Activity



//Model Poem://

**Dreams** by Langston Hughes

Hold fast to dreams For if dreams die Life is a broken-winged bird That cannot fly. Hold fast to dreams For when dreams go Life is a barren field Frozen with snow.

// Poetry Writing Activity: //

We all have things that we hold on to. Things that we feel like the world would end if we lose, this 'item' could be a physical item or something less concrete, like an emotion. Spend five minutes freewriting about the thing you would be crushed to let go of. After you finish freewriting, create a poem, modeled after Langston Hughes' "Dreams". Use the same rhyme scheme of 'abcb'. The poem will only be two stanzas, just like Hughes'. Similarly, repeat the first line of your poem at the beginning of your second stanza, and if needed, follow the exact structure of the poem to guide the construction of your poem. See the example below for more clarity!

// Example Poem: // Hold fast to joy For if joy ceases Life becomes a dark veil Crumbling to pieces.

Hold fast to joy For when joy dies “Life is futile,” My heart cries.

As a follow up, attach a paragraph explaining your poem to classmates. Tomorrow, we will have a ‘gallery’ walk to read one another’s poems.