January 16

Today we discussed Mood in poetry.

Student read the following poem:

We real cool. We
Left school. We

Lurk late. We
Strike straight. We

Sing sin. We
Thin gin. We

Jazz June. We

Die soon.

Then answered the questions on page one of the worksheet.

Then they read the next two poems:

A Roller Skating Jam Named "Saturdays"
De La Soul

Oh Mr. Sprinkler, Mr. Sprinkler
Wet me for one, Mr. Sprinkler
I'm heatin' high-five in a daze, no split
With a yawn I trip to the dawn
Out comes the bodies following the one idea
It's clear, rattle to the roll
Hold back up the track, grab your roller skates y'all
And let's zip on by
Zip-a-de-doo-dah, let's zip on by.
Sun is on thick and the cheese is rollin' quick
Come on, there's no time to hide
Season is twist, spinning and winning
No hackey sack, let me in
Spill on the bottom away, but it's okay, huh

It's a Saturday

and

Follow Me
Sage Francis

The secretive type
I like to creep in the night
When you hear me speaking under
my breath to be polite
(I'm talking about you)
Inconspicuous, keep killing that sweet feeling
The mystique's building

I only speak to the freakishly chic children


And answered page two of the worksheet

Then they wrote their own poem using the following outline

List three descriptive words or phrases that define the following:
For example:
Striking out (baseball) 1. shame 2. slump 3. gut-wrenching

A dark alley
A Sundy picnic
Valentine's Day
The Principal's Office

A stray dog



Now write the poem
1. Determine the mood (You may use the list... or not.)
2. Determine the mood you wish to create in the poem.
3. Choose an appropriate setting for the poem.
4. Use strong, vivid language to craft a specific "feel."

For example:

Striking out

All eyes are on the last batter

Da-duump! A heartbeat.

The hot sun-- unforgiving

As STRIKE THREE!!!

Slumping back to the bench,

Watching victors

head for the ice cream truck.

His stomach in knots

No taste for sweets