1. ASManager2.zip Driver
2. E_VERSE1.txt File Contents

E_VERSE1.txt Driver File Contents (ASManager2.zip)

Name: <  >
Class: <  >
Date: <  >




Free Verse 1
From Chants to Free Verse

Free verse
is the simplest
and the hardest
to write
because there are no
rules
the poem unspools
with its own rhythm and rhyme
it may chime
or grind to a halt
like a mouthful of too much peanut butter
or bitter salt

One way to help you begin a free verse poem is to begin with a simple chant line.

Example:

Poems poems poems
A poem is like a home
built of words
Words that live inside us
That say just who we are
and what we feel

Cloudy cloudy cloudy
On a wonderfully cloudy day,
a class of restless students
went outside
to lie on their backs
on the grass
staring staring staring
up at the billowing,
soft pattern of clouds.

Here's a variation on the cloud theme:

The Wednesday Sky

Clouds clouds clouds
Like gray waves of water
Like a gray rolling sea
Clouds shaped like dogs
And some shaped like cats
A soaring white unicorn
A gray prowling panther

Sky sky sky
As soft as a bunny
As round and gray
As an elephant

The air so soft
so warm and cool
and cozy on my body
like a fur coat
like a sky coat
blown of gray clouds
soft like feathers

The clouds are
weather feathers

In "The Wednesday Sky," poem you may have noticed some similes. Indeed, combining chant lines and similes can be an excellent way to move into free verse.  How many similes can you find in "The Wednesday Sky"?  Scroll back and count them.

I found <  >  similes.

Type the line you like best in the poem, or make a copy of that line using the copy feature (select the text, then press ctrl+C):

<  >

Type the line you like least, or place a copy of that line here:

<  >

Why do you like your favorite line most and your least favorite line least?  <  >


Name and save this file now. (Press ctrl+S, type a name for the file, and press enter.)

====================

The poem "The Wednesday Sky" shows how a chant line or two can help a writer find ideas and a rhythm around which to write a poem.  This poem also shows how similes can be used.  A simile is probably the most frequently used figure of speech in poetry and fiction writing.

Let's practice writing a chant line followed by a simile, and then one more free association or free verse line.  Type at the <  > markers.

Example:

Chant line:
Tired tired tired
Simile line:
Like a bear who wants to hibernate
Free Verse line:
The soft sun seems to sleep in the shadows

Your Turn:

Chant line
<  >
Simile line
<  >
Free Verse line
<  >

Chant line
<  >
Simile line
<  >
Free Verse line
<  >

Chant line
<  >
Simile line
<  >
Free Verse line
<  >

Chant line
<  >
Simile line
<  >
Free Verse line
<  >

Chant line
<  >
Simile line
<  >
Free Verse line
<  >

Chant line
<  >
Simile line
<  >
Free Verse line
<  >


====================

Choose the chant/simile/free verse poem you like best from above.  Type or copy it below and expand upon it. Remember, you can return to a chant line or use a simile line whenever you wish.

My Chant/Simile/Free Verse Poem
Draft 1

<  >


====================

Share your poem in your writing support group.

Type or copy your poem below and revise it.  You may want to do this a few days after you complete the activities above.  That way you will see the poem in a fresh way -- through new eyes.  If you like the final draft well enough, share it with friends and consider publishing it in an anthology.

My Chant/Simile/Free Verse Poem
Draft 2

<  >


If you haven't done so already, name and save this file now. (Press ctrl+S, type a name for the file, and press enter.)

====================

end of activity
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