Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Poetry Book Final Rubric


Poetry Book Final Rubric
Student Name


Item Scored
Points Achieved
Poetry Book Cover
1.       Creative (uses illustrations, pictures, cut outs ect-2 pts.)
2.       Creative Title (2 pts.)
3.       Overall cover relates to the theme or themes of the poems in the book (should also be reflected in the title-3pts)

Autobiography
1.       At least two paragraphs of at least 5 sentences (2 pts.)
2.       At least one paragraph discusses important information about you as the poet/author of this book. (3 pts.)
3.       At least one paragraph describes your experience with poetry, what the poetry you have written means to you, and your experience with poetry in your 7th grade English class (3 pts.)
4.       Double spaced (1 pt.)

Dedication Page
1.       Picture of your favorite poet is included (1 pt.)
2.       At least 2 paragraphs explaining who the poet is, why he or she inspires you, and what his or her contribution to poetry is in modern day. (4 pts.)
3.       At least 1 example of the poet’s work (1 pt.)
4.       At least 1 paragraph explaining the poem and why it is important and inspirational to you (3 pts.)
 *Note: If you choose more than one poem, you must discuss both poems in your paragraph…you may need to do two separate paragraphs if the ideas within the two poems are different.)


Table of Contents
1.       Directs readers to the correct pages for  each poem or work (includes Dedication Page and Biography-3pts)

Poems
1.       See original Poetry Rubric (120 pts.)
* Note: On the day you turn in your poetry slam, you should turn in the rubric that I gave you in class with your name on it so that I can grade your work. Don’t forget to turn in the rough drafts of your poems as well!

Poetry Slam Poem
1.       Must be at least 3 lines long (3 pts.)
2.       Will be graded against the Choice Poem rubric in the original poetry rubric (16 pts.)
*Note: This poem should reflect your best work…think of it as saving the best for last!

Poetry Book Presentation
1.       See poetry rubric (8 pts.)

Poetry Slam Presentation (Competition)
1.       Poet speaks in a clear voice that can be heard well in the CAC. (5 pts.)
2.       Poet uses movement and/or props to enhance the presentation. (5pts.)
3.       Poet uses appropriate tone of voice to emphasize the meaning of the poem (5 pts.)
4.       Poet is supportive and respectful of other poets presenting (5 pts.)

Total Points: 195
Total Scored:

Poetry Book Instructions and Final Rubric

Hey Class,

Enclosed below are the instructions for your poetry book. I will post in a separate post your final rubric on which your final grade for your poetry unit will be based. I will hand out a paper copy of the rubric tomorrow and Thursday for all students.

Please let me know if you have any questions,

Ms. Mathews
cmathews@tasok.net or cjmathews21@gmail.com


7th Grade English Language
Poetry Final Project
Due: Monday, June 4th 2012 (D Block) and Tuesday June 5th 2012 (H Block)

Summary
As a final project for your poetry unit, you will be creating your personal poetry book as well as creating song, video (slam), of one of your poems. You will present your book and your song/poetry slam in class on your respective due date.  The objective of this project is to demonstrate your understanding of each of the different forms of poetry that we learned during this unit and for you to use your creativity to create your own, original works of poetry.
Your poetry book should also include a personal biography, table of contents, and a page dedicated to a poet who inspires you. You must feature at least one of the poems of the poet you choose and write 2 paragraphs explaining who the poet is and why he/she is important to you. Then, you must write one final paragraph explaining the poem you choose and its importance to you.
Your project will be graded according to the original rubric that I gave you in class on the first day of our poetry unit, as well as an additional rubric that will be provided to you by the end of this week for the guidelines of your book and song.

Part I: Poetry Book
Your poetry book will include the four types of poems that we have learned in class (concrete, limerick, haiku, and free verse).  For each poem, you must have a title, an illustration, and it must be typed (with the exception of the concrete poem, but it must be written neatly).  You will be graded according to the poetry rubric.
Your book should be organized as follows. See below for further descriptions of each page:
Cover
Page 1: Your biography
Page 2: Dedication Page to the poet who inspires you, including chosen poem
Page 3: Table of Contents
Page 4: Poem 1 (concrete)
Page 5: Poem 2 (3-limmericks)
Page 6: Poem 3 (3 haiku)
Page 7: Poem 4 (Free verse)
Page 8: Poetry Slam Poem (must be the last poem)

Cover
The cover of your book should be creative and should relate in some way to the theme(s) of the poems within your book. Your book should have a creative title; My Poetry Book is not acceptable. I expect to see illustrations or graphics of some sort to enhance your cover. Remember that the purpose is to encourage me to pick up and read the book, rather than pass it by on the shelf.

Your Biography (2 paragraphs)
Since you are the author of this book, you should include some important facts about you. You must include a personal picture or photo.  In addition to giving information about yourself, you need to talk about your experience with poetry and what the poems in this book that you are presenting mean to you.  You also should talk about your experience with the poetry unit in your 7th grade class and how it has helped (or not helped) in your process of writing poetry. The general idea is to let your audience know who you are and your relationship to the poetry you have written. This section must be at least two paragraphs typed and double spaced.

Dedication Page
On this page you will introduce a poet who inspires you and feature one or more of his/her works. You will be required to research this person and give facts about him or her.  You must include a picture or photo of your poet. On this page you should explain why this poet inspires you and what his /her contribution to poetry today is. Finally, you should feature at least one example of the poet’s work in which you explain the meaning of the poem and why it is important or inspirational to you.  In total, you will have at least 3 paragraphs on this page. You are allowed to do this on two separate pages if you wish.

Table of Contents
Your table of contents should direct the reader to each of the poems in the book. We will go over examples of tables of contents so that you know exactly what I am expecting of you when it comes to turn in your book.
Poems (pages 4-8)
Using the poems that you have made in class throughout the past few weeks, you will put them together in your book. Remember that each of these poems will be graded against the poetry rubric, with the free verse and the poetry slam poem being graded against the choice poem rubric. YOU SHOULD ONLY INCLUDE FINAL DRAFTS OF YOUR POEMS in the book. You will hand in the rough drafts (at least 1 peer edit for each poem, at least 3 revisions for each poem) on the day you turn in your final product. YOU WILL LOSE POINTS IF YOU FAIL TO TURN IN DRAFTS.  If you have any questions about this, please speak with Ms. Mathews.

Poetry Slam Poem
This poem should be your final poem in your book. It is the only poem that you are required to perform/interpret. Although you will be presenting your book, your poetry slam poem is your grand finale that shows what you know about poetry and how it works with rhythm, music, etc.  You may use it as a song and perform it in class or as recording. You may also do the poetry slam format in which you will present the work as spoken word. We will be reviewing the idea of spoken word in class next week so that you have a better idea of what is expected of you. Again, you may either perform the piece or record it for the class to hear, but it must be included typed and illustrated in your book. This final piece will be a competitive piece against your classmates in which you will be judged based on your creativity and passion behind your work.

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Projects for Books

Hello Class,

I hope this evening finds you all well. As promised, here are the postings for the various projects that I have assigned. I am also moving the due dates for each project. My D block seventh graders will present on Monday and my G block 7th graders will begin presentations on Tuesday. You will have the whole week to work on your projects; I will not be teaching anything new. Also remember that you should bring in a final draft of your essay on the project's final due date.

If you have any questions, please let me know.

Ms. Mathews


Project 1: After Tupac and D Foster (70 pts total)
Using one of the listed songs, choose a character who you think would identify with that song. Find the lyrics to the song and explain what they mean.  Why do you think the character would identify with the song and why? Use the text to support your answer.
For each song you should also be able to answer the following:
Who is Tupac addressing?
What is the main idea of the work?
Are there any important person’s mentioned in the song? If so who are they and why are they important?
Dear Mama
Brenda’s Got a Baby
Keep Ya Head Up
Changes
Words of Wisdom
If My Homie Calls
Holla If you Hear Me

Note: If there is a different song that you want to use that is not on this list, YOU MUST get it approved by Ms. Mathews before proceeding.

Poster Display- Your poster display should include a biography of Tupac and an explanation of his importance in American culture as well as in the novel After Tupac and D Foster. It should incorporate a photograph/drawing of Tupac and of the character you have chosen that relates to the song.

 Project 2: Walk Two Moons
Project Display
For your display for Walk Two Moons, you will be creating a poster display that will allow us to see the journey that Sal and her grandparents took in search of Sugar, Sal’s mother. You will also be creating the postcards that Sal’s mother sent as she went on her journey to Lewiston Idaho.
Display Requirements
United States Map
Destination Descriptions
Postcards from Sal’s Mother
United States Map 10 points
Using a map of the United States (you may draw it or use a regular map), track the route that Sal and her grandparents took to go find Sal’s mother.  You should mark each place where they stopped that you know of on the route.  For each place that they stopped, be sure to label it and write one interesting fact that you found out about the place according to your research.
Destination Descriptions 20 points
Sal and her grandparents visited several important landmarks in the United States, including the following:
  • The Badlands
  • The Black Hills
  • Yellowstone National Park and Old Faithful
  • Mount Rushmore

Gramps referred to these spots as “national treasures”. Thus, for each of these destinations, you should research and write two paragraphs for each site describing it and why it is important.
Postcards 5 points each
When Sal’s mother first took her trip, she sent several postcards to Sal.  Using your imagination, create the postcards that Sal’s mother sent her on her way to Lewiston, Idaho.  Be sure to include a message from her mother on each of the cards. Make sure that we are able to see both sides of the card (picture and postal address side).

Project 3: The Education of Little Tree

For this book, you have two options worth 70 points each:
 
1.    1.    Relationship of Man to Nature- For this project, you will focus on the theme of nature throughout the book and man’s interaction with nature. Choosing at least five scenes from the book, you are to choose a piece of artwork that you think represents that scene well and include them on a display.  You should also use words from the novel to show how the scene connects to the artwork that you chose. One of the images you represent should show man and his positive interaction with nature, and another scene should demonstrate man’s negative interaction with nature (conflict man vs. nature) . You should include Little Tree’s Secret place in your images. On your display you must answer the following questions: Who are the Cherokee? Why is nature so important to them? You will need to do outside research to answer this question.

2.    2.   Describing the plotline-In class we have discussed each of the elements of plot (we can review each step if you need). With at least a 6 panel display, make a comic strip that depicts the plotline of the story. You must include each of the elements of plot with a definition, and demonstrate within your comic strip how that scene demonstrates the specified element of plot. You may draw the images by hand or you may use the computer to generate the images for your comic strip. You should include dialogue from the story.