Poetry Shorts

Guide

 

Poetry Shorts are pieces of creative writing based on tried and true forms of poetry.  

 

Rationale:  Research demonstrates that synthesizing information, or taking information and creating new and independent work, increases understanding and retention.

 

Instructions:  Write a Haiku, a Limerick, and a Sonnet about or within the context of the learned information within the unit, topic, or time period.  Be creative, but stay within the form.

 

A Haiku is a Japanese lyric verse form having three unrhymed lines of five, seven, and five syllables, traditionally invoking an aspect of nature.

 

A Limerick is a light, humorous, nonsensical, or bawdy verse of five anapestic lines, usually with the rhyme scheme AABBA

 

A Sonnet is a fourteen line verse form usually having one of several conventional rhyme schemes, such as ABAB CDCD EFEF GG.

 

General Guidelines

 

·         Be creative

·         Apply learned knowledge

·         Insure ease of interpretation

 

Poetry Shorts Rubric

possible points

expectations

points earned

3

Stays true to form and elements of effective writing

 

4

Demonstrates understanding of relevant knowledge

 

4

Reveals empathy with character or emotional impact of the event

 

2

Exhibits creativity and originality

 

2

Conveys voice and tone

 

15

 

 

 

Haiku Example

 

Our Pride singes red veins

Nationalism drives us

But where will we go?

 

Limerick Example

 

Franz Ferdinand was up for some fun

Took his wife to Sarajevo for one

Too bad he got shot

Didn’t deserve what he got

And accidentally started WWI!

 

Sonnet Example

 

Sonnet for a Sinking

(European immigrant point of view on the Lusitania)

 

Wish for peace and we whisper war.

Hide our heritage and drown out our voices.

Peace without support is an Earth without its core;

And you rage neutral but we must make choices.

 

Here we live, America, the epic ethnic kaleidoscope.

Standing by doing nothing doesn’t say much.

The world will eat itself and observe a collapse of hope.

With two working legs we lean on neutrality – a crutch.

 

How long can we sustain this closing of eyes?

The Germans kill swiftly while we’re a giant sleeping.

Our foreign brothers fall as guns and gas collide.

We offer our cold shoulder as the world goes on a’ weeping.

 

In our meandering minds, the minority, we’ll be thinking

Justice sometimes needs an excuse, a little push, one little sinking.