Contemporary American Poetry

My lesson plan:

EN101 Freshman Composition

Writing Project #1 (Poetry) Assignment Sheet

Poetry in Freshman Composition?

You might ask, “What does poetry have to do with Freshman Composition?”  A lot!  In poetry, there is a detailed attention to words, the use of punctuation, lines, and concrete imagery.  Poetry also helps to accomplish the goals for students in Freshman Composition.

For this writing project, our class will develop both creativity and revision strategy and skills that are important tools for writing; we will do this by using a shorter form of writing—poetry.

 

Assignment

Responding to Poetry

Read Missing You, Metropolis by Gary Jackson.  In addition, select two poems you were intrigued with during your reading and write responses to them. Each response should answer these questions: 

• What is the title of the poem?
• What is the poem generally about in both explicit and implicit terms? 
• What are your favorite passages and/or uses of language and why?
• How can we, as poets, borrow from the rhetorical strategy of the poem?

Be inspired by Mr. Jackson for one of the poems you will write.

Poetry Writing

Write three or more poems (which we will have time to do in class). 

Your poem analysis and finished poems will be turned in as a poetry portfolio, along with your inventive work.

Any other requirements will be discussed in class.

Using the list of pop culture references, could you develop a list of poems you could write of your own?

Persona or not?
Or begin your own poem?