Journaling our way through...

 

Journaling is a powerful way to track our thinking about new ideas. For poetry, journaling provides a way for us to reflect on poems we've both read and written, and make connections between the ideas behind the poems.

 

I suggest you keep all the poems you write for class in your journal, and complete journal entries between those poems. That way, you can follow your progress of writing poetry and reflecting on the process as you go.

 

I will be checking on your journals periodically throughout our unit on poetry. I will be looking for you to take your journals seriously, to make them a habit and use them thoughtfully. Journal as often as you can!

 

Aim for journal entries that are at least half a page long.

 

I will be providing prompts for our journals, but feel free to add any entries you like. I will be the only person other than you who reads your journal, except for the poems you decide to share with the class.

 

 

Prompts:

 

#1: What is poetry to you? (I know you wrote about this on the survey I handed out, but it won't hurt to define it again. It's good practice!) What exposure have you had to poetry already in your life? Why do you think poetry has existed for thousands of years?

 

#2: Reflect on what a metaphor is, and why we use them. How do they help us express ourselves? Were writing today's poems easy or difficult? Why?

 

#3: Reflect on the workshopping process, how did it work for you? How could it work better? Will you use the feedback you received? Why or why not?

 

#4: Create 10 concrete images: "A dog's wet fur." "A fine-tipped black pen." "A candle, soft after a day of burning." etc etc.