Download Poetry Packet - Creative Writing

Poetry Packet
Notes: All poems (unless otherwise noted) must be at least five lines long. You must
complete at least one poem from each section and a total of 100 points. You may write one
type of poem twice; otherwise every poem must be of a different type. Label each poem as
to type and section. They need to look like poems – remember form and rhythm.
Section 1
Blank Verse – 10 points
Unrhymed lines of iambic pentameter (10 syllables/line; unstressed/stressed pairs)
Concrete – 8 points
Words should be in the shape of the poem’s subject (a poem about a car should be in
the shape of a car)
Outline the shape, fill in the shape, or trace movement of shape with words
Free Verse – 5 points
No specific contents
List I – 5 points
Make a list poem about the top 10 reasons you like something or someone – all the
qualities that make your best friend special, all the ingredients and actions it takes to
make a cake, etc.
List II – 5 points
Brainstorm a list of don’ts from childhood.
Every line starts with “Don’t.” The last line begins “And never, never…”
Use the entire sheet of paper for poem.
List of Twelve – 5 points
List all of the words and phrases that come to mind about the following:
Smell of gasoline
Saran wrap
Crystal
Cut with a knife
Smell of book
Gong
Cracking knuckles
Electric razors
Fish scales
Now put the words you wrote down into a poem.
Shrinklit – 8 points
Tells the main plot points of a novel.
Kissing
Sandpaper
Split pea soup
Section 2
Animal and Pet – 5 points
Option 1 – Write a “love” poem to your pet, including a description of the animal, its
favorite toys, and what its tag says.
Option 2 – If you don’t have a pet, write about the pet you wish you had.
Awe – 5 points
Relive an experience of awe or amazement
Bitterness – 5 points
Illustrate the feeling of bitterness, anger, protest, or even hate.
Color – 5 points
When you write any color poem, use different writing utensils.
Option 1 - Pick your favorite color and write a poem. Every line should say something
different about what the color represents.
Option 2 – Write a 10-line poem where every line is a different color. Look on crayons,
paint-store chips.
Option 3 – Pretend you’ve lost your sense of sight. How would you make up a poem to
describe a color? What does your color feel like? Sound like? Taste like?
End – 5 points
This will be the last thing your reader sees – what do you want for your final message?
Exaggeration – 5 points
Select a simple subject and exaggerate it. Make it a “fish” story.
In Ten Years – 5 points
Write about the world you imagine in ten years.
Invitation – 5 points
Invite readers to join you on a tour through your other poetry.
Provide glimpses of the strange, grotesque, and beautiful things you’ve written.
Memory – 5 points
Write a poem about a memory – any kind of memory – good or bad
Parody – 5 points
Imitate another work; usually an exaggeration for humorous effect
Renaming Objects – 5 points
Imagine you’ve been given the task of renaming certain objects in your world. Explain
why you chose the new names. Use rhyme.
Snack – 5 points
Write a tribute to some food.
Section 3
Cento – 5 points
Take lines from other poems and patch them together in a new way.
Pick lines from 10 different poems.
Cinquain – 8 points
Line 1 – 1 word, 2 syllables - noun
Line 2 – 4 syllables - 2 adjectives
Line 3 – 6 syllables - three word phrase with one word ending in -ing
Line 4 – 8 syllables - sentence fragment expressing feeling
Line 5 – 2 syllables - noun, synonym for first word
Diamante – 8 points
Centered, usually goes from subject at top to totally opposite subject at bottom
Line 1 – 1 noun (subject one)
Line 2 – 2 adjectives (describing subject one)
Line 3 – 3 participles (…ing words about subject one)
Line 4 – 4 nouns (1st 2 nouns relate to subject one, 2nd 2 nouns relate to subject two)
Line 5 – 3 participles (…ing words about subject two)
Line 6 – 2 adjectives (describing subject two)
Line 7 – 1 noun (subject two, synonym or antonym of line one)
Haiku – 5 points
Line 1 – 5 syllables in line
Line 2 – 7 syllables in line
Line 3 – 5 syllables in line
Lanterns – 8 points
Line 1 – 2 syllables in line
Line 2 – 2 syllables in line
Line 3 – 3 syllables in line
Line 4 – 4 syllables in line
Line 5 – 1 syllable in line
generally centered
can be centered
Parts of Speech – 5 points
Line 1 – 1 article (a, an, the) and 1 noun
Line 2 – 1 adjective, 1 conjunction, 1 verb
Line 3 – 1 verb, 1 conjunction, 1 verb
Line 4 – 1 adjective
Line 5 – 1 noun (relating to line 1)
Tanka – 8 points
Line 1 – 5 syllables in line
Line 2 – 7 syllables in line
Line 3 – 5 syllables in line
Line 4 – 7 syllables in line
Line 5 – 7 syllables in line
Section 4
ABC – 5 points
First line can be any letter
First 4 lines – initial letters of beginning word in each line are written alphabetically
Line 5 – begins with any letter
Clerihew – 5 points
4 line poem, makes a funny statement about a person, AABB rhyme scheme
Line 1 – ends with a person’s name
Line 2 – rhymes with line one
Lines 3 and 4 – rhyme with each other
Complex Name – 5 points
Written with lengthy lines and tells a story. First letter of each line spells the person’s name
Epigram – 5 points
Short satire ending with either a humorous retort or a stinging punchline. Used mainly as
expressions of social criticism or political satire, the most common forms are written as a
couplet: a pair of rhymed lines in the same meter.
Limerick – 5 points
Rhyme scheme is AABBA. Short, funny poem starts out “There once was a . . .” Has a
very specific rhythm.
Number – 5 points
Base poem on a sequence of numbers important to you – social security, zip code, date,
address, telephone, lucky, etc.
Sequence you choose sets pattern of syllables for poem
Stair – 5 points
(should like a set of stairs going up)
Step 1 – topic, one word
Step 2 – 3 adjectives describing topic
Step 3 – place or time connected with topic
Step 4 – synonym of topic with same meaning as topic
Section 5
DADA – 5 points
Write 10 verbs, 8 nouns and 5-10 pronouns on a piece of paper; arrange the words until
you like the way they look. It is like popsicle poetry.
Dictionary – 5 points
Open the dictionary to a random page. Find an entry with several definitions. This word is
the title. Create your definition using descriptive words and poetic devices, as well the
dictionary definitions; take out articles (a, an, the).
Found – 5 points
Find words on billboards, magazine covers, street signs, textbook chapter headings,
greeting cards, posters in the room, etc. Leave the words exactly as you found them
while you create your poem.
Headline – 8 points
Cut out at least 50 individual words from headlines in the newspaper. You can put
together parts of words (snarkles from snacks and trifles). Glue or tape your words to a
piece of paper. Looks like a ransom note
Terse Verse – 5 points
A short poem with long title or introduction; made up of big words and contains rhyme
Word Patterns – 5 points
One or two words that when used alone express the meaning of the word.
You must have at least five words.
Z-A – 8 points
Write a 26-line poem using a backward alphabet. It is like the ABC story.
Section 6
Alternator – 5 points
Option 1 – Sit with a friend and write alternating lines of a poem.
Option 2 – Sit down separately to write poems about a common theme. Then, alternating
lines, copy down the words as one poem.
A My Name Is – 5 points
You may use any letter, but all nouns must start with that letter.
Anagram – 3 points
A word or phrase that’s made by rearranging the letters of another word or phrase. You
must use all the letters. Must contain at least 7 letters.
Backwards – 5 points
Create a world where everything is all mixed-up or backwards. Instead of getting up in
the morning, do people get down? Do they wear gloves on their feet? Do dogs take their
owners for a walk? It is like “Opposite Day” for children.
Kangaroo Words – 3 points
One long word with shorter words tucked inside of it. A minimum of 10 shorter words
must come from one longer word.
Nonsense – 5 points
Invent incredible new words. Use funny sounds, puns, and onomatopoeia. Like Dr. Suess.
Zazzification – 3 points
Substitute the z sound for the first letter of most words in your poem.
Bonus Section
Villanelle – 15 points
19 lines with 6 stanzas; the first 5 stanzas are 3 lines long, the last stanza is 4 lines long.
The first and last lines of the first stanza take turns repeating as the final line of the next
four stanzas. In the last stanza they are the last two lines of the stanza.
Rhyme scheme is ABA, except for the last stanza which is ABAA.
Elizabethan Sonnet – 25 points
It is written in iambic pentameter (10 syllables/line; unstressed/stressed pairs) with a
rhyme scheme of ABAB CDCD EFEF GG.
The first 12 lines generally describe a problem, introduce an issue, or pose a question. The
last two lines resolve the problem, make general comments/conclusions, or answer the
question.