Download Creative Writing

1.2.7
Practice: Character Sketch
Creative Writing
Practice
Name:
Date:
Assignment
Write a character sketch (or description) introducing a reader to a character of your
own creation. Your sketch should be at least 8 to 10 sentences long.
Include vivid details that make the character "come alive."
Use direct and indirect characterization to reveal who your character is.
For extra help on completing your assignment, click your practice guide.
Tips for Success
In the last lesson, you learned a lot about how writers create vivid characters. Put that
knowledge to use as you write your character sketch. Feel free to look back at the
character work you have already done in other assignments.
Use physical description to help the reader picture what your character looks like.
Remember that the details of your character's appearance can suggest things
about the character's inner life, too.
Show what your character's inner life is like. This includes the character's
personality, thoughts, feelings, hopes, and fears. Remember the advice "show,
don't tell." Make sure to describe actions, habits, and speech that help readers "see
for themselves."
Make your character complex. In some situations, your character may act one
way, but different circumstances may bring out another side. Real people aren't
always 100 percent consistent, and your character doesn't have to be, either.
Suggest your character's motivation. Show or tell something your character
wants.
Self-Assessment Checklist
1.2.7
Practice: Character Sketch
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Read each question and evaluate your character sketch. If the answer to the question
is yes, check the box to the left. If the answer is no, go back and revise your work.
Your teacher will use these same guiding questions to score your character sketch.
Quality of Ideas
Did I demonstrate an understanding of the assignment by:
Writing a description of an original character?
Using vivid details?
Did I demonstrate the ability to think creatively by:
Using my language or ideas in a creative way?
Including surprising details about my character?
Did I demonstrate an ability to use different types of characterization by:
Using direct characterization?
Using indirect characterization?
Did I demonstrate an ability to "show, not tell" by:
Describing actions that reveal my character's inner life?
Describing habits that reveal my character's inner life?
Including speech that reveals my character's inner life?
Did I demonstrate an understanding of motivation by:
Showing or telling something my character wants?
Form and Presentation
Did I follow presentation requirements by:
Using 12-point font and standard margins?
Writing 8 to 10 sentences?
Style
1.2.7
Practice: Character Sketch
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Did I use a variety of sentence types (simple, compound, and complex)?
Did I avoid run-on sentences and fragments?
Did I check for spelling and grammatical errors?
Did I use an appropriate tone?
Did I use correct verb forms?
Did I use proper subject-verb and pronoun-antecedent agreement?
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copying, reuse, or redistribution is prohibited. Apex Learning ® and the Apex Learning Logo are registered trademarks of
Apex Learning Inc.
1.2.7
Practice: Character Sketch
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Practice: Short Scene with Character and
POV
Creative Writing
Name:
Date:
1.4.5
Practice
Assignment
Write the opening of a short story, introducing at least one main character. Use what
you have learned about character and point of view to let the reader understand your
character's personality and views on life. Your story opening should be at least one
typed, double-spaced page.
Show what your character is like, particularly his or her inner life.
Establish a consistent point of view.
Use psychic distance to show the relationship of the narrator to the character;
or
Suggest whether the narrator is reliable or unreliable.
For extra help on completing your assignment, click your practice guide.
Tips for Success
In the last lesson, you learned a lot about how writers create characters and establish
point of view. Put that knowledge to use as you write your story opening. Feel free to
look back at the work you have already done in other assignments.
Use vivid details to help the reader imagine the character.
Imagine a motivation for your character and let that motivation influence what the
character says and does.
Decide whether you want to write in the first, second, or third person.
If you choose first person, decide whether your narrator is reliable or unreliable.
If you choose third person, think about how much psychic distance you will use.
Self-Assessment Checklist
1.4.5
Practice: Short Scene with Character and POV
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Read each question and evaluate your story opening. If the answer to the question is
yes, check the box to the left. If the answer is no, go back and revise your work. Your
teacher will use these same guiding questions to score your story opening.
Quality of Ideas
Did I demonstrate an understanding of the assignment by:
Writing the opening of a short story, including at least one character?
Establishing a consistent point of view?
Did I demonstrate the ability to think creatively by:
Using my language or ideas in a creative way?
Creating an original character, rather than a stereotype?
Using point of view to create interesting effects?
Did I demonstrate an understanding of character by:
Using vivid details to make my character come alive?
Choosing an interesting motivation for my character?
Making my character complex?
Choosing a point of view that effectively reveals my character?
Did I demonstrate an understanding of point of view by:
Making an appropriate choice about point of view?
Using this point of view to create a specific effect?
Did I demonstrate an understanding of psychic distance by:
Using psychic distance to show the relationship between the narrator and the
character?
Using a consistent psychic distance or varying psychic distance gradually?
Did I demonstrate an understanding of unreliable and reliable narrators by:
Helping the reader understand whether my narrator was reliable or unreliable?
Form and Presentation
1.4.5
Practice: Short Scene with Character and POV
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Did I follow presentation requirements by:
Using 12-point font and standard margins?
Writing one typed, double-spaced page?
Style
Did I use a variety of sentence types (simple, compound, and complex)?
Did I avoid run-on sentences and fragments?
Did I check for spelling and grammatical errors?
Did I use an appropriate tone?
Did I use correct verb forms?
Did I use proper subject-verb and pronoun-antecedent agreement?
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copying, reuse, or redistribution is prohibited. Apex Learning ® and the Apex Learning Logo are registered trademarks of
Apex Learning Inc.
1.4.5
Practice: Short Scene with Character and POV
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2.2.7
Practice: Jump In: Action and Tension
Creative Writing
Name:
Date:
Practice
Assignment
Write a short scene introducing a conflict and foreshadowing what happens later.
Your scene should be at least one typed, double-spaced page.
Keep in mind that conflict happens when someone wants something but has to
struggle to get it.
Create tension by not resolving the conflict too quickly. Let the reader wonder how
the conflict will be resolved.
Use foreshadowing to hint at — but not reveal! — what happens later in the story.
Use active language to keep your reader engaged.
For extra help on completing your assignment, click your practice guide.
Tips for Success
In the last study, you experimented with ways writers can create conflict and tension.
Now you can put that knowledge to use as you write your short scene. Feel free to
look back at the work you have already done in other assignments throughout the
studies to get inspiration or borrow ideas.
When you create your conflict, imagine something your character really wants.
Think about why your character wants that thing and how he or she feels not to
get it right away. Help the reader understand why this conflict matters to the
character.
Let your character take some kind of action to get the thing he or she wants, and
start to show what happens as a result.
Don't resolve the conflict too quickly. Build tension by making the reader guess
how the conflict will be resolved.
2.2.7
Practice: Jump In: Action and Tension
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Include at least one sentence that foreshadows what will happen later in this
story. This sentence should be a small hint about how the conflict will get better
or worse.
Use active language to complement the action in the scene. Choose action verbs
that suggest feelings and other associations. Whenever you can, use the active
rather than passive voice.
Self-Assessment Checklist
Read each question and evaluate your short scene. If the answer to the question is
"yes," check the box to the left. If the answer is "no," go back and revise your work.
Your teacher will use these same guiding questions to score your scene.
Quality of Ideas
2.2.7
Practice: Jump In: Action and Tension
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Did I demonstrate an understanding of the assignment by:
Writing about something the character wants but can't get?
Showing what action the character takes to get what he or she wants?
Did I demonstrate the ability to think creatively by:
Inventing an original conflict that matters to the character?
Developing actions that make sense in the context of the character's
personality?
Did I demonstrate an understanding of conflict by:
Showing a problem or struggle the character faces?
Clearly suggesting what the character wants in the situation?
Did I demonstrate an understanding of tension by:
Using language that makes the reader want to keep reading?
Not revealing how the conflict is resolved?
Did I demonstrate an understanding of foreshadowing by:
Hinting at — but not revealing — what happens later in the story?
Did I demonstrate an ability to use active language by:
Using action verbs whenever possible?
Choosing verbs that suggest feelings and associations relevant to the scene?
Revising passive voice to active voice whenever possible?
Form and Presentation
Did I follow presentation requirements by:
Using 12-point font and standard margins?
Writing one typed double-spaced page?
Style
2.2.7
Practice: Jump In: Action and Tension
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3/4
Did I use a variety of sentence types (simple, compound, and complex)?
Did I avoid run-on sentences and fragments?
Did I check for spelling and grammatical errors?
Did I use an appropriate tone?
Did I use correct verb forms?
Did I use proper subject-verb and pronoun-antecedent agreement?
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copying, reuse, or redistribution is prohibited. Apex Learning ® and the Apex Learning Logo are registered trademarks of
Apex Learning Inc.
2.2.7
Practice: Jump In: Action and Tension
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Practice: Writing a Scene with a Beginning,
Middle,
and
End
Creative Writing
Name:
Date:
2.4.5
Practice
Assignment
Write a short scene with a beginning, middle, and end. Your scene should be at least
two typed, double-spaced pages.
To begin, choose a setting for your scene. It is fine for the setting to be familiar to
your readers — maybe a café, classroom, supermarket, or living room.
Keep in mind that a flashback helps reveal why a character acts the way he or she
does, illuminating tensions between that character and others.
Provide a bridge between what is happening in the present and what happened in
the past. Your transition from the present to the past might be triggered by a
sensory detail, such as a scent ("A whiff of lemon cake brought Kit back to her
17th birthday . . ."), a song lyric, or a childhood setting.
Remember, pacing is vital. The flashback should deepen or illuminate the main
action of the story so that the reader can momentarily let go of the forward
movement of the narrative in exchange for a deeper understanding of the story.
For extra help on completing your assignment, click your practice guide.
Tips for Success
In the last study, you experimented with ways writers can use flashbacks. Now you
can put that knowledge to use as you write your short scene. Feel free to look back at
the work you have already done in other assignments in this course to get inspiration
or borrow ideas.
The last two studies offered you several opportunities to explore memories. Now
the trick is to develop a scene which includes a flashback. Your scene should be
framed by a beginning, which takes place in real story time (in this case, the
present tense), and an end, which catches the reader back up to the present.
2.4.5
Practice: Writing a Scene with a Beginning, Middle, and End
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Your flashback should have some kind of emotional center. How does this
flashback help the reader understand what is happening in the present?
Even though this is a relatively short assignment, the beginning of your scene
should keep the story of the present moving. As much as possible, help your
reader to care about your character and take interest in his or her past.
Use active language to complement the action in the scene. Choose action verbs
that suggest feelings and other associations. Whenever you can, use the active
rather than the passive voice.
Self-Assessment Checklist
Read each question and evaluate your short scene. If the answer to the question is
"yes," check the box to the left. If the answer is "no," go back and revise your work.
Your teacher will use these same guiding questions to score your scene.
Quality of Ideas
2.4.5
Practice: Writing a Scene with a Beginning, Middle, and End
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Did I demonstrate an understanding of the assignment by:
Writing a scene featuring a flashback that is crucial to understanding the
present?
Including a beginning, middle, and end?
Did I demonstrate the ability to think creatively by:
Inventing a strong setting that makes sense for the content of the scene?
Developing actions that make sense in the context of the character's
personality?
Did I demonstrate an understanding of flashback by:
Writing a flashback with an emotional center?
Using strong emotional or grammatical transitions to the past and back to the
present?
Did I demonstrate an understanding of pacing by:
Paying attention to the rhythm of my sentences?
By being attentive to pacing, using the right mix of summary and scene?
Did I demonstrate an ability to use active language by:
Using action verbs whenever possible?
Choosing verbs that suggest feelings and associations relevant to the scene
Revising passive voice to active voice whenever possible?
Form and Presentation
Did I follow presentation requirements by:
Using 12-point font and standard margins?
Writing at least two typed double-spaced pages?
Style
2.4.5
Practice: Writing a Scene with a Beginning, Middle, and End
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Did I use a variety of sentence types (simple, compound, and complex)?
Did I avoid run-on sentences and fragments?
Did I check for spelling and grammatical errors?
Did I use an appropriate tone?
Did I use correct verb forms?
Did I use proper subject-verb and pronoun-antecedent agreement?
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copying, reuse, or redistribution is prohibited. Apex Learning ® and the Apex Learning Logo are registered trademarks of
Apex Learning Inc.
2.4.5
Practice: Writing a Scene with a Beginning, Middle, and End
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Practice: Lightning Bolt: Write Your Own
Piece
of
Flash
Creative WritingFiction
Name:
Date:
3.2.7
Practice
Assignment
Write a piece of flash fiction with at least one character, a conflict, and some kind of
change between the beginning and end (in other words, a plot). Your flash fiction
should be no longer than 500 words.
Sketch your characters and setting quickly by using one or two vivid details,
instead of long descriptions.
Use the power of suggestion wherever possible, relying on what your reader is
likely to know about objects and situations.
Create tension by introducing a conflict and making the reader guess how it will
be resolved.
Choose words carefully to convey a sense of the characters, setting, and plot.
For extra help on completing your assignment, click your practice guide.
Tips for Success
In the last lesson, you studied and experimented with ways writers use compression
and suggestion to convey a lot of meaning in a short fictional form. Put that
knowledge to use as you write your flash fiction. Feel free to look back at the work
you have already done in other assignments.
It may help to plan your plot ahead of time, before you start writing.
Keep your plot simple — you don't have a lot of time to develop it!
Remember that conflict occurs when someone wants something but has to
struggle to get it. It may help to brainstorm a few conflicts before you decide on
one that might work well for this genre.
Introduce the conflict right away. If possible, introduce it in the first sentence.
3.2.7
Practice: Lightning Bolt: Write Your Own Piece of Flash Fiction
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Choose details that carry a lot of meaning. For example, saying that a character
has blond hair doesn't tell the reader much about the character. But saying that
the character wears a wig brings up a lot of associations!
Show the setting clearly, especially if it is important to the story, but don't worry
about describing it in detail.
Think about what your reader probably already knows about objects and
situations. For example, if your character is at a school, assume your reader
knows there are desks, chairs, books, teachers, and students there.
Self-Assessment Checklist
Read each question and evaluate your flash fiction. If the answer to the question is
"yes," check the box to the left. If the answer is "no," go back and revise your work.
Your teacher will use these same guiding questions to score your work.
Quality of Ideas
3.2.7
Practice: Lightning Bolt: Write Your Own Piece of Flash Fiction
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2/4
Did I demonstrate an understanding of the assignment by:
Writing a piece of flash fiction with at least one character, a setting, and a plot?
Using compression to tell the story quickly?
Using suggestion to convey a lot of meaning in just a few words?
Did I demonstrate the ability to think creatively by:
Inventing an interesting, original plot?
Finding creative ways to work within the word limit?
Choosing words, objects, and situations that can be conveyed vividly in few
words?
Did I demonstrate an understanding of compression by:
Conveying a lot of meaning in relatively few words?
Leaving out unnecessary information?
Using suggestion wherever possible to imply, rather than tell?
Did I demonstrate an understanding of genre by:
Selecting a plot and a situation that can be developed into a piece of flash
fiction?
Writing a compressed but complete story, rather than writing part of a longer
story?
Did I demonstrate an ability to make good word choices by:
Using words that carry meaningful associations?
Choosing active verbs?
Using active voice instead of passive voice whenever possible?
Form and Presentation
Did I follow presentation requirements by:
Using 12-point font and standard margins?
Writing no more than 500 words?
3.2.7
Practice: Lightning Bolt: Write Your Own Piece of Flash Fiction
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Style
Did I use a variety of sentence types (simple, compound, and complex)?
Did I avoid run-on sentences and fragments?
Did I check for spelling and grammatical errors?
Did I use an appropriate tone?
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copying, reuse, or redistribution is prohibited. Apex Learning ® and the Apex Learning Logo are registered trademarks of
Apex Learning Inc.
3.2.7
Practice: Lightning Bolt: Write Your Own Piece of Flash Fiction
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3.4.5
Practice: Write a Short Story
Creative Writing
Practice
Name:
Date:
Assignment
For this assignment, you’ll write a complete short story with a beginning, middle, and
end. You'll incorporate all the essential story ingredients necessary to keep a reader
interested and engaged in your work from start to finish. In the end, your final short
story should be at least three to five pages and be typed, double-spaced, revised and
proofread — in other words, ready to meet the world!
Tips for Success
Take a moment to look back over your notes and writing so far as you think about
what story you’d like to write for this assignment. Feel free to borrow from your earlier
drafts, scenes, beginnings, notes, or sketches to use as inspiration or building
material for your story — or just begin fresh with a new idea and your imagination.
As you write your story, you’ll want to make sure to incorporate essential story
elements such as:
Interesting, complex characters
A vivid setting
A narrative point of view (such as first person, third person limited, third person
omniscient, etc.)
An intriguing plot
And to keep your reader engaged from start to finish, you’ll also want to remember to:
Establish a conflict.
Suggest characters’ motivation.
Build tension toward a climax/resolution.
Maintain pacing (balancing scene versus summary).
Consider when and where to use dialogue.
3.4.5
Practice: Write a Short Story
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Include sensory details and active language.
Use show versus tell.
Consider the effects of tone on the work as a whole.
The overall content and structure of your story is up to you, and you’re welcome to
use any other writing techniques you’ve tried along the way, as long as the story feels
complete with a beginning, middle, and end of some kind.
Once you’ve written a first draft, proofread it for any small errors and revise it for
word choice, coherence, and flow to make this piece the best that it can be.
Self-Assessment Checklist
Read each question and evaluate your short story. If the answer to the question is
"yes," check the box to the left. If the answer is "no," go back and revise your work.
Your teacher will use these same guiding questions to score your story opening.
Quality of Ideas
3.4.5
Practice: Write a Short Story
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copying, reuse, or redistribution is prohibited.
2/4
Did I demonstrate an understanding of the assignment by:
Writing a short story with a beginning, middle, and end that includes essential
story elements and engages the reader?
Reading through and revising the story’s first draft to create a final polished
piece?
Did I demonstrate the ability to think creatively by:
Using my language and ideas in a creative way?
Creating a story that engages a reader from beginning to end?
Using vivid details to make my story “come alive”?
Did I demonstrate an understanding of a story’s basic elements by:
Creating original, vivid, and complex characters?
Creating a vivid setting (or settings) where the action takes place?
Using a consistent point of view that effectively reveals the story in an
interesting way?
Creating action and plot that includes basic exposition, rising action, climax,
falling action, and denouement?
Did I demonstrate an understanding of keeping the reader engaged by:
Establishing a conflict to help build tension, moving toward the story’s climax?
Suggesting the characters’ motivation and inner life to add depth and tension
to the story?
Balancing scene versus summary and using show versus tell to keep the
pacing exciting and the writing fresh?
Using dialogue to help reveal character, pull the reader in, and affect pacing?
Using word choice to create an interesting emotional atmosphere and overall
tone?
Creating an opening that pulls the reader in with questions?
Creating an ending that fits the plot but doesn’t feel too obvious or too
random?
Did I demonstrate an understanding of revision from first draft to final draft by:
3.4.5
Practice: Write a Short Story
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3/4
Working to improve consistency and flow throughout the piece?
Adding details, improving word choice, and using more active language when
possible?
Form and Presentation
Did I follow presentation requirements by:
Using 12-point font and standard margins?
Writing at least three to five double-spaced pages?
Style
Did I use a variety of sentence types (simple, compound, and complex)?
Did I avoid run-on sentences and fragments?
Did I check for spelling and grammatical errors?
Did I use an appropriate tone?
Did I use correct verb forms?
Did I use proper subject-verb and pronoun-antecedent agreement?
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copying, reuse, or redistribution is prohibited. Apex Learning ® and the Apex Learning Logo are registered trademarks of
Apex Learning Inc.
3.4.5
Practice: Write a Short Story
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Practice: Write a Short Poem by Stacking
Words
and
Images
Creative Writing
Name:
Date:
4.2.7
Practice
Assignment
Write a poem in which you focus on sensory detail, connotation, and etymology. Pay
attention to word choice, making sure you have a reason to use each word you've
chosen. Poetry doesn't just tell a story; it can work on many other levels as well. Try to
select words whose connotations work together to create an interesting image in the
mind of the reader. Look up the etymologies of some of your words and see if they
suggest interesting ideas to write about as well. Use a clean, easily readable font.
Your final poem should be at least 14 lines long.
Focus on the sensory details of your images and let the vividness of your details
suggest some kind of emotion.
Work out the etymologies of some of your words and explore the connotations of
the words you've chosen. Use what you've learned about your words to enrich the
images in the poem and your reader's experience.
Use the tools you've learned to try to create specific images that build on one
another in the reader's mind.
For extra help on completing your assignment, click your practice guide.
Tips for Success
In this lesson, you studied and experimented with ways poets use imagery and
connotation to create intensity within a small space. Use what you've seen and read
when you're writing your poem here. Feel free to look back on the assignments you've
already completed to help you get started.
Sometimes it helps to jot down a few images or words you find interesting before
you start writing.
If you're not sure where to begin, you can look back at some of the writing you've
already done. You can also look around the room you're in and gather sensory
details or check your writer's notebook for an image that inspires you.
4.2.7
Practice: Write a Short Poem by Stacking Words and Images
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After you've created some images, take a few of the words you're interested in
and brainstorm a cloud of associated ideas. Try to express some of these
associations in the form of sensory details or images. Ask yourself whether any
of the associated words you brainstormed might be more effective than the
original one you used.
Look up a few of the words you want to use and familiarize yourself with their
history. See if that information helps you come up with any other images. Write
these images down, too.
Once you've brainstormed at least 10 to 20 different images, choose 5 to 10 of
the most interesting ones (whether they seem to relate to one another or not) and
see what happens when you put them together.
Let the combinations of words and images do the work for you. Try not to worry
too much about making the poem have a plot or even a point — the imagery is the
point! You don't want everything to seem so similar that the reader gets bored.
There should be an element of surprise in these images and how they relate to
one another.
Does some feeling seem to emerge from this combination of images? Are there
any sensory details you could add to bring this out a little more?
Would ordering the images differently bring out a different feeling or overall
effect? Play with the order until you find a feeling or overall impression that you
like. Pay special attention to the impression that your first and last images might
create for your reader.
Read back through your work one more time and see if there's anything else you
might add to intensify the effect of your work.
Self-Assessment Checklist
Read each question and evaluate your poem. If the answer to the question is "Yes,"
check the box to the left. If the answer is "No," go back and revise your work. Your
teacher will use these same guiding questions to score your work.
4.2.7
Practice: Write a Short Poem by Stacking Words and Images
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Quality of Ideas
Did I demonstrate an effort to address the ideas in the lesson by:
Writing a poem with several sensory details?
Using imagery that is specific enough to create a vivid sense of reality?
Using words whose connotations are interesting in the context of the rest of
the poem?
Did I demonstrate the ability to think creatively by:
Creating a vivid, original poem?
Finding creative ways to get intensity out of only a few words?
Choosing words carefully and making sure the words are vivid and concrete?
Did I demonstrate an understanding of connotation by:
Choosing words whose associations are meaningful and interesting in the
context?
Showing an ability to work with a word's etymology?
Form and Presentation
Did I follow presentation requirements by:
Using a clear, easily readable font?
Writing at least 14 lines?
Style
Did I use proper punctuation?
Did I check for spelling and grammatical errors?
Did I use an appropriate tone?
4.2.7
Practice: Write a Short Poem by Stacking Words and Images
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Apex Learning Inc.
4.2.7
Practice: Write a Short Poem by Stacking Words and Images
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Practice: Write a Poem Emphasizing
Figurative
Language
Creative Writing
4.4.5
Practice
Name:
Date:
Assignment
Write a poem using sensory detail, vivid images, and figurative language. Use what
you have learned about metaphor, simile, metonymy, and allusion to make your
words feel new and powerful. Your poem should be at least 10 lines and . . .
Use at least one metaphor or simile to compare things that are not usually
associated.
Use at least one example of metonymy, substituting one thing with something
else that is closely associated with it.
Use one or more of the following figures of speech:
Personification
Synesthesia
Symbol
Allusion
For extra help on completing your assignment, click your practice guide.
Tips for Success
In the last lesson, you learned many different techniques poets use to make their
language different and new. Put that knowledge to use as you write your poem. Feel
free to look back at the work you have already done for other assignments.
Use vivid images that appeal to the five senses.
Whenever possible, try to show rather than tell.
Consider connotations and denotations to make sure you choose the best words
for your poem.
4.4.5
Practice: Write a Poem Emphasizing Figurative Language
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Remember that metaphors and similes compare things that are not usually
associated.
Remember that metonymy "renames" something using an object closely
associated with it.
Use at least one example of personification, synesthesia, symbol, or allusion —
just one is fine; there is no need to try all four. Try to let your choice grow naturally
out of the poem as you write it.
After you compose your poem, look for places where you can replace abstraction
with specific detail.
Self-Assessment Checklist
Read each question and evaluate your story opening. If the answer to the question is
"Yes," check the box to the left. If the answer is "No," go back and revise your work.
Your teacher will use these same guiding questions to score your poem.
Quality of Ideas
4.4.5
Practice: Write a Poem Emphasizing Figurative Language
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Did I demonstrate an understanding of the assignment by:
Writing a poem of at least 10 lines?
Using vivid images and figurative language?
Paying attention to how my language sounds?
Writing a poem rather than a piece of prose?
Did I demonstrate the ability to think creatively by:
Making my language sound new and different?
Creating original images?
Appealing to the reader's senses in new ways?
Did I demonstrate an understanding of imagery by:
Showing rather than telling wherever possible?
Using language that wakes up the five senses?
Did I demonstrate an understanding of figurative language by:
Making interesting comparisons using original similes or metaphors?
Effectively using metonymy to "rename" an object or idea using a closely
associated object?
Using personification, synesthesia, symbol, or allusion to make my language
interesting and powerful?
Form and Presentation
Did I follow presentation requirements by:
Using 12-point font and standard margins?
Writing at least 10 lines of poetry?
Style
4.4.5
Practice: Write a Poem Emphasizing Figurative Language
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Did I use language that sounds strange and new?
Did I choose images that appeal to the reader's five senses?
Did I check for spelling and grammatical errors?
Did I use an appropriate tone?
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copying, reuse, or redistribution is prohibited. Apex Learning ® and the Apex Learning Logo are registered trademarks of
Apex Learning Inc.
4.4.5
Practice: Write a Poem Emphasizing Figurative Language
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Practice: Write a Poem Using Rhyming
Elements
Creative Writing
Name:
Date:
5.2.7
Practice
Assignment
Write a poem in which you focus on the elements of rhyme. You can use perfect
rhyme or slant rhyme, and your poem should include examples of both end rhyme
and internal rhyme. Poetry, as we have seen, is often made more vivid by powerful
word choice and imagery; however, sounds are a vital part of the poet's toolbox, and a
poem with surprising and enchanting sounds can thrill a reader no matter what the
images are. Work out the end rhymes for each line of your poem before you start
writing, and try to include internal rhymes as well. Use a clean, easily readable font.
Your final poem should be at least 14 lines long.
Focus on the sounds of the poem and let the power of the rhymes do the work.
Explore possibilities of rhymes you may not have used before. Can you find
rhymes that are made of more than one or two syllables? How about a slant
rhyme?
How many rhymes can a poet include before the poem starts to feel clunky?
Experiment with your poem to see what amount of rhyming feels right.
For extra help completing your assignment, click your practice guide.
Tips for Success
If you are having trouble picking words, choose ones you find interesting for any
reason whatsoever. Maybe you like their sounds or the images they conjure up.
Maybe the ideas behind these words fascinate you. If you're having trouble
finding rhymes for your words, try using slant rhymes.
5.2.7
Practice: Write a Poem Using Rhyming Elements
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Were there sections of your poem you really struggled with? It may be worth
reconsidering your end rhymes.
Does some kind of order seem to emerge from your rhymes and images? Is there
an overall feeling or theme to your poem? Are there any sensory details or rhymes
you could add that would help emphasize this theme?
How would switching around the order of the lines change the feeling of your
poem? Play with the line sequence and see what changes when the lines are
moved to different places. Keep switching them around until you find an order
that seems right to you.
Remember, rhyme is a tool that writers use to pull a reader in. Read back over your
work and see if you can change anything to intensify a reader's interest.
Self-Assessment Checklist
Read each question and evaluate your poem. If the answer to the question is yes,
check the box to the left. If the answer is no, go back and revise your work. Your
teacher will use these same guiding questions to score your work.
Quality of Ideas
Did I demonstrate an effort to address the ideas in the lesson by:
Writing a poem utilizing end rhyme?
Including slant rhyme and internal rhyme so that the rhymes seem fresh and
interesting?
Using rhymes that seem interesting and avoid sounding clichéd?
Did I demonstrate the ability to think creatively by:
Creating a vivid, original poem?
Finding creative ways to get intensity out of only a few words?
Choosing words carefully and making sure the words are vivid and concrete?
5.2.7
Practice: Write a Poem Using Rhyming Elements
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Form and Presentation
Did I follow presentation requirements by:
Using a clear, easily readable font?
Writing at least 14 lines?
Style
Did I use proper punctuation?
Did I check for spelling and grammatical errors?
Did I use an appropriate tone?
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copying, reuse, or redistribution is prohibited. Apex Learning ® and the Apex Learning Logo are registered trademarks of
Apex Learning Inc.
5.2.7
Practice: Write a Poem Using Rhyming Elements
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5.4.5
Practice: Writing with Sound and Rhythm
Creative Writing
Name:
Date:
Practice
Assignment
Write a poem using alliteration, assonance, and different kinds of rhyme. Use what
you have learned about rhythm, meter, lines, and stanzas to shape the sounds of your
language in exciting, interesting ways. Your poem should be at least 10 lines long.
Use alliteration, assonance, and at least one type of rhyme.
Create a pattern, either using meter or a certain number of syllables in your lines.
Use a mix of end-stopping and enjambment.
Group your lines into at least two stanzas.
For extra help on completing your assignment, click your practice guide.
Tips for Success
In the last lesson, you learned many different techniques poets use to let the sounds
of their language bring out the excitement and surprise of the poem. Put that
knowledge to use as you write your poem. Feel free to look back at the work you have
already done in other assignments.
Use alliteration and assonance creatively, but not to the extent that the reader is
overwhelmed.
Remember that rhyme can come at the ends of lines or elsewhere in the lines.
If you want, you can choose a regular meter for your poem. It may help to look
back at the examples in the lesson and read them aloud.
You may also choose to create a pattern using only syllabic counts.
Make choices about end-stopping and enjambment that work well in your poem.
5.4.5
Practice: Writing with Sound and Rhythm
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Divide your lines into stanzas that fit together in some way. You may choose to
use the same number of lines in each stanza.
Vivid imagery and detail can help bring your poem to life and complement your
sound effects.
Self-Assessment Checklist
Read each question and evaluate your story opening. If the answer to the question is
"Yes," check the box to the left. If the answer is "No," go back and revise your work.
Your teacher will use these same guiding questions to score your poem.
Quality of Ideas
Did I demonstrate an understanding of the assignment by:
Writing a poem of at least 10 lines?
Paying attention to the sounds of my language?
Writing a poem, rather than a piece of prose?
Including vivid imagery and details?
Did I demonstrate the ability to think creatively by:
Making my language sound new and different?
Using sound effects to support the images and ideas in my poem?
Appealing to the reader’s expectations about sound in interesting ways?
Did I demonstrate an understanding of alliteration and assonance by:
Repeating consonant and vowel sounds?
Varying my use of alliteration and assonance so it is not too monotonous?
Did I demonstrate an understanding of rhyme by:
Using at least one kind of rhyme?
Choosing rhymes the reader might not expect?
Form and Presentation
5.4.5
Practice: Writing with Sound and Rhythm
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Did I follow presentation requirements by:
Using 12-point font and standard margins?
Writing at least 10 lines of poetry?
Style
Did I use language that sounds strange and new?
Did I choose images that appeal to the reader's five senses?
Did I check for spelling and grammatical errors?
Did I use an appropriate tone?
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copying, reuse, or redistribution is prohibited. Apex Learning ® and the Apex Learning Logo are registered trademarks of
Apex Learning Inc.
5.4.5
Practice: Writing with Sound and Rhythm
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6.2.7
Practice: Write a Nocturne, Aubade, or Ode
Creative Writing
Name:
Date:
Practice
Assignment
For this activity, you'll write a poem that is an aubade, a nocturne, or an ode, with a
few specific guidelines to help you achieve interesting and fresh images within that
form. Your poem should reflect an understanding of the specific form you've chosen,
focusing especially on setting the appropriate mood, tone, or time of day. Feel free to
use material you've written in previous studies for ideas, images, or a starting point —
or start fresh with new ideas as you work on this piece.
Important:
This activity includes a brainstorming exercise, followed by specific instructions, as a
key component of the assignment. For the brainstorm, you'll write a list of at least 10
words you would normally associate with your form. For instance, if you're writing a
nocturne, you might write "moon," "stars," and "nightingale," among others. If you're
writing an aubade, you might choose words like "morning," "dawn," and so on. And if
you're writing an ode, you might write words you would readily associate with the
person, place, or thing you're writing your ode to or about. After you have a list of 10
to 15 words, keep that list handy — these are words you won't use when you create
your own fresh and surprising images for this form!
To give yourself enough room to explore your form, your finished poem should be at
least 14 lines long (and you're welcome to make it longer, if you want). Try and use
seven surprising words that wouldn't normally be associated with your topic.
For extra help completing your assignment, click your practice guide.
Tips for Success
6.2.7
Practice: Write a Nocturne, Aubade, or Ode
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If you want to use one of the poems or other pieces of writing from a previous
study, feel free. You can revise and expand it here or use it as a launching pad to
write something new.
Try to get into the "moment" of your poem. Close your eyes and imagine the
feelings you're trying to express.
Focus on images that help you express the mood and theme of the form you've
chosen.
Explore ways of showing your mood through vivid details and interesting word
choices that move the poem beyond typical associations.
Don't be afraid to explore other themes outside of your particular form's tradition.
Try combining the customary themes of the form with other, more unexpected
ideas to give the reader something new and fresh to experience.
Self-Assessment Checklist
Read each question and evaluate your poem. If the answer to the question is "yes,"
check the box to the left. If the answer is "no," go back and revise your work. Your
teacher will use these same guiding questions to score your work.
Quality of Ideas
6.2.7
Practice: Write a Nocturne, Aubade, or Ode
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Did I demonstrate an effort to address the ideas in the lesson by:
Writing a poem that represents the quality of the chosen open form?
Including images that will draw in the reader and add something to his or her
experience of the form?
Did I demonstrate an ability to think creatively by:
Creating a vivid, original poem?
Finding creative ways to get intensity out of only a few words?
Not using 10 to 15 words commonly associated with this form (or topic), to
create more interesting images and word choice?
Including at least seven surprising words not typically associated with this
form or topic?
Form and Presentation
Did I follow presentation requirements by:
Using a clear, easily readable font?
Writing at least 14 lines?
Style
Did I use proper punctuation?
Did I check for spelling and grammatical errors?
Did I use an appropriate tone?
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copying, reuse, or redistribution is prohibited. Apex Learning ® and the Apex Learning Logo are registered trademarks of
Apex Learning Inc.
6.2.7
Practice: Write a Nocturne, Aubade, or Ode
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6.4.5
Practice: Choose Poems and Revise
Creative Writing
Name:
Date:
Practice
Assignment
In this activity, you will build toward making a portfolio of some of your favorite
pieces by doing one of the following:
Take two to three pieces you've already written and work through the revision
process to polish them into a small collection of finished pieces.
Draft one to two new poems and take them through the revision process until they
are polished pieces.
Revise one older poem and draft/revise one new poem.
You may also have some poems you started but never finished. Feel free to finish
those as well! Each poem should be at least 10 lines long.
Choose a piece you like and feel excited about revising.
Identify your strongest images and adjust your language to make them feel vivid
and fresh.
Replace abstract language with concrete language.
Reflect on the choices you have made about form. Adjust these choices so that
your form complements your content in some way.
Proofread for errors.
For extra help on completing your assignment, click your practice guide.
Tips for Success
In the last lesson, you learned many different techniques poets use to create energy
and feeling in their poetry. Put that knowledge to use as you draft and/or rewrite your
6.4.5
Practice: Choose Poems and Revise
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poems. Feel free to look back at the work you have already done in other
assignments.
Build connections between images and feelings.
Use creative juxtapositions to create a feeling of surprise.
Decide whether your poem would work better as free verse or in a traditional form
and revise accordingly.
Look closely at your word choice and revise toward using the best possible words.
Make your images more vivid by stepping back and trying to experience them for
the first time as a reader.
Compress your language and charge it with as much meaning as possible.
Pay special attention to your first and last lines.
Choose a title that helps guide the reader or adds a new dimension to the poem.
Self-Assessment Checklist
Read each question and evaluate your poem. If the answer to the question is "yes,"
check the box to the left. If the answer is "no," go back and revise your work. Your
teacher will use these same guiding questions to score your poem.
Quality of Ideas
6.4.5
Practice: Choose Poems and Revise
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Did I demonstrate an understanding of the assignment by:
Choosing and revising two to three drafts of a poem?
Completing a new draft of at least 10 lines?
Including vivid imagery and details?
Did I demonstrate an ability to think creatively by:
Discovering ways to make my language interesting?
Using vivid images that appeal to the reader’s senses?
Choosing a form that reflects the content in some way?
Did I demonstrate an understanding of feeling and inference by:
Using images that carry some kind of emotional tone?
Juxtaposing images in an unusual or interesting way?
Did I demonstrate an understanding of form and free verse by:
Choosing and following a form or using free-verse techniques?
Approaching form in an open manner, so my poem is not too rigid?
Did I demonstrate an understanding of word choice by:
Making thoughtful word choices?
Did I demonstrate an understanding of compression by:
Replacing abstract language with concrete language?
Compressing without cutting my strongest images and ideas?
Form and Presentation
Did I follow presentation requirements by:
Using 12-point font and standard margins?
Writing at least 10 lines of poetry?
Style
6.4.5
Practice: Choose Poems and Revise
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Did I check for spelling and grammatical errors?
Did I use an appropriate tone?
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copying, reuse, or redistribution is prohibited. Apex Learning ® and the Apex Learning Logo are registered trademarks of
Apex Learning Inc.
6.4.5
Practice: Choose Poems and Revise
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