
Lion, thou art made to dwell
In hot lands, intractable,
And thyself, the sun, the sand,
Are a tyrannous triple band;
Lion-king and desert throne,
All the region is your own!

The Monkeys and the

Crocodile
by Laura Elizabeth Richards
Five little monkeys
Swinging from a tree;
Teasing Uncle Crocodile,
Merry as can be.
Swinging high, swinging low,
Swinging left and right:
Dear Uncle Crocodile,
Come and take a bite!
Five little monkeys
Swinging in the air;
Heads up, tails up,
Little do they care.
Swinging up, swinging down,
Swinging far and near:
Poor Uncle Crocodile,
Aren't you hungry, dear?
Four little monkeys
Sitting in a tree;
Heads down, tails down,
Dreary as can be.
Weeping loud, weeping low,
Crying to each other:
Wicked Uncle Crocodile
To gobble up our brother!

Language Arts

Language Arts and WSS

WSS

Poetry Portfolio Rubric

Task
completion

Portfolio
Appearance
Language Arts
- Communicates ideas
effectively in writing
- Effort
Work and Study Skills
- Puts effort into
presenting work

Appetizer Poem
Interpretation
- Accurately comprehends
texts
- Communicates ideas
effectively in writing

Language Arts and Unit of Inquiry

Main Dish Writes 4 poems

following 4
different forms
Language Arts
- Communicates ideas
effectively in writing
- Applies knowledge about
spelling rules to writing
UOI
- Effectively communicates
what has been learned
- Shows understanding &
application of concepts

Side Dishes
Language Arts
- Communicates ideas
effectively in writing
- Applies knowledge about
spelling rules to writing
UOI
- Effectively communicates
what has been learned
- Shows understanding &
application of concepts

A
Completes all
required dishes
and at least 1
dessert.
Portfolio shows
creativity and
imagination in
construction
and
organization,
going beyond
the given
criteria.

B
Completes 1 appetizer, the
entire main dish, and 2 side
dishes.

N
Missing more
than 1 dish or
all dishes are
incomplete.
Portfolio is organized logically. Portfolio does
Portfolio does
not fit one of
not fit two or
All poems, table of contents,
the criteria for a more of the
and any related side dishes or
B.
criteria for a B.
desserts are presented in an
appealing way.
Free from erasure marks and
smudges.

Any illustrations match poems.

Completes
Completes one appetizer
more than one
option and all answers are
appetizer option correct.
and all answers
are correct

Poems GO
ABOVE AND
BEYOND the
criteria for a B.
Show
creativity!

C
Missing 1
entire dish.

All poems follow the rules of

the form.

Completes one
appetizer
option, but
written
explanation is
confusing or
missing pieces.
Poems do not
fit one of the
criteria for a B.

At least one of each type of

figurative language is used in
the student-created poems.

Appetizer
answers are all
incorrect.

Poems do not
fit two or more
of the criteria
for a B.

All of the figures of speech are

identified correctly.
Most words are spelled
correctly unless the misspelling
has a poetic purpose.
Dishes GO
Dishes that explain figurative
Dishes are
difficult to
ABOVE AND language have correct
BEYOND the
definitions and usage.
follow in places
expectations for
there are
a B. They show All statements comparing or
either 3 or
explaining are easy to follow.
fewer small
creativity!
problems, or
Most words are spelled
one problem
correctly.
with an entire
side dish.
Completion of the side dishes
shows an understanding of
poetry and poetic elements.

Incorrect
explanations or
entire
explanation is
confusing.