Copy/Paste this poem onto a Word Doc, or you can write it out and fill in the gaps. Answers are given in the video so don't watch the second part until you're satisfied. If you don't know or you're not sure use pencil or leave the space blank. No one is going to grade this, so you're free to make mistakes, as long as you make sure you have the right answers by the end.
Parts of Speech Poem
Every name is called a [ ], as [ ] and [ ], [ ] and [ ].
In place of name the [ ] stands, as [ ] and [ ] can clap their hands.
The [ ] describes a thing, as [ ] wand and [ ] ring.
The [ ] means action, something done, as [ ] and [ ] and [ ] and [ ].
How things are done the [ ] tell, as [ ], [ ], [ ], [ ].
The [ ] shows relation, as [ ] the street of [ ] the station.
[ ] join, in many ways, sentences, words [ ] phrase [ ] phrase.
The [ ] cries out, "[ ]! I need an exclamation mark!"
This task is relatively simple, the poem's structure allows you to work out some of the gaps if you're unsure. Don't stress out if you don't know an answer, or if you get it wrong. This is a test of your knowledge, its purpose is to identify where you have gaps so that you can work on improvements. [I would suggest that if you struggle at all you keep a completed copy of this somewhere nearby, or in your English book as a reminder.]
[Nb. This is not my poem. I found it online, but I haven't been able to find the original author to add a credit.]
Writing Task - Building Ideas [5-10 Minutes]
For poetry I find that when I don't have immediate inspiration listing interesting words and phrases on the theme can spark useful ideas. This time I've chosen to use some of the parts of speech to organise my ideas and to revise the kinds of words that fit into each classification. I am using my video of Southend Pier at New Year 2019 as my inspiration, you can use any Sea-based image or idea that you find inspiring. Don't edit your ideas yet, just get them down on paper...
The Sea
Adjectives
- Grey sky, dark + sludgy water, scummy foam, roaring/hissing waves, old + tired, determined swimmers, screaming paddlers, sharp sand, poky pebbles, brisque, cold wind, screaming gulls, slick pier planks, wind like a knife, fresh, salted air
Now look at your phrases and link them together into ideas that make sense to you - poetry is subjective, you use your ideas to bring images into the mind of your reader. These are a few of my ideas.
-Promenade (the place and the action of walking down the coast road) links in meaning with saunter and march.
-The cold wind like a knife, hissing through the air, brisque.
-Scummy foam, grey sky, old and tired makes me think of the seaside in the off season...
Write a Short Poem on the Theme of the Sea [10-15 Minutes/8-10 Lines]
Look at your words and the ideas that they've sparked in your mind. Write about each idea in turn, then develop them into poetic language. You don't have to rhyme or use particular techniques, but think about...
- Sound, can you replicate the sounds of the sea by choosing particular sounds?
- Structure, can you produce a beat or rhythm of counted syllables?
- Imagery, can you compare things to other things with 'like' or 'as' to make similes, or metaphors.
- What ideas are you trying to get across to your reader? What is the theme or intention of your poem?
CHALLENGE - Try one of these tasks to stretch your abilities...
1. Focus on one object or noun and describe it in real detail using as many similes, metaphors or personification as you can.
2. Use a strict rhyme and rhythm pattern.
3. Describe the sea without mentioning it.
My Poem - Promenade
We started a slow saunter but, the salty air was sharp
And cut like a chisel through layers and intentions.
Our saunter became a determined march.
The waves hissed across the stony beach
Leaving foolish paddlers screeching like gulls.
The gulls were likewise disappointed.
The sky was grey and gunmetal.
Streaked with dirty cloud and distant ships.
A drained beer glass scummed with foam.
REFLECTION
Whenever we write it is vital to be able to look back and reflect on the work in order to understand where we need to improve and - more importantly - what we are really good at. It is important to be honest with yourself, but not too harsh. We all have something to learn and something to improve, there is no shame in that.
- Something new I have learned today is...
- Something I struggled with today is...
- How can I improve? [Most of the time improvement comes with practice, but I would also suggest READING. The more you read the more you get to know language and its proper use.)
Extension Task - Reading like a Student
In English lessons we use one of a number of acronyms to analyse texts, they can be a little limiting for advanced students, but they work as an easy way of organising thoughts. I use PEER here to put my inspiration and ideas in academic language. Could you do the same for your poem?
MAKE A POINT - In the first stanza I have used assonance to demonstrate a change between the idea and the experience of walking along the promenade in January.
GIVE SOME EVIDENCE - By beginning with sibilant sounds, "started a slow saunter" and then changing to assonance with, "cut with a chisel"...
EXPLAIN HOW IT WORKS - ... I have created a contrast between the imagined whispering hiss of wind and the sharp, precise chisel of winter reality.
RELATE TO THE TASK/QUESTION - This stanza begins to develop the image of the coast as not a romantic, gentle place to "saunter" along the promenade, but a place where exercise is grimly completed at a "determined march."
It is useful to be able to analyse your own work in this way so that you can turn the tables on the texts that you're expected to analyse in school. This technique also helps you to express your reasoning and ideas so that you can understand your own process as well. Pick another feature, explain your choices and the techniques you've used.
P - In the last stanza I have created an inference that the promenade seems to be run-down and drained.
E - Describing the sky and sea with adjectives like "grey", "dirty" and "scummed."
E - This semantic field combined with the uncomfortable weather produces an atmosphere of unpleasantness that counters traditional ideas of walking down the prom.
R - The "drained beer glass" in the final line produces an image of an empty place that sums up the ideas presented in this poem.
Terminology Check - Do you know these words and terms?
Hark
Promenade
Saunter
Subjective
Brisque
Metaphor
Personification
Acronym
Stanza
Sibilance
Assonance
Inference
Semantic Field
If you don't know any of these words, look them up and write out their definition in your own words to help you remember.
Reflections Reflections are not about beating yourself up for not being good enough, they are intended as a way of identifying where you need to improve. And – most importantly - to provide you with personalised targets to work towards. No one should finish a task and be completely happy, but you should be satisfied that you’ve done enough – for now, which is why my reflection questions are always a combination of positive and negative elements, ‘I did well with this,’ and ‘I could do better with that.’ You need to have done at least 3-4 of the prompts from this blog, more would be better, because then you can pick up on patterns of things that you struggle with and balance them against the things you do well. Now, here are some of the more common targets that I have set for my students, based on their work and reflections. I’ll give you a few tips on how to improve your work for each one. First – Use of correct and ambitious SPAG Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar are...
111. Write a description of what you can see through a window. Your blue is not my blue, subtle changes in the cells of our eyes mean that we all see colours differently. Over the centuries we have developed a complex colour language, comparing colours to other things or even giving particular names to very specific shades. Colour vocabulary is useful for building interest and detail in descriptive work so this is an opportunity to explore these specialist adjectives. Starter - Name a Colour [5 Minutes] Pick one or two of the basic colours - Blue, Red, Yellow, Orange, Green or Purple - and list as many variations of that colour as you can. (Don't Google!) For a Challenge, try White or Black... DON'T SCROLL DOWN YET! My Lists Blue - Navy, Royal Blue, Turquoise, Sky Blue, Baby Blue, Ultramarine, Indigo, Cornflower Blue, Electric Blue, Denim, Aqua, Cyan, Ocean Blue, Teal, Cobalt Blue, Peacock, Azure, Cerulean, Berry, Sapphire and Arctic Blue. Yellow - Buttercup, Buttermilk, But...
Prompt No. 67 – Describe a pair of your childhood shoes, what memories do they evoke? This prompt has a similar root to the reflection task we did a couple of weeks ago, but instead of creating a character from a reflection of us now, we’re building ideas from the seed of the person we were in our childhood, which is more interesting, creatively, because a seed may develop into many different new ideas. Starter For the starter task we need to find these childhood shoes. If your parents are the sentimental type, then they may have kept your first little booties, some people even have them coated in copper as an ornament. You might need to dig through the baby photos. Or you can try to remember your first pair of shoes. Close your eyes for a few minutes and try to recall any early sensations you can remember in your feet - use the simple meditation I've included in the video. As soon as you open your eyes, write down everything you can remember about wearing ...
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