ELA B10: June 2 Editing Poems for Style…
- Today was the second of two writing classes the Grade tens had to develop their “Carpe Diem” poems. The majority of them had finished getting the foundation of their poems written yesterday, which left time for them today to begin defining their word choices, check to make sure they had three types of figurative language included, and play with different techniques for creating a writers style in their poem.
Some of the tricks they’re using to develop that style is to vary the length of their lines (short ones for dramatic effect), using repetition of phrases or words, even directly after one another, to again add drama or emphasis. They are being aware of the punctuation and caps, making decisions on whether they want all the beginnings of lines to start with capitols or to be small caps, and whether they want any punctuation etc.Here is a really cool poem I was trying to find to show Amy. The author of this poem got very creative with line length, fonts and font sizes, to create not just a poem but an image. Check it out here. - Today was the last of class time to work on writing these poems. There are a few who are further behind the rest who were having difficulty getting started or finding a focus. My suggestion to them was that if this is a poem that’s about grabbing every opportunity and “sucking the marrow out of life” as is repeated in the movie, the tone should be assertive, active, energetic. If they could imagine themselves whizzing down a rast-moving river watching everything, the sights, the sounds, pass them so quickly, what would come to mind?I Challenge
Live!!
What are you waiting for!?
Don’t put it off
thinking there’ll be a tomorrow
Cause there won’t
And tomorrow will have new chances.
You won’t be able to do it all
If you live by a philsophy of tomorrows!There’s no waiting!
Just DO!Take the moment
And see where it takes you.
Down a road
On a trip
To success or failure
That’s proof of life! Don’t you see!?Does it matter, your excuses?
“The timing’s not right”
“I need to save first”
“I couldn’t really do that”Who are you fooling?
Do it!!No one who cares is watching!
Some will watch and see you try
And envy your bravery!
Your nerve!
Your unshrinking machismo!Cause there really is no tomorrow
Only today so
Don’t
Wait for it
That push of purpose
Because you’ll be disappointed when it never comes for you
Though you expected it
Foolishly.You
have to
go to it!Take what you want
So that when the end of time arrives
You’ll be satisfiedBecause
You drew in breath
Endowed with life
Nourished by the hope
Of havingLived.