Commas, Commas, Commas!

Did you know that you can learn grammar through poetry? In the next workshop,
you will read and write poems that will teach you where to put your commas when you work on any writing project.

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Compound Sentences
A. Brainstorm a list of holidays. Choose your favorite holiday and make a list of silly things you wish you could do on your holiday. Write a rough draft of a Holiday Poem on a separate sheet of paper. Use labsheet 4.1 to help you. Pay extra attention to where you put your commas! B. Reread the third and fourth stanzas in Nesbitts poem, Hurray! Hurray! Its New Years Day! What one thing is different about the sentence structures in stanza three and stanza four? C. Authors choose to combine two sentences into one compound sentence because the two sentences are closely related. A compound sentence is like a set of twins, because twins are complete people alone, but they are related biologically to each other. In the same way, a compound sentence contains two sentences that are complete by themselves, but they are joined by a comma and a conjunction because they are related. 1. There are two compound sentences in stanza three. How is the meaning related in each of the compound sentences? 2. Stanza four could have compound sentences too by adding only a few words. Rewrite stanza four so that it has two compound sentences. D. A conjunction is a word that joins two sentences to make a compound sentence. Here is a list of conjunctions: and, for, nor, but, or, yet, so, because. 1. The conjunction is usually preceded by a comma (the comma comes first). This is important because and is a conjunction that joins a few words as well as whole sentences. Choose which of the following two sentences requires a comma and rewrite the sentence with the comma. I went to the store to buy salt and pepper. I went to the store to buy salt and pepper was on sale. 2. Rewrite one stanza from your holiday poem so that it uses a different conjunction other than and. How does the different conjunction change your sentence meaning? Did you need to change other words in order to avoid changing the meaning of your sentence?
Homework starts on page 38.
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Subordinate Conjunctions

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Subordinate Conjunctions
A. Brainstorm a list of both positive and negative traits. Pick your favorite trait. Then make a list of typical activities, and next to each activity think of a way someone could do that activity while acting in the positive or negative way. Write a rough draft of a Time Poem on a separate sheet of paper. Use labsheet 4.4 to help you. Pay extra attention to where you put your commas! B. Reread the first and second stanzas in Lanskys poem, My Noisy Brother. What different patterns do you notice in the second stanza? How does this structural change effect the comma placement or usage? C. Writers use subordinate conjunctions to avoid fragments and run-ons, and to write more complex sentences. A subordinate conjunction is like Siamese twins, because it combines two related sentences, but a subordinate conjunction by itself is a fragment, which makes it a dependent clause. Only use a comma when the dependent clause comes first. No Comma: He cracks his knuckles when hes bored. Comma Needed: When hes bored, he cracks he knuckles. 1. Find two subordinate conjunctions in the first stanza of the poem My Noisy Brother. Rewrite them with the dependent clause at the end of the sentence. How does this change the use of commas in the sentence? 2. Find two subordinate conjunctions in the second stanza of the poem. Rewrite them so that the dependent clause comes at the beginning of the sentence. Do you need commas now? Why or why not? 3. There is a missing comma in the first two stanzas of the poem My Noisy Brother. Can you find it? What verse is it in? How would you fix it? D. Writers can use other words besides when for subordinate conjunctions. Some other words include whenever, while, until, since, after, before, as, as soon as, and because. 1. Rewrite Lanskys first or second stanza using some different words for your subordinate conjunctions besides when. 2. Write the instructions for taking care of a pet, using five of the subordinate conjunctions listed above.
Homework starts on page 38.
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Subordinate Clauses

34

Subordinate Clauses

A. Brainstorm a list of friendly and mischievous actions. Choose 10 or more actions and list details about each action. Write a rough draft of a We Moved Poem on a separate sheet of paper. Use labsheet 4.2 to help you. Pay extra attention to where you put your commas! B. Reread the first and second stanzas in Prelutskys poem, We Moved About a Week Ago. What one thing is different about the sentence structures in stanza one and stanza two? C. Writers use subordinate clauses to avoid sentence fragments and run-on sentences and to write more complex sentences. A subordinate clause is like a private in the army who is subordinate to the officers. A subordinate clause carries information that is not as important as the main clause, and like a private it depends on the main clause for orders. 1. Think about where the commas belong in subordinate clauses. Insert a comma in the following sentence. I suspect Colonel Mustard who is in the den with the wrench. 2. Write two more guesses for the game of Clue using a who clause. D. Writers start subordinate clauses with the words who, which, and that. Who is used for people. Which and that are used for other nouns (animals, objects and ideas). You do not need a comma for that clauses. 1. Rewrite Prelutskys second stanza so that subordinate clauses are used correctly. 2. Write a stanza for a We Moved poem about all the things you accidentally left behind when you moved. This could be objects or animals. Make sure you use both that and which clauses. 3. Ask someone to read your stanza aloud to you. Notice how the reader pauses when reading sentences that have which clauses, but not when reading sentences that have that clauses. Make an inference: why dont that clauses need commas?
Homework starts on page 38.
35

Appositives

36

Appositives
A. Choose a medieval role such as king, queen, dragon, peasant, page, princess, prince, servant, or minstrel. Write a rough draft of a Medieval Poem on a separate sheet of paper. Use labsheet 4.3 to help you. Pay extra attention to where you put your commas! B. Reread the first stanza in Prelutskys poem, I Am Wunk. How does Jack use commas when telling more about the nouns in his poem? Can any words be removed without creating a sentence fragment? A sentence fragment is a phrase or clause that does not form a complete sentence. C. Writers use appositives to tell about nouns. Appositives can be either a word, a phrase, or a clause that renames the noun. Writers use appositives to combine two simple sentences that are about the same noun. An appositive is like a mirror held up to the noun or pronoun in front of it. An appositive reflects the meaning of the noun or pronoun, and it is dependent, so it can always be taken out of the sentence without making the sentence incomplete. 1. What are the appositives describing Wunk in Prelutskys poem? 2. In the poem, the appositives describe Wunk. Write a sentence where Wunk is the appositive (single word). 3. Write an appositive phrase (two or three words) describing Wunk. 4. Write an appositive clause (a sentence all by itself, but joined by a comma to make a compound sentence) describing Wunk. D. Writers put appositives directly after a noun or noun phrase. Some of Prelutskys appositives are in the wrong order. For example, There you swim, a minnow in a pond, has an appositive hiding in it. Here it is, written in the correct order: You, a minnow in a pond, swim there. 1. Rewrite Prelutskys first stanza so that the hidden appositives about You are written in the correct order. 2. Why do you think Prelutsky chose to invert the order of his appositives? Homework starts on page 38.

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Hurray! Hurray! Its Independence Day! By Samantha Stingley Hurray! Hurray! Its Independence Day! The day we became a nation So this year Ive decided To have a colossal celebration Ill sit with Abraham Lincoln And Ill talk to ole Davy Crockett Ill play with the spitting sparklers And Ill see fireworks boom like rockets Ill wail the National Anthem Ill praise Mr. Francis Scott Key Ill ask George about his trip across the Potomac Ill keep some space between Franklins kite and me Ive got so many things to do Im starting without delay Yet this will be the best day yet Hurray! Its Independence Day! 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

1. There should be a punctuation mark at the end of almost, but not all, of the lines in Samanthas poem. Can you help her edit her poem for punctuation? Which verses need commas and which verses need periods? 2. Rewrite Samanthas third stanza so that there are two compound sentences. Try to use two different conjunctions. 3. Finish each compound sentence below. Follow the example. My mother found my homework, and she brought it to school for me. My father lost his shoes, and My brother lost his tooth, but My sister broke her leg, yet My grandpa couldnt find his glasses, nor My grandma cant eat wheat, or Remember, a compound sentence is made of two complete sentences combined together! Always pay attention to which conjunction you use.
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We Moved About a Week Ago By Sarah We moved about a week ago Its nice here I suppose The trouble is I miss my friends Like Rob who worshipped Guided By Voices like rock legends And April who liked to cruise around town With the windows down and her tunes turned up And Tammy whos so very quiet Yet always a true friend. I miss my friend Bobby Who shined like a twinkling star while on stage I miss the rest of the gang Who always found a nice thing to say I really miss Roy Whose crazy antics always made me smile And Tracy who liked to eat Ice cream straight from the container with a giant spoon 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

4. There should be a punctuation mark in almost, but not all, of the lines in Sarahs poem. Can you help her edit her poem for punctuation? Which verses need commas and which verses need periods? 5. Can you find two similes in Sarahs poem? 6. The words whos and whose are homonyms with different meanings. Reread verses 7 and 14 and infer the meaning of the words whos and whose. 7. It is possible to write a subordinate clause that needs two commas. Rewrite each of the following sentences, moving the clause to a different place in the sentence. Follow the example and make sure you have the right amount of commas! Bridget, who is so very chatty, is a friend that I miss. Changed to: I miss my friend Bridget, who is so very chatty. Jake is my best friend, who plays basketball. Mirna is my newest friend, who loves to draw. Lissa, who loves picnics, is a friend that I miss. Logan, who takes care of me, is my brother who I like. Notice how rearranging the position of the subordinate clause makes the sentence flow more smoothly. The best place for a subordinate clause is right after the noun it is modifying.
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I Am a Wizard By Christy Roy I am Andrew an aggressively aggravated wizard and I wear an awful frown I am Brandy a breathtakingly beautiful wizard and I wear a beaded gown I am Carla a continuously conniving wizard and I wear a cunning smirk I am Dan a dashingly debonair wizard and I wear a double breasted suit I am Enrique an easily excitable wizard and I wear enormous earrings I am Fred a frighteningly ferocious wizard and I wear a fringe of spikes I am Gertrude a graciously giving wizard and I wear a good-natured smile I am Herbert a humongous hungry wizard and I wear huge hand-me-downs I am Lisa a lively leaping wizard and I wear a lavender leotard I am Mary a monstrously mean wizard and I wear a menacing scowl I am Olivia an outlandishly outrageous wizard and I wear orange overalls Do be nice to us, my dear or we will make you disappear 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24

8. There should be a punctuation mark in all of the lines in Christys poem. Can you help her edit her poem for punctuation? Which verses need one comma, which verses need two commas, and which verses need periods? 9. It is possible to write an appositive that does not need a comma, as well as an appositive that needs two commas. Here is an example: No Comma: One Comma: Two Commas: I cannot find the wizard Wunk. I cannot find Wunk, the wacky wizard. Wunk, the wacky wizard, cannot be found.

Find an appositive from workshop 4.3 and write the verse three times, so that it needs no comma, one comma, and two commas. 10. Alliteration is a common feature in poetry and other writing where several words in a verse or stanza start with the same sounds, such as with Christys poem above. Look back through your writing from this year and rewrite a verse or sentence using alliteration.
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My Sensitive Sister By Stephanie My sister is such a sensitive person Shes always been that way I really cant explain it Try hard, though I may When she tumbles in the grass She breaks out in hives When she nibbles food that has some spice She screeches that shes burning alive When horses give her itchy eyes She bolts away from stables When wheat makes her stomach hurt She scrutinizes labels When she spots a teeny gnat She flies to get the swatter When shes moistened by a drop of rain She acts allergic to water My sister is such a sensitive person Shes always been that way I really cant explain it It must be DNA 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

11. There should be a punctuation mark in all of the lines in Stephanies poem. Can you help her edit her poem for punctuation? Which verses need one comma, which verses need periods, and which need both? 12. Match the following sentences with the correct subordinate conjunctions. Write them out with correct capitalization and punctuation. he lost his cell phone when he saw the bird when he ate the chilly Mickey drank a gallon of water when Donald went for a walk Goofy climbed the tree to get it

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13. Create a Holiday Poem or memorable moment story about a made-up holiday, such as Pet Day or Skateboard Day, or that celebrates the birthday of a famous person. Make sure you use compound sentences like the poems in workshop 4.1. 14. Write a We Moved Poem or memorable moment story about unusual neighbors or relatives. Make sure you use who clauses like the poems in workshop 4.2. 15. Create a Medieval Poem or short story for a career of interest, a position in a team sport or Olympic event, or an American president. Make sure you use appositives like the poems in workshop 4.3. 16. Choose a favorite character from a book you read recently and write a Medieval Poem about that character. Make sure you use appositives like the poems in workshop 4.3. 17. Write a Time Poem or memorable moment story about your favorite sports team, favorite musician, or favorite car (or another favorite). Make sure your writing includes subordinate conjunctions like the when clauses you learned about in workshop 4.4. 18. Choose a favorite story, series of events, or historical event, and write a Time Poem. Make sure your writing includes subordinate conjunctions like the when clauses you learned about in workshop 4.4.

19. Revise and edit a Holiday Poem that you wrote (like the one in workshop 4.1). Then ask your teacher for directions on how to publish your poem in a tumbling book. 20. Revise and edit a We Moved Poem that you wrote (like the one in workshop 4.2). Then ask your teacher for directions on how to publish your poem in a moving van book. 21. Revise and edit a Medieval Poem that you wrote (like the one in workshop 4.3). Then ask your teacher for directions on how to publish your poem in a character card. 22. Revise and edit a Time Poem that you wrote (like the one in workshop 4.4). Then ask your teacher for directions on how to publish your poem in a clock book. When you revise poetry, think carefully about word choice, try to create patterns such as rhyming words, and make the words flow smoothly, like a song or chant. Get with a partner to edit your writing. Ask your teacher for the Editing Checklist labsheet.
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4
In this workshop you read and wrote poems to learn about where to put commas
when you write. These questions will help you summarize what you learned.

___________________
1. What does a comma tell the reader to do? 2. What are some reasons why writers use commas? Be specific. What sentence structures require commas? 3. Why is it important for growing writers to learn how to use commas? 4. How will you apply what you learned in this workshop when you write?

Dont forget to write about your Special Song. Read the lyrics from your Special Song. Did the song writer use any commas? Are there any compound sentences, appositives, or subordinate clauses? Is your Special Song missing any commas? Can you make the song better by adding more complex verses that require commas? Alliteration is popular in many songs. Look for alliteration in your Special Song and write your own verse with alliteration. Try to write at least one other verse that fits your Special Song and uses something you learned from this workshop.

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Designing Descriptive Details

In this workshop, you will use poems to learn about the different ways that you
can accurately add descriptive details to your writing.

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Comparative Adjectives
A. Brainstorm a list of places and choose 8 favorites. Then think of a dumb action for each place. Decide on a serious health risk or other warning for your last two lines, and then write a Comparative Poem using labsheet 5.1. Use a separate sheet of paper. B. Find the word that appears with dumber in each statement of Lanskys poem. Explain how this word is different than the word used in line 6, which is almost spelled exactly the same and misused often. How should both words be used? C. Writers use comparative adjectives to compare a quality or action to another quality or action. Comparative and superlative adjectives are like people who brag. Comparative adjectives think they are bettER and superlatives think they are the bEST. The word comparative has the word pair in it, which means two. Superlative has the word super in it, which means best. 1. Find the comparative adjective in Lanskys poem. Think of a replacement word that would not change the meaning of the poem. Do you think your replacement word is also a comparative adjective? Why? 2. Create your own simile definition for comparative adjectives by saying that it is likebecause of. D. Comparative adjectives often end in er, but adjectives with two or more syllables sometimes use the word more instead. More alert instead of alerter. Superlatives use est, but also most with longer words. 1. For each adjective, decide if the comparative and superlative use er/est or more/most. Write each comparative and superlative adjective; check your spelling with a dictionary! Hint: the dictionary will always tell you if an adjective uses a suffix or more/most. fun beautiful fast happy stupid cute

2. Reread lines 15 and 16 in Lanksys poem and in the poem you wrote. Why are the lines changed in your poem? Make an inference: Why did Lanksy use the comparative when he should have used the superlative?
Homework starts on page 50.
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Predicate Adjectives

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Predicate Adjectives
A. Brainstorm a list of notable people. Pick your favorite person. Then make a two-column list of accomplishments and corresponding descriptions for that person. Try to think of at least 15 descriptions and accomplishments. On a separate sheet of paper, write your Greatest Person Poem using labsheet 5.2. B. Lindsey set up the pattern of lines with two predicate adjectives joined by and. What are the predicate adjectives in line 2? What are the 4 lines that have only 1 predicate adjective? Write these 4 predicate adjectives. C. A predicate adjective must be an adjective following a linking verb (you learned a little about linking verbs in workshop 2.2). Just like any adjective, predicate adjectives tell about a nouns attributes the way a catalogue description tells about items. The big difference is the adjectives are in the predicate of the sentence. 1. Create your own simile definition for predicate adjectives. Predicate adjectives are likebecause. 2. The words dedicated, sure, and disappointed are tricky predicate adjectives from Lindseys poem. Choose one word and explain why it is a predicate adjective. Can you think of two or three reasons? D. You can make any adjective into a predicate adjective. Just put a linking verb in between the noun and adjective. Here is a list of linking verbs: State-of-being linking verbs: is, am, are, was, were, be, being, been. Senses linking verbs: look, sound, smell, feel, taste, appear, seem, become, grow, turn, prove, remain, and get. Rewrite each sentence below so that the adjective is a predicate adjective. Example: The loud bell wakes everyone up. Changed to: The bell sounds loud and wakes everyone up. 1. 2. 3. 4. The purple sunset filled the sky. I love to eat delicious fruit. I bought wonderful flowers. Dont bother the sleeping puppies.
Homework starts on page 50.
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Participial Phrases

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Participial Phrases
A. Create a list of favorite childhood toys, games, and pastimes. Then come up with some ing action phrases that match your toys, games, and pastimes. Brainstorm some ways that adults have described you and your friends in a negative way (stereotypes). Then write your own I Am Poem on a separate sheet of paper using labsheet 5.3. Pay attention to your commas. B. Britton places all of her participial phrases at the end of her sentences. Stanza 1 and stanza 2 include three participial phrases. Pick one stanza and list the participials that start each phrase. What do you think a participial is? C. Participial phrases function as adjectives that describe or modify the subject or object of a sentence. Participial phrases are set off with commas and begin with a participial, a verb that ends in ing or ed. Participial phrases are like sprinkles added onto an ice cream dessert. They can be left off, but the complete sentence (or dessert) is much better with the extra details (or toppings). Advanced writers use participial phrases for sentence variety and to compose long sentences with lots of interesting details. 1. How does moving the participial phrase change the meaning of the following sentences? Wearing leg warmers, I jazzercised with Barbie. I jazzercised with Barbie, wearing leg warmers. 2. How are the following participial phrases different than the ones in Brittons poem? How can you tell that they are participial phrases? She enjoyed Legos, stacked to look like buildings. She enjoyed Legos, built into restaurants. D. Read each sentence and decide if it has a participial phrase or not. 1. 2. 3. 4. I am not a slacker, frying my brain on PlayStation. I go running every morning. My brother and I argued over the games every night. I am a gamer, raised in the era of console wars and video game controllers.

Homework starts on page 50.

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Dumber and Dumbest By Niki Its dumber than not doing your homework when you know that its half of your grade Its dumber than playing with mountains of maches Its dumber than kissing a sickening toad Its dumber than gorging on gobs of garlic then going on a romantic date Its dumber than munching ten McDonalds Big Macs when your already one hundred pounds overweit its dumber than drinking ten cups of caffeinated coffee when your bedtime in in less than an our its dumber than chopming six sumptuous chocolate bars when your mom is cooking a four-course meel Its dumber than falling asleep for five hours when your lying out in the smuldering sun Whats dumber by far than both of these things is the belief that you cant do something 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

1. Niki forgot to edit her poem! She is missing 13 apostrophes, 9 periods, and she misspelled 7 words. Name the lines for each mistake. Can you find all of them? 2. Niki forgot to use the superlative in the last stanza of her poem. Rewrite line 15 for her with the correct comparative adjective. 3. Write your own comparative and superlative sentences using 3 adjectives of your choice. (A total of 6 sentences.) Example: I am strong. My brother is stronger. My father is the strongest. Remember, the words its and its and your and youre have different meanings.
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Abraham Lincoln By Nathan Lewis Abraham Lincoln you were iconic you were honored and respected Like all prezidents should be you were strong and curagus like a lion we gathered together to hear you speak Wile you gave the Gettysburg Address saying all men are created equal You were brave Abraham Lincoln Like King David from the Bible you were heroic and ditermend Like those who stand up for what is right you were unfaltering and upstanding Like any compashonate citizen although you were brutaly murdered Your legacy will live on forever Abraham Lincoln we will never forgit you 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

4. Nathan forgot to edit his poem! He made 13 capitalization errors, 7 spelling errors, 4 punctuation errors (missing commas), and he forgot to use quotation marks in line 7. Rewrite line 7, and then name the lines that need corrections. 5. Nathans poem has an interesting sentence element. His poem has three nouns of direct address. Find the three nouns of direct address. List the lines for each one, then choose one to rewrite with the comma in the correct place. 6. List all of the predicate adjectives in Nathans poem. Hint: There are 11. Remember, not all adjectives are predicate adjectives. 7. Can you find the simile in Nathans poem? What does he compare to Abraham Lincoln? Why is this an appropriate comparison? Nouns of Direct Address need commas. Check Lindseys poem from workshop 5.2 to see where the commas belong.

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I Will Never Completely Grow Up By Jordan I am a PlayStation kid batteling evil boses leveling up my skills and beating RPGs I am an XBOX boy roaming sand boxes searching for hidden items and getting all the trofies I am not a gamer geak fat on junk food lazy as a sloth and too slow for real sports I am a PlayStashon XBOX guy and not a slacker nerd Gaming will never die and the fun will continue The times might catch up with me but I will never completly grow up 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

8. Jordans poem is missing punctuation marks, and he misspelled 6 words. Tell if each line needs a comma, or a period, or both, and then find and correct each misspelled word. 9. Jordan did not use participial phrases in one of his stanzas. Find which stanza is missing participial phrases and rewrite the whole stanza so that it follows the poem frame for workshop 5.3. How did the participial phrases change the structure of the stanza? 10. Can you find Jordans simile? Why is his simile an example of an adult stereotype? 11. Participial phrases can be at the beginning, middle, and end of sentences. Look back through the poems you read and wrote in workshop 5.3 and choose one participial phrase. Rewrite the phrase so that it is at the beginning, middle, and end of the sentence. Examples: (Pay attention to where you put the commas!) She found her childhood toys, sitting on the top closet shelf. Sitting on the top closet shelf, the childhood toys were discovered. The childhood toys, sitting on the top closet shelf, had been forgotten for years.
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12. Some adjectives dont follow the rules. Irregular Adjectives are adjectives that have comparative and superlative forms that break from the patterns you learned about in workshop 5.1. These adjectives change to different words instead. Study the list of irregular adjectives. You need to know them all! Choose one adjective and write a short Comparative Poem using the comparative and superlative form.

13. Create a Comparative Poem or memorable moment story that uses one of the following adjectives: smart, strong, soft, or silly. You can praise a special person, build a resume for a super hero, advertise a product, or make a collection of jokes. Make sure you use the correct comparative and superlative forms that you learned about in workshop 5.1. 14. Write a Greatest Person Poem using one of the following options: The main character from a book, a famous person (past or present), or an inventor. Make sure to use predicate adjectives like the poems in workshop 5.2. 15. Write or rewrite a Greatest Person Poem that uses sensory linking verbs such as look, sound, smell, feel, taste, appear, seem, become, grow, turn, prove, remain, and get in place of the linking verb. You can write about an object, such as your favorite food. Example: You are sweet and sugary. Changed to: You taste sweet and sugary. 16. Create an I Am Poem about an object, such as a piece of art, a family members forgotten childhood item, or a common item that people use every day. Make sure you use participial phrases like the poems in workshop 5.3. 17. Create an I Am Poem about a literary characters experiences. This can be from a book you read, or a TV show or movie you watched. Include hints to show what the story was about! Make sure you use participial phrases like the poems in workshop 5.3.
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18. Revise and edit a Comparative Poem that you wrote (like the one in workshop 5.1). Try to include at least one example of consonance. Consonance is a different kind of internal rhyme with the sounds at the end of words. For example, dumber, shower, and before all end with the same sound. So do the words admiration, abolition, and mission. To finish this project, ask your teacher for directions on how to publish your poem in a step book. 19. Revise and edit a Greatest Person Poem that you wrote (like the one in workshop 5.2). Try to include at least one example of assonance. Assonance is a different kind of internal rhyme with the vowel sounds in words. For example, freed, three, and sneaky all have the same vowel sound. So do the words girl, power and world. Ask your teacher for directions on how to publish your poem in a Medal of Honor Tin. (Note: this project requires items brought from home.) 20. Revise and edit an I Am Poem that you wrote (like the one in workshop 5.3). Try to include an example of assonance or consonance in your writing. Then ask your teacher for directions on how to publish your poem in a pop-up card. When you revise poetry, think carefully about word choice, try to create patterns such as rhyming words or alliteration, consonance, or assonance, and make the words flow smoothly, like a song or chant. Get with a partner to edit your writing. Use your Editing Checklist labsheet from workshop 4.

There are many different kinds of poems. Here are just a few for you to consider:
Cinquain: Poetry with five verses. Line 1 has one word (the title). Line 2 has two words that describe the title. Line 3 has three words that tell the action. Line 4 has four words that express the feeling, and line 5 has one word which recalls the title. Couplet: A couplet has rhyming stanzas made up of two verses. Iambic pentameter: One short syllable followed by one long syllable arranged in five pairs for a total of ten syllables per verse. Quatrain: Poetry with four verses. Sonnet: A lyric poem that consists of 14 verses which usually have one or more conventional rhyme schemes. Shakespearean sonnet: A 14-verse sonnet consisting of three quatrains of ABAB CDCD EFEF followed by a couplet, GG. Shakespearean sonnets generally use iambic pentameter. Acrostic: A poem where certain letters, usually the first in each line form a word or message when read in a sequence. Ballad: A song that tells a story similar to a folktale or legend which often has a repeated refrain. Haiku: A Japanese poem composed of three unrhymed verses of five, seven, and five syllables, usually about nature. Tanka: A Japanese poem of five verses, the first and third verses composed of five syllables, and the second, fourth, and fifth verses composed of seven syllables. Limerick: A short oftentimes humorous poem consisting of five verses. Lines 1, 2, and 5 have seven to ten syllables, rhyme, and have the same verbal rhythm. The 3rd and 4th lines have five to seven syllables, rhyme, and have the same rhythm.

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5
In this workshop you read and wrote poems to learn about how to write more
complex sentences with descriptive details. These questions will help you summarize what you learned.

___________________
1. What are some ways writers can add details to their writing? Be specific. What kinds of words or phrases do writers use to add details? 2. How are predicate adjectives and comparative adjectives alike and different? 3. Why is it important for growing writers to learn how to add details to their writing? 4. How will you apply what you learned in this workshop when you write?

Dont forget to write about your Special Song. Make sure you have all the lyrics for your Special Song. Did the song writer use any adjectives or participial phrases? Can you make the song better by adding more details? Write your own verse using both kinds of adjectives and participial phrases. Look for assonance and consonance in your Special Song. Try to write at least one verse that fits your song and has an example of assonance, consonance, or both.

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DIG
In this workshop, you will use poems to learn how to accurately describe actions
in a way that will add variety to your writing. DIG down deep to learn some complex grammar rules for direct and indirect objects and gerunds..

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Direct and Indirect Objects

A. Think of a person who is very convincingsomeone who could serve as the salesperson in your poem. Brainstorm a list of at least 11 professions (such as baker, delivery driver, artist, athlete, etc.) or animals who might be customers and think of one or two unusual objects that could be sold to each customer. Write a Best Seller Poem using labsheet 6.1 on a separate sheet of paper. B. Compare the last stanza of your poem with Prelutskys last stanza. How is the structure different? What extra words are added to your poem? Why were they added? Check stanza 19 of Prelutskys poem and your poem. What is being sold, and to whom is it being sold to? How can you tell? C. Writers use direct objects to identify what or who receives the action of the verb. Writers use indirect objects to identify who receives the direct object or to whom or for whom the action of the verb is done. A direct object is like a package being mailed to someone. An indirect object is like the person to whom the package is addressed. Novice writers use direct and indirect objects to create complex sentences to express ideas. 1. Find all of the direct objects in Prelutskys poem. Find all of the indirect objects in Prelutskys poem. Hints: sentences can have more than one direct or indirect object, and the action (verb) in this poem is has sold or can sell. 2. Create your own simile definition for direct and indirect objects. 3. Identify the direct objects and indirect objects for the second stanza in your poem. D. Pronouns such as me, you, him, her, and them can be direct objects or indirect objects as well as subjects. 1. Find the line in Prelutskys poem where he uses me and determine if it is a direct object, an indirect object, or a subject. How can you tell? 2. Compose one sentence using a pronoun as a direct object and one sentence using a pronoun as an indirect object. Be sure to label them!
Homework starts on page 62.
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Gerunds

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Gerunds
A. Use labsheet 6.2A to create a graph of your life events. Mark out each year of your life on the X axis. List events in the key and rank them as positive by plotting them above the Y axis, and rank them as negative by plotting them below the Y axis. Include at least 8 life events, such as trips, accidents, family changes, best birthdays, friendships, new skills, and pets. Then use your events to write an I Remember Poem on a separate sheet of paper using labsheet 6.2B. B. Compare and contrast the ing phrases in Turners poem with the ing phrases in Brittons poem from workshop 5.3 on page 48. How are they different? Can you think of at least two differences? How are they similar? If you remove the ing phrases, do the sentences become fragments? C. Gerunds are ing verbs that act as nouns. Gerunds are like butterflies. Caterpillars grow wings in order to change into butterflies. Likewise, verbs start changing into nouns when they add ing. Advanced writers use gerund phrases for sentence variety and for describing actions with more details. 1. Find all of the gerunds in Turners poem. 2. Create your own simile definition for gerunds. 3. Find three lines in Turners poem that have direct objects following the gerund. D. You can test any ing word in a sentence to see if it is a gerund by substituting it for the word or phrase. If the sentence still makes sense, then the ing word is a gerund. 1. Find the two ing words in Turners poem that are not gerunds. How can you tell that they are not gerunds? 2. Compose three sentences that use the same ing word, one where it is the subject, one where it is the direct object, and one where it is the verb. Example: He is practicing. He hates practicing. Practicing is hard work.
Homework starts on page 62.
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(Verb) (Gerund as direct object) (Gerund as subject)

Infinitives

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Infinitives
A. Brainstorm a list of objects or experiences that would cause a positive change in your life. Think of intangible objects or experiences that are free, such as a day on the beach or a word of praise from a person. Choose three objects or experiences from your list and think of three actions that match each object or experience. Use labsheet 6.3 to write a Three Wishes Poem on a separate sheet of paper. B. There are six infinitives in Kuskins poem. Lines 9, 10, and 11 all have infinitives. What is the infinitive in line 14? Can you find and record the infinitive in the second stanza? What is the infinitive in the third stanza? How are these infinitives the same and how are they different? C. Infinitives are action words that begin with the word to. Just as a vampire needs two fangs to be considered a vampire, an infinitive needs to have the word to in order to be an infinitive. Without two fangs, vampires look like magicians, and without the word to, infinitives are just verbs. You can write infinitive phrases as a way to speak about actions as topics. Skilled writers use infinitive phrases for sentence variety and to further describe and qualify the action being discussed. 1. Create your own simile definition for infinitives. 2. Choose two infinitives from Kuskins poem and rewrite them in two complete sentences. 3. Infinitives and direct objects both use the word to. How are the infinitives in this workshop different from the direct objects in 6.1? D. Infinitive phrases can be found in several places in a sentence and have slightly different functions. Pick one infinitive from the poem you wrote and write it in three different ways. Hint: You do not need to know the function of your infinitives. Examples: I want a tree to catch light rain. (adjective, modifying the noun tree) The tree needs to catch light rain. (noun, the direct object of needs) The tree is big to catch light rain. (adverb modifying the adjective big) I want to catch light rain with my tree. (noun, the direct object of want)
Homework starts on page 62.
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Sneaky Steve
By Jessica M. Metzger The shrewdest salesman anywhere is Sneaky Steave Hes the kind of selling anything to anyone at all Sneak Steves ways are so pursasive Hes been never known to fail He has sold a friendly fish a jumbo plain and a rickety old boat to a yello crane He has sold a lawyer a heart and life insurance to a dead guy named art He has sold a blue bird a biting louse and a huge pet cat to a little mouse He has sold an Eskimo a skimpy speedo And a crappy comb to big bold lee joe Sneaky Steves simply irrisitible Hes matchless hes a whiz He talked me into buying this I wonder what it is 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

1. Jessica forgot to edit her poem! She is missing 7 apostrophes, 10 periods, two capital letters, and she misspelled 5 words. Name the lines for each correction. 2. What are the direct and indirect objects in Jessicas poem? Hint: there are 9 direct and indirect objects. 3. Write a letter from Bart Simpson (or another famous character) to Santa Clause asking for a specific present for five family members. Underline the direct object once and the indirect object twice. Example: Santa, please give my dad a million doughnuts.

Apostrophes can combine a noun with the word is. (she is shes)
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I Remember By Cindy Carter I glanced up with apprehension toward the large building where I would go to school. I bumped into students in the overstuffed hallways. I shook as I walked into my first class and found a seat. I tensed as my teacher asked us each to introduce and say something about ourselves. I calmed down as my teacher gave us a broad grin and passed out the books. I smiled when my teacher made a goofy joke to lighten the tension in the room. I thought how much I was going to enjoy middle school. Some things I may forget, but when it comes to my life There are many things that I remember. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

4. Cindys I Remember poem needs to be revised so that it has gerunds like the poem you wrote in workshop 6.2. Pick three verses and rewrite them with gerunds. 5. You can write sentences that begin with gerund phrases. Choose three gerund phrases from Cindys poem and rewrite them as the subject of new sentences. Example: Bumping into students in the overstuffed hallways makes me uncomfortable. 6. Choose one of the following gerund phrases (or make up your own) and use the phrase in four different ways. Create complex sentences that tell who, what, when, where and why. cooking lunch eating dessert writing poems watching movies

Examples: Playing piano is my favorite hobby, because I like music. I am good at playing piano even though I dont practice more than three days a week. I remember playing piano at my grandmas house when I was five years old. I enjoy playing piano every day with my sister who sings along to the songs we make up. 7. Writers should use active voice as much as possible when they write. The following news story uses passive voice and sounds awkward. Rewrite the story so that the underlined action is in the subject of the sentence, and the story will be written in active voice. Example: A jacket was sold to a yak. (Passive voice) He sold a jacket to a yak. (Active voice)

Serial Bank Robber Still at Large

After serving a lengthy prison-term for a string of bank robberies, on October 2nd he was released from prison by the officials. About a week later and back to his old ways the Bank of America on East Allegheny was held up by him the FBI says. As of today over the past three weeks, a total of 8 banks in Philadelphia were robbed by the Serial Bank Robber. 63

To Be a Ballerina By Adare Three Wishes The first a pair of satin slippers: To lace up my carved calves To prans around the tiled floor To keep me on my tip toes The second tulle tutu: To poof around my slender waste To waiver in my symetricle spins To float with my wimsikal rhythm The third a perfect partner: To catch me when I leap into the air To mirror my movements across the stage To hold my shackey hand and bow Three wishes 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

8. Adares poem is written in sentence fragments, and she misspelled 4 words. Correct each misspelled word and choose one stanza to rewrite in a complete sentence.

9. There are three kinds of to phrases: infinitive phrases, prepositional phrases, and indirect object phrases. Write a sentence that has all three different types of to phrases. Example: Infinitive phrase: She gave the tickets to go to France to him. Prepositional phrase: She gave the tickets to go to France to him. Indirect object phrase: She gave the tickets to go to France to him. 10. The following sentence has an infinitive phrase, a prepositional phrase, and an indirect object phrase. Rewrite the sentence and underline the infinitive phrase, circle the prepositional phrase, and put a box around the indirect object phrase. I gave the picnic basket to you because I want to go to the picnic now. 11. Most infinitives use action verbs, but it is possible to use state-of-being verbs as infinitives. Write 3 related sentences with the infinitive to be. Example: To be, or not to be, that is the question.

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12. Create a Best Seller Poem or memorable moment story with one of the three options: a famous performer who has sung or played various songs for a variety of people a famous magician who has performed various tricks to many types of audiences a philanthropist who has given donations to many needy groups Make sure you use direct objects and indirect objects like the poems in workshop 6.1. 13. Create an I Remember Poem or memorable moment story about a specific person, place, vacation, or character. Make sure you use gerund phrases like the poems in workshop 6.2. 14. Personification is when inanimate objects or animals are given human qualities. Write a Three Wishes Poem with one of the three options: a personified object that is lost and forgotten in the attic a personified endangered animal that is mistreated by humans a personified global location that is suffering from pollution. Make sure to use infinitives like the poems in workshop 6.3.

15. Revise and edit a Best Seller Poem that you wrote (like the one in workshop 6.1). To finish this project, ask your teacher for directions on how to publish your poem in a wallet book. 16. Revise and edit an I Remember Poem that you wrote (like the one in workshop 6.2). Ask your teacher for directions on how to publish your poem in a Faux Leather Journal. 17. Revise and edit a Three Wishes Poem that you wrote (like the one in workshop 6.3). Then ask your teacher for directions on how to publish your poem in a Wish Bottle. (Note: This art activity requires items brought from home.)

When you revise poetry, think carefully about word choice, try to create patterns such as rhyming words, alliteration, assonance, or consonance, and make the words flow smoothly, like a song or chant. Dont forget what you have learned about similes, metaphors, and personification. Get with a partner to edit your writing. Use your Editing Checklist labsheet from workshop 4.

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6
In this workshop you read and wrote poems to learn about how to describe
actions with complex sentence structures. These questions will help you summarize what you learned.

___________________
1. What are some ways writers describe actions in their writing? Be specific. What kinds of words or phrases do writers use to describe actions? 2. Why is it important for growing writers to learn how to describe actions in their writing? 3. Think back on all the poems you have written, revised, edited, and published in the last three workshops. Which poem are you proudest of? How did the five steps to the writing process help you create your best poem? (Brainstorming, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing.) Write your own definition for editing and publishing to put in your vocabulary section. 4. How will you apply what you learned in this workshop when you write?

Dont forget to write about your Special Song. Did the song writer use any gerunds, infinitives or direct/indirect objects to describe actions? Can you make the song better? Write your own verse using something you learned from this workshop.

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At the beginning of this unit, you chose a Special Song and wrote several things about
it in your journal. As you worked through the workshops, you used the concepts you learned to write new things about your song.

Now it is time for you to show off your Special Song. Look at your Special Song and all the extra verses that you wrote yourself. Create your own version of your Special Song by writing your own lyrics that would fit the music. Make sure you include everything you learned about in the workshops from this unit.

Remember, you chose your Special Song for a reason. Whether it was the message of the song, the way it sounds, or for some other reason, try to stay true to your Special Song. What is the songs message? Can you say the same thing in a different way? Can you change the words without changing the meaning?

Dont forget the steps to the writing process! You have already done some brainstorming in your literary reflections.

Think of a creative way to publish your Song. If you are stuck, look back at all the publishing projects we have done so far this year. Think about the theme or message of your song and design an art piece that fits.

You will present your song to the class, either in small groups or as a whole class, so be ready to share.

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Unit Review

While working through this unit, you learned how to use the steps to the writing
process to create highly literary poems that are also grammatically correct, perfect poems. Now it is time to test your understanding of literary devices and elements and how they relate to a poems structure and word use. This review will help you prepare for the unit test.
"I WANDERED LONELY AS A CLOUD" by William Wordsworth I wandered lonely as a cloud That floats on high o'er vales and hills, When all at once I saw a crowd, A host, of golden daffodils; Beside the lake, beneath the trees, Fluttering and dancing in the breeze. Continuous as the stars that shine And twinkle on the Milky Way, They stretched in never-ending line Along the margin of a bay: Ten thousand saw I at a glance, Tossing their heads in sprightly dance. The waves beside them danced; but they Out-did the sparkling waves in glee: A poet could not but be gay, In such a jocund company: I gazedand gazedbut little thought What wealth the show to me had brought: For oft, when on my couch I lie In vacant or in pensive mood, They flash upon that inward eye Which is the bliss of solitude; And then my heart with pleasure fills, And dances with the daffodils. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24

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Questions for "I WANDERED LONELY AS A CLOUD" by William Wordsworth:

1. Who and what is the poem about? How can you tell? What is the story behind this poem, and how does the beginning and middle set up the end? 2. What is the simile in the first stanza of Wordsworths poem? What does the simile imply about Wordsworth? What does the simile in the second stanza bring to mind? How do the similes affect the mood of the poem? 3. Wordsworths poem contains an extended metaphor. What is he comparing the daffodils to? How does his comparison help you understand what Wordsworth truly longs for in his life? 4. Examine the flow of the lines in Wordsworths poem. What patterns and structure do you notice? What did he accomplish by using complex sentences with commas? 5. What grammatical structure does Wordsworth use in line 6? How does it create an image of the flowers at the lake? How does line 12 link the first two stanzas together? 6. What sentence structure does Wordsworth use in line 18? Did he use passive or active voice? Why do you think he made that choice? Do you think this poem was written recently? Why or why not? 7. What is the significance of the last stanza of Wordsworths poem? In your opinion, what is his message? Make sure you explain your thinking. 8. Choose a kind of poem from the list on page 54 and write a short poem (4 to 14 verses) that tells Wordsworths message in another way.

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