WRITING

v Think about your weather memories.  Look at your sensory chart again for specific details about the memory.

v Recall your feelings as you think about your weather memory.

v Write the first sentence or phrase that comes to your mind.  Don’t worry about it being perfect.  Just get the words flowing. 

v Keep writing until you run out of ideas and sensory details.

Include Poetic Devices:

Using alliteration and onomatopoeia can help poets convey a stronger meaning in their poetry. For example, instead of writing the branch broke, they could write "snap, crack, crunch went the branches."

alliteration: the repetition of the same or similar sounds at the beginning of words, such as Parson Peters picked a peck of pickled peppers.

onomatopoeia: words that sound very similar to the sound they name, such as the buzz of bees, the howl of the coyote, or the snap of twigs

personification: treating a nonhuman subject as if it were human. 

You will need to include at least two of these poetic devices in your poem.

REVISING

v Poems are shorter than most other types of writing, so every word and punctuation mark is important.  Check your poem for conventions.  Remember, poems sometimes break the rules for a reason, but never by accident.

v Do your capitalization and punctuation marks make your poem clear?  Have you checked for any errors that could distract the reader? 

v Although a free-verse poem doesn’t necessarily use rhyme, it does have its own special rhythm, or sound pattern.  Poets create this rhythm through the careful placement and combination of words.  As you revise read aloud your poem to yourself.  Listen for its rhythm.  If it doesn’t sound right try

ü  changing line breaks

ü  Switching the order of words

ü  Or replacing a word with a synonym that has a better sound

v Revise your poem.  Keep revising until you are happy with your poem. Consider the following traits:

ü  Ideas

ü  Organization

ü  Voice

ü  Word Choice

ü  Sentence Fluency

EDITING

v Edit your poem with a partner.  We will be peer editing in class. 

Conventions – Does your capitalization and punctuation make your poem clear?  Check for errors in spelling or grammar. Did you give your poem a title? Check for any errors that could distract the reader.

PUBLISHING

v Type a final copy of the poem (12 font, Arial).   Include a cover page with your name, grade, and period. You will be sharing your poem with your classmates. Remember to read your poem with fluency, rhythm, and expression.