Model+Poetry+Activity

__Poetry Writing Assignment__ //6th Grade: Poetry// Model Poem: __**Where I'm From **__ //by: George Lyon // I am from clothespins, from Clorox and carbon-tetrachloride. I am from the dirt under the back porch. (Black, glistening, it tasted like beets.) I am from the forsythia bush the Dutch elm whose long-gone limbs I remember as if they were my own. I'm from fudge and eyeglasses, from Imogene and Alafair. I'm from the know-it-alls and the pass-it-ons, from Perk up! and Pipe down! I'm from He restoreth my soul with a cottonball lamb and ten verses I can say myself. I'm from Artemus and Billie's Branch, fried corn and strong coffee. From the finger my grandfather lost to the auger, the eye my father shut to keep his sight. Under my bed was a dress box spilling old pictures, a sift of lost faces to drift beneath my dreams. I am from those moments-- snapped before I budded -- leaf-fall from the family tree. __Starting Your Poem__ (Pre-Writing) __Writing Your Poem__ (Drafting)
 * 1)  What did the poem we just read say about the author's culture? What images came to mind as you read the poem? If you had to describe the author, what would you say?
 * 2)  Think about your culture. Where do you come from? Why is it important to identify with that culture? What is unique about your specific culture? Brainstorm these ideas in a bubble map.
 * 3)  Think about who you are. What do you want people to think about when they think of you? What qualities about yourself do you want portrayed? What effect does your culture have on those qualities? Brainstorm these ideas in a bubble map.

“ I Am From” Poem Template
 I am from ________________ and _______________ (products or everyday items in your home) I am from the ___________________________ (description of your home) _________________________________ (a detail about your home – a smell, taste, or feel) I am from the____________________ (plant, flower, natural item) The __________________________ (plant or tree near your home) whose long gone limbs I remember as if they were my own. I’m from _______________ and ________________ (a family tradition and family trait) from ______________and ______________________ (family members) I’m from _________________and _________________ (family habits) and from_____________________. (family habit ) <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;"> Continue to draft your poem, using George Lyon's poem as an example. Be sure that your individualism and culture can be seen in the poem! Create two more stanzas about yourself and your culture. Bring your poem to a close in the final stanza and don't forget a title! <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;"> Do not reveal your name! We will collect the poems and read them aloud to the class. The class will then try to guess whose poems belongs to which author! <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">__**<span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;"> Becoming Me **__ <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">//<span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;"> Based on <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">__Where I'm From__ // <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;"> I am from couch cushions <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;"> from warm coffee and sharp pencils <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;"> I am from the familiar faces and art work that decorate the refrigerator <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;"> (the aroma from sweet tea and apple pie dances to through the door) <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;"> I am from the purple pansies <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;"> the Dogwood tree <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;"> whose stubborn growth I watched my brother agonize over for years <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;"> as he too waited for his spurt <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;"> I am from Chinese on Christmas eve and the thickest hair you'll ever find <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;"> from Greg and Cheryl <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;"> I'm from forgetfulness and non clock watchers <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;"> and from Springsteen lovers <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;"> I'm from bed time stories and midnight snacks <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;"> and be good, learn something, and have fun <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;"> I'm from month long birthdays <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;"> I'm from Virginia and Scotland <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;"> Meatballs and old fashion spaghetti <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;"> From the bruised eyeball on mom's birthday <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;"> cheekbone hanging by a thread while the candles burned <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;"> Pictures and portraits share space on the mantle <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;"> Crooked teeth and chubby cheeks frozen in time <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;"> A reminder every time I walk in the door <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;"> I am home <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;"> I am from those people- <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;"> smiling on the other side of the lens <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;"> Documenting every milestone and watching me become me