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Writing Poetry 75

Fitch & Swartz, 2008). When students have a tangible picture or artifact, they
can examine their subject the way an artist studies a subject for a painting:
closely and critically, capturing the essence of the subject.
Often during my class poetry unit, I lead a lesson in which students try out
multiple poetry forms and suggested topics. The important thing is for students
to express themselves. I give students a series of topics to write from. Completing
these poetry starters and seed ideas as a series of quick writing exercises gen-
erates a lot of ideas consecutively so that students have five or six quick starts
for poems. The object of the lesson is not to create the perfect poem but just to
capture some thoughts in writing. I don’t expect students to finish a whole piece
in the short time of doing the quick writes, but I hope they will produce a piece
with potential that they might want to develop later in a writing workshop.
Figure 4.3 showcases many of these quick write prompts.

FIGURE 4.3
Say It, but Don’t Eve Merriam’s poem “New Love” expresses love without ever using Quick write poetry
Really Say It Poem the word. How then do we know that she is talking about love? Have activities help
your students write a love poem (or a poem about anything) without students develop
including the word it’s about.
possible poems
Write Based on Have students write based on a mentor poem, responding to the and seed ideas.
Another Poem author and images in the poem. For example, students could argue
with the poem, or write about the memories or thoughts the poem
evokes. Students could talk back to the poet by writing a letter
sharing their story, experience, or argument.
“Tell All the Truth Emily Dickinson wrote, “tell all the truth but tell it slant.” Students
but Tell It Slant” can write true statements about themselves and then “slant,” or
stretch, one truth. This is a spin off the icebreaker activity Two
Truths and a Lie in which people write down two true statements
about themselves and one lie; others in the group then have to
identify the truths and the lie.
Hopes and In Mary Oliver’s poem “The Summer Day,” she wrote, “Tell me,
Dreams Poem what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” After
reading this poem with students, use the last line as a challenge for
your students to write down their life ambitions and dreams.

Shakespeare Like the reverse of Pop Sonnets, this activity is about translating
for 2019 Elizabethan sonnets into contemporary poems. How would
Shakespeare express his ideas if he were living in this day and time?

Excerpted from Chapter 4, “Poetry: Traditional, Visual, Makerspace.”

New Realms for Writing: Inspire Student Expression with Digital Age Formats 144