HOMEWORK 5-23-12

Found Poems
One type of poem we have been writing in class is called a found poem.  Children often have difficulty selecting words when writing poetry.  This type of poem helps students with that dilemma while allowing them to critically analyze a text and compose a piece of writing.  In class, we have used familiar text to compose found poems about the main character in a story.  To write a found poem, students select phrases from a text to convey their thoughts.

Tonight, you are going to compose a found poem.  Go to the Speakaboos site (this link takes you directly to the fairy tales).  You only have 10 free stories before being charged a fee, so keep that in mind as you select the text for the assignment.  Select a fairy tale that we have not read in class (from this site, The Little Red Hen and Jack and the Beanstalk are off limits).  Listen and read along with the story.  Then, select a main character from the story.  Compose a found poem about that character by using lines from the story that describe the character. 

For instance, here's an example of one written about the Little Red Hen (use this link to the story so you can see how the words were selected):

Little Red Hen
the smallest
the most active resident of the farm
kept everything in the barn tidy and clean
help me plant this wheat
I will do it myself
who will help me cut the wheat?
I will do it myself
who will help me mill the wheat?
I will do it myself
who will help me bake the bread?
I will do it myself
she made the flour into a loaf of bread
who will help me eat this bread?
did you help me?
I will eat the bread myself

COMMENT BOX:  Select a fairy tale from Speakaboos.  Write a found poem about the main character from the story.  You may want to have scrap paper handy to record your words.  You will be able to pause the story and copy your words, also.  Remember, use the words you find in the story.  Share your poem by putting it in the COMMENT BOX.  There is not a specified length, but remember that you want to fully capture the spirit of the character.  Also, remember that your poem should have all words spelled correctly since you are getting them directly from the words on the page.