Poetry Madness: Game 6

Read Game 6 poems. Answer each question below. Remember to explain WHY you chose the winner based on poet's craft (rhyme, line breaks, punctuation, simile/metaphor, word choice, repetition) AND your personal connection to the meaning. Don't forget to write with M.I.N.T.S.!


Your post needs to include the following:
1. What is the meaning of the first poem? (Summarize in one sentence)

2. What is the meaning of the second poem? (Summarize in one sentence)

3. Based on the criteria, which poem did you choose and WHY?

 ***Please tell me everything you think, but use your best writing. 

March Madness: Game 5

Read Game 5 poems. Answer each question below. Remember to explain WHY you chose the winner based on poet's craft (rhyme, line breaks, punctuation, simile/metaphor, word choice, repetition) AND your personal connection to the meaning. Don't forget to write with M.I.N.T.S.!

Your post needs to include the following:
1. What is the meaning of the first poem? (Summarize in one sentence)

2. What is the meaning of the second poem? (Summarize in one sentence)

3. Based on the criteria, which poem did you choose and WHY?

 ***Please tell me everything you think, but use your best writing. 

Here is an example of proficient writing:

The first poem, Who has Seen the Wind, is about how no one can see the wind, but you can feel it. Especially when the trees bow down, and that is when you know that the wind is there.

If~ is about a dad giving his boy advice. For example, if he does all things like "don't look too good or talk too wise," then he will be a man no matter what.

I chose If~ as the winner because it had a deeper meaning, and it has a good rhythm. The rhyme scheme was AAAABCBC, and it gave the poem a good beat. The author used repetition to emphasize the meaning of the poem. For example, he began each line with the word “if.” The writer’s craft and message of the poem make it the true winner.

Poetry Madness: Game 4

Read Game 4 poems, If and Who Has Seen the Wind. Answer each question below. Remember to explain WHY you chose the winner based on poet's craft (rhyme, line breaks, punctuation, simile/metaphor, word choice, repetition) AND your personal connection to the meaning. Don't forget to write with M.I.N.T.S.!

Your post needs to include the following:
1. What is the meaning of the first poem? (Summarize in one sentence)

2. What is the meaning of the second poem? (Summarize in one sentence)

3. Based on the criteria, which poem did you choose and WHY?

 ***Please tell me everything you think, but use your best writing. 

Here is an example of proficient writing:

The Eagle is about an eagle flying over the sea and close to the sun. Then he is watching the mountain and swoops down like a lightning bolt to catch his prey. 

The second poem, Casey at Bat, is about a boy whose baseball team is losing,but there are two people on base. Casey gets two strikes, and the crowd is very upset. Finally, Casey strikes out, and the crowd is outraged. 

 For the winner, I chose The Eagle. I chose it because it had a deeper meaning and understanding for me. I also liked how used a rhyme scheme of AAABBB. Also, the author used a simile comparing the eagle to a thunderbolt, "He watches from his mountain walls, And like a thunderbolt he falls." That is why I choose The Eagle.

Poetry Madness: Game 3

Read Game 3 poems, The Eagle and Casey at Bat . Answer each question below. Remember to explain WHY you chose the winner based on poet's craft (rhyme, line breaks, punctuation, simile/metaphor, word choice, repetition) AND your personal connection to the meaning. Don't forget to write with M.I.N.T.S.!

Your post needs to include the following:
1. What is the meaning of the first poem? (Summarize in one sentence)

2. What is the meaning of the second poem? (Summarize in one sentence)

3. Based on the criteria, which poem did you choose and WHY?

 ***Please tell me everything you think, but use your best writing. 

Here is an example of proficient writing:

The first poem, Roger The Dog, is about a dog who is very lazy and won't get up. He uses all of his strength to eat food, so  this dog is not the healthy type.

The second poem, The Falling Star, is about a boy who spots a shooting star falling through the sky and explains that it is priceless, memorable, and to be forever gone out of his life.

I think that the winner is the poem, The Falling Star. The reason I chose this poem is because it has great imagery, like when the woman stated,"Blinding the north as it went by". Another reason I chose this poem is the author uses the rhyme scheme: AA BB CC. This makes the poem fun to read and gives it a rhythm.

Poetry Madness: Game 2

Read Game 2 poems, Roger the Dog and The Falling Star. Answer each question below. Remember to explain WHY you chose the winner based on poet's craft (rhyme, line breaks, punctuation, simile/metaphor, word choice, repetition) AND your personal connection to the meaning. Don't forget to write with M.I.N.T.S.!


Your post needs to include the following:
1. What is the meaning of the first poem? (Summarize in one sentence)

2. What is the meaning of the second poem? (Summarize in one sentence)

3. Based on the criteria, which poem did you choose and WHY?

 ***Please tell me everything you think, but use your best writing. 

Here is an example of proficient writing:

The first poem, Dust of Snow, is about a boy who is having a bad day until a crow lands on the tree above him, shakes the dust of snow on him, and gives his heart a change of mood.

The second poem, Mother to Son, is about a mother and a son. The mother had a rough life which she compared to a set of stairs that she had a rough time climbing.She told her son to not give up and keep moving forward when life gets hard.

I choose Mother to Son as the winner because it touched my heart and showed me that no matter if something is hard you should always move forward.Also, the author repeated lines to emphasize the message. It is a great story because it teaches you to persevere.That is why I chose Mother to Son.

Poetry Madness: Let the Games Begin!

During March, the best college basketball teams compete for the National Title. In order to be the best, each team must state their case by playing the best, scoring the most, and ultimately advancing to the next round.

To create a sense of poetry madness in our room and celebrate poetry, we will read two poems each day and advance a class winner the following day. However, like the basketball tournament, we must use specific criteria to judge a poem: meaning, poet's craft (rhyme, line breaks, punctuation, simile/metaphor, word choice, repetition), ability to visualize, and your personal connection.

You will answer the following 3 questions about the poems you have read.

1. What is the meaning of the first poem? (Summarize in one-two sentences)
2. What is the meaning of the second poem? (Summarize in one-two sentences)
3. Based on the criteria, which poem did you choose and WHY? ***Please tell me everything you think, but use your best writing.

You will complete Game 1 in class.  Please read Game 1 (Dust of Snow and Mother to Son), choose your favorite, and leave your comment below.  I left an example in the comment section.

Here is an example of an advanced/proficient post:

The first poem, I, Too, is about race and how the poet is accepted over time and is a part of America.

The second poem, Sun Song, is about a song for African-Americans to sing about the sun to bring them hope.

I choose I, Too as the winner because I like the deeper meaning of change and how the poet uses each stanza to tell the story. I also like how Hughes changes one word (“sing” to “am”) in the first and last line to show acceptance.

Hearts of Service Day

Dear students,

I had a wonderful time volunteering with you at GraceWorks. I learned a lot about myself as well as the importance of giving back to the community. Volunteering takes more than showing up for a few hours. It takes preparation, planning, action, and, now, reflecting. I want you to reflect about your time spent at GraceWorks. Please answer the following questions:

1. How is service an act of love?
2. How did we serve others today?
3. What was unique about the population of people we served?
4. What were you thinking about as you were serving? Was it easy? Hard?
5. How can we show empathy to people that may be different than us?

Please make sure you answer each question  before you publish your comment. Double check your comment for punctuation/spelling mistakes. Your comment must be at least 5 sentences.

Be sure to include to edit your post for:

• complete sentences

• correct spelling
• capitalization (M.I.N.T.S.)
• end punctuation 
• topic and closing sentence

I cannot wait to hear about your day.