Objectives:

• Students will be able to: Identify poetic elements and figurative language in poetry of their own creation.

PA State Standards:

• CC.1.4.9-10: Use narrative techniques; use precise words and phrases, telling details, and sensory language.

Project Summary:

As part of a larger study of language and writing, English 9 students learned about the different elements of poetry and how to identify them. To practice identifying these elements and celebrate Halloween, students were asked to write their own spooky found poetry using at least two of the elements we discussed in class. 

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Found poetry is written from existing texts, such as books, articles, and other writings. Students read the original text and select and organize lines to create something new. For this project, students were given Roald Dahl's "Lamb to the Slaughter" and a variety of short stories from Alan Schwartz's collection of retellings, "Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark," and asked to identify at least 10 lines to build a new poem. Students rearranged, adjusted, and added lines from the texts to clearly incorporate two different poetic elements. Finally, students cut out and decorated their poems to display outside of the classroom.