Nature Poetry Seminar

how does descriptive language enhance writing?

Module summary:

For this "Connect" module, we're going to play with descriptive language with a variety of poetic prompts - partly at school, partly in nature on our Little Annie overnight!
An overview of our week in poetry:
- Be exposed: review descriptive language, read nature poetry
- Practice: revise writing samples to enhance language
- Create: create your own collection of descriptive poetry
- Reflect: converse about your process and finished product

What is descriptive language?
How can we express thoughts, observations, and ideas creatively but with intention?

Students will understand that descriptive language involves using words and literary devices intentionally to create an image or mood.
Students will understand that poetry can take many forms - sometimes with rules, sometimes without - to express ideas with focus and purpose.

Writing

Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience
Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach

Language

Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meaning

INTRODUCE

Warm-up: read "Snow" excerpt and annotate as directed
- Discuss passage and annotations
Review syllabus and expectations for the week

EXPOSE

Participate in mini-lesson: descriptive language
- Review literary devices definitions in R&W handbook
- Identify descriptive language in guitar paragraph
Participate in mini-lesson: haiku
- Review purpose and form with haiku handout
Read and discuss various nature poetry (number studied will depend on time throughout week)
- Take notes on your handout as you discuss:
  - What is the purpose of the poem?
  - How does the author create imagery?
  - How does the poem's form support or relate to its content?

PRACTICE

Complete literary devices rewrite activity
- Compare responses
Edit student paragraph on toast
- Compare re-written sentences
Write an open-ended, free verse poem based on one of these prompts:
- Become an ant. Lie on your stomach with your eyes close to the ground and imagine an ant walking along the soil. What does it look like? What does it feel like?
- Choose a color and look for that color in nature. Is the color hard to find or can it be found easily? What objects, plants, or animals are that color? What other words can you use to describe that object, plant, or animal?
- Imagine you are a bird, looking down on the forest. What do you see? What does nature look like from up in the air? How is it different from a human perspective, on the ground?
- Find an object, such as a rock, leaf, branch, tree, moss, or mud. Feel the object with your fingers. Describe it using only your sense of touch. What does it feel like? What is the texture? Is it hot or cold, hard or soft, rough or smooth?
- Rocks have been here longer than anything else—longer than the trees, moss, animals, plants, buildings, and people. Imagine you are a rock. What have you witnessed over time? What changes have you watched take place? What is the most amazing thing you saw in your thousands of years?
Participate in writing workshop for your open-ended poems - share your poem (or part of it), ask for and give feedback to others about imagery and descriptive language, then revise based on feedback

CREATE

Write and workshop the following poems:
- "Go Inside a..." poem
- Nature haiku - write a series of three
- Found poem (at Little Annie)
- If time allows, a second open-ended free verse poem from above prompts
Type up poems written before Little Annie (open-ended, Go Inside a..., haiku)

REFLECT

Conference and revise or edit poems as needed
At Little Annie, discuss challenges and benefits of writing with descriptive language