hink for a moment about some of the ways in which you use words.

You use words to speak, to give directions, to ask questions, and to describe where places and things are located. Words help you communicate, find information, discover new things, and even stay entertained.

Words have interesting properties and structures you may not have thought about. For example, some words can be broken down into two or more different words, while others are not as easily changeable. Some words have prefixes and suffixes while others stand alone on their own. The workshops in Perfect Poetry will help you learn to use ideas about the structure of words, to select the best word for a situation, to create some interesting patterns and meanings, and to think about the purposes in which we use words.

In Perfect Poetry you will explore important qualities of writing, including figurative language, grammar, and beginner tips to the writing process.

___________________
You will learn how to Prewrite and write first drafts Recognize how word choice affects style and meaning Revise word choice when writing Identify and examine text features of poetry Identify literary devices in poetry Identify literary elements in poetry Interpret poetry to find the authors purpose or message Incorporate literary devices and elements of poetry in your writing Identify patterns in conventions and grammar using poetry Edit and publish poetry

Many people have a special song that they like. Take some time to think about a song that is special to you.

In your binder: * write the title of your song * list the writers of the song and / or the band name * write any lyrics that you know by heart * explain why the song is special to you

As you work through the workshops in Perfect Poetry, you will learn about different kinds of poetry. Think about how these new ideas apply to your Special Song. Add any new information about your song to your binder. You should have a special section in your binder to record this information. At the end of the unit, you will write your own song to share with the class.
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All About Writers

Writers are an important part of our world. They entertain people, inform people,
and perform many other important tasks. 1.1 When you think of a writer, what is the first thing that pops into your head? Do you have a favorite writer? Jot down your thoughts to these questions in your binder. Then, make a list of the kinds of projects that writers write. Think of as many as you can. For example, writers write books.

Writers Write
A. As you can see, writers work on all sorts of projects. From textbooks to magazines, songs and TV shows, movies and short stories, writers write anything and everything. 1. Look at the list you made with your class. Choose one thing from the list that really grabs at you. What makes you interested in that writing project? 2. All writers have road blocks that make it hard to accomplish their goals. What if you were told that this year you are going to write that project that really grabs at you? What would be your biggest challenge? What stands in your way? B. The best way to start out as a writer is to make a list of topics or projects that you are interested in writing about. Its also a good idea to write about what you know or experience. Use labsheet 1.1 to create a list of writing ideas. Think of at least eight to ten ideas to write about. Some great writing ideas include summer vacations, favorite places, favorite person, hobbies, and holidays. Include these and other ideas in your list. 1. Pick one idea from your labsheet. On your paper for workshop 1.1, create a detailed list of memorable moments. For example, if you picked favorite person, then choose a person (maybe a family member or friend) and list at least ten memorable moments with that person. 2. Pick one moment from your list that you are interested in writing about. a. What makes you want to write about this moment? Be specific! b. Jot down your ideas for how you will tell your memorable moment story. When writers write about things that happen to them, they tell their stories in First Person Point of View. They use words like I, my, me, and mine to describe what they experience.
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Memorable Moments Here is an example of a short memorable moment story.

Fishing Fiasco
The frozen lake was deserted. Dad gave me a bunch of fishing poles and gave my sister the lunch cooler. Then we stepped out of the car onto the ice. Dad used his ice auger to make the holes in the ice. It was loud! Ice always piled up around the hole and inside the hole. Dad forgot the ice scooper in the car, so he had to go back for it. While Dad was gone, I pushed all the ice back into the hole that he had made. It looked like the hole was gone. When my sister came by, she stepped in the hole and got all wet! We had to pack up and go home before we even got to fish. What a fiasco!

A. Read Fishing Fiasco, paying close attention to how the story begins. 1. In the last workshop, you made a list of memorable moments. What did you choose to write about? How will your story end? 2. Keeping the end in mind, write the beginning of your story. B. The beginning and middle of a story set up the end. 1. How do the events in Fishing Fiasco set up the end? 2. Keeping the end in mind, write the middle of your memorable moment story. Make sure the events in your story set up the end. C. Look at the end of Fishing Fiasco, paying close attention to how it brings closure to the story. 1. How does the end bring closure to the story? 2. Write the end to your memorable moment story. It can be as short as one sentence or a whole paragraph, but it should bring closure to the story. Homework starts on page 10.

Weak or Strong

When writers write, they go through steps. In workshop 1.1 and 1.2 you practiced the
first two steps in the writing process, prewriting and drafting. Prewriting is when a writer comes up with ideas to write about and plans out a writing project. Drafting is when a writer uses the plans and ideas to start writing the project. After drafting, there is another step called revising. Writers dont revise everything they write. They pick and choose the best projects to revise, because revising is a lot of work. Revising is often called rewriting, because writers reread what they have written and write it again, making changes that make it better. What makes writing better? It depends on the kind of project you are revising. For a story, word choice is very important and so is dialogue. Good writing should show the reader what happened, and using great verbs and dialogue are easy ways to show what happened so that the reader can easily visualize the events.

Here is a revised version of Fishing Fiasco.

Dad parked the car out on the deserted lake, which was covered in ice. He handed me a bunch of fishing poles and gave my sister the lunch cooler. Then we trudged across the ice. Dad grabbed his ice auger and started it up. My favorite part about ice fishing was making the holes. The machine Dad used made an awful racket, so my sister and I always put our hands over our ears while we watched Dad carve the holes in the ice. Dad broke through the ice with a rush. Shards of ice piled up around the hole, and when Dad pulled the auger up, we could see that the hole was filled with broken ice. Then Dad said, I forgot the ice scooper, and he turned and loped back to the car. Left alone on the ice, my sister and I started to fidget with boredom. Still mesmerized by the hole in the ice, I knelt down and shoved all the ice back into the hole. I was amazed to find that the hole appeared to vanish before my eyes. My sister came by to see what I was doing, and she stepped right in the hole and slipped into the water with a splash. I grabbed her and pulled her up, but her whole leg was already soaking. And Dad saw the whole thing. Nice going, girls, he said with an exasperated sigh. Now we have to go home, and we didnt even get to fish.

Weak or Strong
A. This revision of Fishing Fiasco is different than the original version, but there are also similarities to the rough draft. 1. How is this revised version of Fishing Fiasco the same as the first draft? Write as many similarities as you can find. 2. How is the revised version different than the first draft? Look at word choice and other details that writers often add when they revise. Write as many differences as you can find. B. Find the Small Moment story you wrote in workshop 1.2. 1. Read your first draft aloud to a partner. Make sure to discuss why you chose to write your story. 2. Does your partner have any questions for you about what you wrote? Is there anything missing from your story? Jot down what you want to add to your story or change. 3. Circle any repeating words and weak words. Work with your partner to brainstorm some synonyms to make your word choices more exciting. Synonyms are words that have similar meanings. 4. Brainstorm and write out some dialogue you could add to your writing. C. Rewrite your memorable moment story with your revisions. Make sure you skip every other line as you write to leave room for editing.

Homework starts on page 10.

Writing Stories as Poetry Poets and writers use poems to tell stories about their own experiences. This kind of
poem is called a narrative poem. Narrative poems do not need to rhyme, but they must tell a story. In this workshop, you will choose a new writing idea or use an old one to write your own narrative poem. The author of Fishing Fiasco rewrote the story as a narrative poem, which you can find on the next page. Poems have verses the way that stories have sentences. Poems also have stanzas the way that stories have paragraphs. A verse is one line of a poem, which is sometimes numbered along the side. A stanza is a group of verses separated by a blank line.
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Fishing

Fiasco
When I Fishing every was just a whippersnapper 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 summer and winter

My father used to take us kids

I can still feel the pull Of a fish on my line I can still feel the lull Of not knowing what Ill find On the other end of my line But for me Fishing would always be A fiasco waiting to happen Whether on land or by boat Or knee deep in the creek Or braving the frozen lake in my coat Disaster was right on my heel Ive tangled the lines on all the poles Caught my father on my hook Dropped my sister in the ice hole And lost my fathers prized lure But for me Fishing will always be An adventure Worth every disaster

Writing Stories as Poetry

A. Read the poem a few times. 1. What is the story behind the poem? Explain your thinking. 2. What makes the poem different than the memorable moment story? 3. How is this poem similar to the memorable moment story? B. This poem came from an ideas list like the one you made in workshop 1.1. The author made a list of writing ideas, picked favorite person, and created another list of moments with her favorite person, her father. One of the ideas that excited her was fishing trips she takes with her dad, so she decided to write about them. 1. Look at your Writing Ideas labsheet from workshop 1.1. Choose a new idea from the list. On your paper for workshop 1.4, create another more specific list of memorable moments. 2. Write your own narrative poem about your memorable moments. Remember, you do not need to make your poem rhyme, but it must tell a story and have stanzas like Fishing Fiasco. C. How many verses does the poem Fishing Fiasco have? How many stanzas does the poem Fishing Fiasco have? Remember to write in complete sentences!

Homework starts on page 10.

The longest poem ever written is called the Shah Namah, or Book of Kings. It was written by a Persian poet named Firdausi. This poem, a complete history of Persia, contained almost 60,000 verses, occupied 2,084 pages, and filled nine big volumes. It took the poet 35 years to finish the work! There was a reason why Firdausi wanted to write a very long poem. The Sultan of Persia offered the poet one gold piece for every verse he wrote.

1. Look at your writing ideas list from workshop 1.1. Choose one idea and create another list of at least 10 memorable moments. 2. Choose one memorable moment and write about it using first person point of view. 3. Share a memorable moment story that you wrote with a few people. Jot down any ideas you have about the story now that you have shared it. What do other people say about it? Why did you choose to write it? What makes it special to you? Chad wrote this narrative poem about an old barn, and now he wants to revise it. That Old Barn Sitting on the front porch Remembering childhood adventures In that old red and white barn Remember that time we climbed up the creaking ladder And found a litter of kittens in the hayloft Or that time our cousins Showed us that old rope swing And we spent all day swinging Back and forth across that stifling loft I miss that old barn With the hayloft door open wide to below I will always remember looking across the farm And feeling like I was on top of the world 4. Chad revised the first two stanzas of his poem That Old Barn (above). He changed the underlined words in his poem with the words below. remembering reminiscing climbed scrambled old rickety

Help Chad finish revising the last stanza of his poem. Are there any weak words that he could replace with strong words? Add some dialogue and describing words to his poem. Rewrite the whole stanza with your changes underlined.
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1
In this workshop you learned about some of the steps to the writing process.
These questions will help you summarize what you learned.

___________________
1. Why is it a good idea to write about things that you are interested in, know something about, or have experienced? 2. How can making a list help you write? 3. What are the first three steps to the writing process? Describe what the writer does for each step. 4. What are some things writers look for when they revise their writing?

Dont forget to write about your Special Song. Even songs can have a story. Often that is why people write songsto tell a story. Take some time to think about the story behind your Special Song. Write your ideas in the project section of your binder where you already started writing about your Special Song.

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Silly Similes

What is school like? Here is a poem

about school that uses the word like to compare it to other things.
School is like a prison. We cant leave. School is like an island. We are all trapped. School is like a pie. It is good at first until you reach the crust. School is like a toilet. It is full of germs. School is like a salad. You need to add something to it to make it good. School is like a stupid cat. It never dies. School is like a garbage truck. It stinks, its big, and you can hear it from a mile away. School is like a baby. It always needs your attention. School is like a shark. It just keeps chasing. School is like a jail. You never want to go back. Jacob Gifford 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

When you use the words like, as, and sometimes than to make a comparison between two things, you are using a simile to relate things to each other. Examples include school is like a prison, its as cold as ice, and I feel lighter than air.
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School is Like

A. Read the poem several times. What do you think Jacob Gifford, the author of the poem, thinks or feels about school? What words in the poem help show Giffords attitude about school? B. Giffords poem uses the word like to make comparisons between words. 1. Choose one verse and rewrite it using the word as or than instead of like. 2. Did you have to change other words in the verse in order for it to make sense? Why do you think Gifford decided to use the word like instead of as or than for his similes? C. Gifford could have written, I hate school instead of using similes. Describe how Giffords similes help us understand him more than if he had just written, I hate school. D. Do you agree with how Gifford feels about school? Think about how you feel about school, and write a poem to show how you feel about school. Use labsheet 2.1 to help you write your stanzas just like Giffords stanzas. Homework starts on page 17.

How Do We Compare? Have you ever noticed that when writers use similes, they usually compare the same kinds of
words? For example, when Jacob wrote School is like a prison, he compared school to another place. When he wrote, School is like a pie, he compared a place to a thing. Now you will make a table to analyze the poem to look for patterns.

Nouns school

Verbs are

Adjectives good

School is like a prison an island

Nouns are people, places, things, or ideas. Verbs are words that show action or express being. Adjectives are words that describe nouns.

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How Do We Compare?

A. Draw a copy of the table on a piece of paper in your binder. Fill in the table. Include all of the nouns, verbs, and adjectives from the poem, and all the words compared to school. B. Look for an interesting pattern in your Nouns and School is like columns. 1. What does the pattern tell you about comparisons you can make with similes? What kinds of words can you compare? 2. Rewrite the last stanza of the poem to make a simile comparing a verb to another verb. C. Some words might seem like they fit into more than one column. 1. In the verse, School is like a stupid cat what kind of word is stupid? 2. In the verse, School is like a garbage truck how is the word garbage used? Would you call it a noun or an adjective? Why? 3. The word like is a verb in the sentence: I like school. Do you think the word like is a verb in the poem about school? Why or why not? D. A linking verb is a verb that does not express action and links the noun to the verb in the sentence. You can substitute a linking verb for am is or are and the sentence will still make sense. 1. Look through your list of verbs and label the linking verbs LV. 2. Do you think like is a linking verb or an action verb? Why?

Homework starts on page 17.

The most commonly used word in the English language is the. The is not a noun, adjective, verb or adverb. It is an article. Other articles include a, an, and sometimes some.

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Predictable or Clever

Poets and writers use similes to describe sunsets, clouds, snowflakes, and many other
things. You can use similes when you speak and write too. Here is a poem that shows just how powerful similes can be. If you use tired, old similes, you sound corny and predictable. If you use fresh, new similes, you sound clever and wittywhich is a pretty good reason to use fresh, original similes. Predictable
Poor as a church mouse strong as an ox cute as a button smart as a fox Thin as a toothpick white as a ghost fit as a fiddle dumb as a post Bald as an eagle neat as a pin proud as a peacock ugly as sin When people are talking you know what they'll say as soon as they start to use a clich. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

Bruce Lansky, reprinted from If Pigs Could Fly...and Other Deep Thoughts

Poems that have rhyming words at the end of some or all verses are written in rhymed verse. The rhyming words may alternate between lines. Poems can have AB patterns, ABAB patterns, ABBA, ABCB, and many other patterns. Even if a poem is not written in rhymed verse, there may be other patterns too. The amount of words or syllables in each verse creates the beat of the poem, called the meter. Poems with or without rhyming words that have no set meter are written in free verse.
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Predictable or Clever
A. Is Predictable written in free verse? Is it written in rhymed verse? How do you know? Give examples from the poem to support your thinking. B. Describe any patterns you notice about the poem. Would this poem make a good song? Why or why not? C. Rewrite the poem using labsheet 2.3. Change each clich simile into a fresh, original simile. Try to use all of the same patterns as Lansky used to write his poem Predictable. D. Contractions are words that are combined together using an apostrophe, like I dont like school. Use the words you, your, and youre in sentences again to show the difference between these three words that are often times used incorrectly. Include an explanation with each sentence.
Homework starts on page 17.

Rhyme - The repetition of sound, almost always to achieve an effect or to create a rhythm. There are three kinds of rhyme: end rhyme is the repetition of the end sounds of the words at the ends of verses of poetry; near rhyme or off rhyme or slant rhyme is not quite true or pure - "tree" rhymed with "hurry"; internal rhyme is rhyming a word in the middle of a line of poetry with a word elsewhere in the line.

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Ben was asked to write a poem using similes. He wrote the following poem about school: School
Its cool to go to school I like to see my friends Its fun to go to school I like to chat at lunch As soon as school commences I cant stop smiling As soon as school concludes I go crazy waiting

1. Do you think Ben enjoys school because he likes to learn or for some other reason? How do you know? 2. Write a letter to Ben explaining why his poem does not use similes. 3. Prefixes and suffixes are word parts that attach to words to change the words meaning. Prefixes are at the beginning of words and suffixes are at the end of words. The words waiting and smiling have the suffix ing. The words commence and conclude have the prefix com- / con-. Add a prefix and / or suffix to the following words: A. Go B. Stop C. Fun D. Do E. Fasten

4. Rewrite Bens poem so that it has the same meaning, but meets the requirements of the assignment. Your poem should have two stanzas with four verses each and use similes. Is your poem in free verse or rhymed verse? 5. What patterns do you notice with Bens poem? Remember, rhymes, syllables, and word-count are all patterns in poetry. Is his poem written in free verse? How do you know? 6. The word its is a contraction that combines the words it and is. Did Ben use the word its correctly in his poem? How do you know? What do you think the word its means (without an apostrophe)? Use the words its and its in sentences to show that you understand how to use these two words.
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Recall the first days of school where we compared writing to an activity like rock climbing or deep-sea diving. Below is the poem Amanda wrote that shows how she feels about learning. Like Falling Snow
Learning is like falling snow You never know where it will go All the snowflakes are unique Which makes it hard to find what you seek Think of all the things youll make When all you have to do is take The snow that piles up on the ground Your creations will surly astound But be sure that you always take care And make certain you do your fair share Or the beautiful snow may pile up And bury you before you catch up

7. Identify the simile in Amandas poem. Use details from the poem to describe what learning must be like for Amanda. 8. Learning is like falling snow is not a simile that compares learning to an activity. To help Amanda, come up with an idea for an activity that can be done outside in the snow that matches how Amanda feels about learning. Explain why your choice makes sense. 9. Multiple Choice Which pattern matches Amandas Poem? A. AABA B. AABB C. ABAB D. ABBB 10. Multiple Choice Which statement best matches Amandas Poem? A. Learning is like having a snowball fight. B. Learning is like ice fishing. C. Learning is like building an igloo. D. Learning is like shoveling snow.

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11. Reread your simile and explanation about learning. (Learning is Like) Decide on a verse (rhymed or free verse), and write your own poem. Reread Amandas poem on page 10 for an example of how to write your poem. 12. Adverbs are words or phrases that tell when, where, how or to what extent. They sometimes end in ly but not always. Copy the following table into your notebook and use the following poem Shining Key to fill in the table. Nouns Adjectives Verbs Adverbs

Shining Key
Gently the tide creeps up the sand Gradually the young boy becomes tanned Gracefully the shadows cross the land Slowly the hands move round the clock Steadily the dew dries on the dock Soon the boy will begin to walk Now the sun sets over the sea Nearly lost but thankfully he can see Northward aloft his shining key

13. Adverbs of manner (quickly, carefully) describe how something happens. Adverbs of place (here, outside) describe where something happens. Adverbs of purpose (since, because) describe why something happens. Adverbs of frequency (never, often) describe how often something happens. Adverbs of time (after, during) describe when something happens. Decide what kind of adverbs you have. Beside each adverb in your table, write the word manner, place, purpose, frequency, or time. 14. What do you think the author meant by Shining Key? Explain your thinking. 15. Write your own poem. Your poem should have at least 4 verses and include at least one aspect of poetry that you learned about in this workshop. Be creative!
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2
In this workshop you read and wrote poems that use similes. These questions will
help you summarize what you learned.

___________________
1. How do you identify a simile? 2. Why do writers use similes? 3. What kinds of patterns exist in poetry? 4. What is a purpose of using patterns in poetry?

Write the lyrics from your Special Song. Are there any patterns in the verses? Did the song writer use any similes? What is the song writers message?

A popular saying comes to mind: Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. In other words, what you think about something may be different than what someone else thinks about it. Opinions are a valuable thing when it comes to writing! Just make sure you can back up your opinion with evidence from what you read or write.

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Metaphors Be With You

Some people think of metaphors as nothing more than the sweet stuff of songs and
poemsLove is a jewel, or a rose, or a butterfly. But in fact all of us speak and write and think in metaphors every day. They can't be avoided: metaphors are built right into our language. Here we'll take a look at some of the different kinds of metaphors, with examples drawn from advertisements, poems, essays, and songs.

Life is a Journey A metaphor is a figure of speech that writers use to make a comparison. Unlike with
a simile, the comparison is implied instead of stated, and the words like, as, and than are not used. A good metaphor will always show how two unrelated things have something important in common. Be careful when you write a metaphor that you let the metaphor do its job. Do not ruin your metaphors by telling us what they mean. Make the reader think hard to figure it out. Some metaphors are so common that we may not even notice that they are metaphors. Take the familiar metaphor of life as a journey, for example. We find it in advertising slogans: "Life is a journey, travel it well." (United Airlines) "Life is a journey. Enjoy the Ride." (Nissan) "Life's a journeytravel light" (Hugo Boss Perfume)

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Life is a Journey
When we think of life as purposeful, we think of it as having destinations and paths toward those destinations. We can speak of children as getting off to a good start in life and of the aged as being at the end of the trail. We describe people as making their way in life. People worry about whether they are getting anywhere with their lives, and about giving their lives some direction. People who know where they're going in life are generally admired. In discussing options, one may say, "I don't know which path to take."

A. Given all these examples, explain what you think Life is a Journey means. Give evidence to support your idea.

Robert Frost wrote,

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference
(From "The Road Not Taken")

B. What do you think Robert Frost meant when he wrote The Road Not Taken? What does I took the one less traveled by mean? C. Below is a list of statements about time written as metaphors. Choose one statement and copy it on your paper. Time is a circus, always packing up and moving away. Time is the thief you cannot banish. Time is a river. Time is a storm in which we are all lost. Time is money. 1. Make an inference that explains the metaphor you chose. Why would people use it to describe time? Give evidence to support your opinion. 2. Write a rough draft of a poem titled Time. Be careful that you dont give away your metaphor! Use some or all of the poem frame on labsheet 3.1.
Homework starts on page 25.

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The Writer
A. Read the poem The Writer by Richard Wilbur (labsheet 3.2). Annotate on your labsheet as you read, recording questions, thoughts, inferences, and other notes. 1. Use a dictionary to look up the following words and record the definitions: prow, gunwale, cargo, passage 2. How are all these words related? 3. Read the first three stanzas of the poem again. How does Richard relate writing to a journey? B. Read lines 16 through 30 again. 1. Use a dictionary to look up starling and record the definition. 2. Describe what is happening to the starling. C. Think about the sound of a typewriter and the sound of a starling trapped in a room. 1. What comes to mind when you try to imagine these two sounds? 2. What is Richard telling us about his daughter as a writer? Homework starts on page 25.

The term metaphor means in Greek to "carry something across" or to "transfer." There are many different kinds of metaphors. The Writer is an extended metaphor. extended or telescoping metaphor: A sustained metaphor. implied metaphor: A less direct metaphor. mixed metaphor: The awkward, silly use of more than one metaphor at a time. The teacher descended upon the exams, sank his talons into their pages, ripped the answers to shreds, and then, perching in his chair, began to digest. John swelled and ruffled his plumage. (Versus John was a peacock.) I can see through you like a book.

dead metaphor or clich metaphor: A Tying up loose ends, a submarine sandwich, a commonly used metaphor that has become branch of government, and most clichs part of ordinary language. simile: A comparison using "like" or "as" Her face was pale as the moon. metonym: The substitution of one term for The pen is mightier than the sword, the crown another with which it is commonly (referring to a Queen or King), hands (referring to associated or closely related. workers who use their hands)
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I Am.

Our goal this year is to discover more about ourselves as writers. In order to discover
something about yourself, you must reflect. This will help you become a better writer, and of course, discoveries mean more when we share them with others. Today you will share what you have discovered about yourself as a writer and write a poem where you use a metaphor to compare yourself as a writer to an animal or machine.

A. In workshop 3.2 you read The Writer by Richard Wilbur. In the poem, Richard compares his daughter to a trapped starling. The bird struggles and struggles and never gives up until it finally flies free. In the same way, his daughter had to try hard while writing to finally find success. 1. Get with a partner and share your answers to ACE questions 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11. Compare and contrast your answers. 2. Are you a fast writer, a slow writer? Do you write long winded passages or short and sweet passages? What kind of writer are you? B. The Writer is a poem that compares a writer to an animal. Think about this metaphor while you answer the following questions. 1. What frustrations and satisfactions have you experienced as you shape words into meaning so far this year? Are you struggling, or does writing come easily to you? 2. Brainstorm a list of at least 5 metaphors that will tell others about you as a writer. Your goal is to show others what you are like as a writer. Try comparing yourself to an animal (examples include an elephant, a fox, or a bird, etc.) or a machine (for example, a bulldozer, a tank, a train, etc.) or you can try another metaphor idea. Be creative! 3. Discuss your ideas with a partner and choose the best metaphor. C. Use your best metaphor to write a poem about yourself as a writer. Make sure you add details to show your metaphor, but be careful to let the metaphor do its job. Use labsheet 3.2 and 3.3 to help you create your poem.

Homework starts on page 25.

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1. Choose a metaphor from the list below and write what you think it means. Make sure to explain your thinking.

You are the sun in my sky. It is raining cats and dogs. Love is a fragile flower opening to the warmth of spring. The noise is music to my ears.

2. Multiple Choice Which of the following is NOT a metaphor? A. I ride the rollercoaster that is love. B. Life is a dream. C. She ran like the wind. D. Time is money. Use the following poem to answer questions 3 through 5 on the next page. FOR I AM A METAPHOR By: Kottrell Johnson 'For I am a Metaphor For I am free as a bird Wiser than wise itself Brighter than a sun gamma ray FOR I AM A METAPHOR For I love like the word Think like Einstein Dream like Martin FOR I AM A METAPHOR For I smell like success Achieve like achievers And soar like number 23 FOR I AM A METAPHOR For I deliver like a mailman Determine like focus And prosper like an underdog FOR I......AM.....A METAPHOR'
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Use the poem FOR I AM A METAPHOR on page 25 to answer questions 3, 4, and 5. 3. Do you think Kottrell thinks and feels positively about himself? Does he have a positive self-image? Give evidence from the poem to support your inference.

4. Write a letter to Kottrell to tell him why his poem uses similes instead of metaphors.

5. Choose one stanza in the poem FOR I AM A METAPHOR to rewrite using metaphors instead of similes.

6. For each direct metaphor, write an implied metaphor. Follow the example. Example: Direct Metaphor: John was a peacock. Implied Metaphor: John swelled and ruffled his plumage. A. B. C. D. Sarah was an elephant. Sam is a bulldozer. Alex was a snake. Susan is a microwave.

7. What is the easiest thing about writing for you? Why? 8. What is the most difficult thing about writing for you? Why? 9. If you could sit down and write the way that you want to, what steps would you follow when you write? List the steps in numbered order. 10. What is the biggest influence on the way that you write? Why does it influence you? 11. If someone watched you write, what would they see? What would they notice? Remember to write your answers in complete sentences. Complete sentences allow you to evaluate your answers to questions without needing to read the questions again.

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Study the table of mixed metaphors to answer questions 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16. 12. Multiple Choice Mixed metaphors are created by combining two clich metaphors into a new one which does not make sense. Which two metaphors were combined to create this mixed metaphor? Dont put all your ducks in one basket. A. Get your ducks in a row combined with Dont put all your eggs in one basket. B. Put your eggs in a row combined with Dont put all your ducks in one basket. 13. Choose one mixed metaphor from the table and try to guess what two metaphors have been mixed together. Make sure you explain your thinking. 14. Create your own mixed metaphor using two of the following clich metaphors: It was a piece of cake. Hold your horses. It drives me up the wall. Just in the nick of time. Dont let the cat out of the bag. Were on the same page. I can read you like a book. 15. Choose one mixed metaphor from the table to the right and tell what you think it means. Make sure you explain your thinking. 16. I can see through you like a book is a mixed metaphor that means I can tell what you are thinking, and I know that you are not telling the truth. Tell what two metaphors were combined together, and explain the meaning behind them. Why does the mixed metaphor fail to make sense?

Ask your teacher for a list of clich metaphors to help you with the extension project on the next page.
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Use the Periodic Table of Metaphors and a list of clich metaphors for these questions.

17. Choose two pictures from the table to create a metaphor that means, You are the apple of my eye. Draw the two pictures. 18. Combine the two pictures together into a new metaphor illustration. 19. Decide on a clich metaphor and look for two pictures that could represent the metaphor. Combine the two pictures together into one picture. Create a colored illustration on a piece of white paper. Trade with your partner to guess each others clich metaphors.
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3
In this workshop you read and wrote poems that use metaphors. These questions
will help you summarize what you learned.

___________________
1. How do you identify a metaphor? What does let the metaphor do its job mean? 2. Why do writers use metaphors? 3. How are metaphors different than similes? How are they the same? 4. Do you think differently about yourself as a writer now? What are your thoughts about writing?

Dont forget to write about your Special Song. Read the lyrics from your Special Song. Did the song writer use any metaphors? What are they, and what do you think they mean? Look for a verse that you could rewrite using a metaphor. Write the original verse and the new verse as a metaphor.

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