Module on Poetry Writing

Course: Introduction to Creative Writing

Topic: Poetry Writing

Texts:

What Poetry Does Not Say by Ophelia Dimalanta
Poem 10: A Poem be Magical by Jose Garcia Villa
The Poet’s Craft (a book chapter from The Poet’s Companion: A Guide to the Pleasures of Writing Poetry by Addonizio and Lux (1997), pp. 85-186)

Method: Virtual teaching and learning

Prepared by: University of Santo Tomas

Objectives:

At the end of the session, the students are expected to:

generate insights central to the nature of poetry;
respond critically to the texts read;
demonstrate conceptual and practical understanding of poetic elements, poetics of well-known poets, and poetry writing principles and techniques; and
write an impromptu thematic poem.

Module for Online Session:

Activity	Teacher’s Procedure	Student’s Tasks	Online Tool Options
Engagements for Introductory Phase: Video Clip Viewing Posting of Insights	Provide students the link to view What Makes a Poem…a Poem?, a TedEd video by Melissa Kovacs. The video can be accessed through this link: (https://ed.ted.com/lessons/what-makes-a-poem-a-poem-melissa-kovacs) Instruct students to post one-liner insights central to the nature of poetry based on the video seen. (Suggested technique: An online bulletin board may be created via Padlet. Then give students the Padlet link where they can post their insights.)	View TedEd video on poetry. Post insights about the video clip viewed.	TedEd video Padlet
Engagements for Developmental Phase: Participating in Synchronous Session Posting of Discussions	Share synchronous session link to the students. Conduct synchronous session and discuss: (a) elements of poetry; (b) poetics of well-known poets; and (c) principles and techniques of poetry writing using the focus texts/readings as springboards. (Suggested technique: A practitioner, an expert in poetry writing, may be invited as resource person to enrich inputs in the synchronous session.) If asynchronous delivery mode is desired, the following may be considered instead: (1) Have discussion forum. Present discussion forum task and the grading rubric. Post the subsequent exploratory questions as discussion prompts: a. on Dimalanta’s What Poetry Does Not Say What does the poet mean by “For poetry never says; it unsays.”?What makes “saying” in poetry problematic? Poetry is composed obviously of words; a poet cannot help but use words to say what he wants to. How is this unsaying in poetry done? b. on Villa’s Poem 10: First a Poem Be Magical The selection contains mainly Villa’s poetics. What does he prescribe in each line of the poem?What does each line mean? For instance, the sound of a seagull makes is anything but beautiful. Why did the poet say that a poem must be musical as a seagull? Is there a part in the poem which suggests a similar idea found in Dimalanta’s poem? c. on The Poet’s Craft How essential is understanding of poetic elements in poetry writing? What principles and techniques of effective poetry writing are underscored in the text?Consider the poems that you read in the past. What characteristics do they possess that make them memorable? (2) uploading of downloadable lecture materials like handouts in pdf formats and/or recorded lecture videos.	Access the link shared and join synchronous session. Note key points from the lecture inputs presented. Read discussion forum task and check grading rubric. Post responses to discussion points, and interact with discussion posts shared by classmates.	Blackboard Collaborate Google Meet Microsoft Teams Zoom Discord Facebook Messenger Rooms Google Docs (Class Notes) Blackboard Discussion Board Canvas Discussion Forum Facebook/Viber Group Chat Gmail Recorded Lecture Materials or Videos
Engagements for Concluding Phase: Impromptu Thematic Poetry Writing	Administer impromptu thematic poetry writing task as quiz. Give assignment for the next online session: instruct students to prepare a concept paper on their suite of poems for presentation, critiquing, and workshop.	Post and share impromptu thematic poem written. Submit assignment for the next session.	Google Docs Google Classwork Blogs/ Journals Blackboard/ Canvas Assignment Facebook/ Instagram/ Twitter

Output: insights on the video clip viewed, discussion posts, impromptu thematic poem

Assessment:

1. Discussion Forum Task and Rubric

Task: Select one question that you wish to answer for each topic (See discussion prompts on pp. 2-3). Then discuss your answer for each question in 150-300 words only. After sharing your discussions, interact with other discussion posts of your classmates. Maximum of three posts only for your feedback with other discussion posts. Feedback may express agreements or disagreements with justifications or extend the viewpoints articulated in the posts read. Plagiarized discussions will not be graded. Have citations or references if deemed necessary. Refer to the rubric below to see how your discussion post will be assessed.

Rubric

Criteria	Excellent (9-10 points)	Good (7-8 points)	Fair (5-6 points)	Poor (0-4 points)
Discussion	Discussion exhibits unique insights and remarkable depth of thought.	Discussion provides good insights though less in depth of thought.	Discussion demonstrates insights, but no depth of thought.	Discussion is deficient in both insight and depth of thought.
Language Use	Language conventions are utilized with a high degree of accuracy and effectiveness.	Language conventions are utilized with a considerable degree of accuracy and effectiveness.	Language conventions are utilized with a limited degree of accuracy and effectiveness.	There is no evident accurate and effective use of language conventions.
Interaction with Other Discussion Posts	Discussant interacted with other posts; provided three posts as feedback.	Discussant interacted with other posts; provided two posts as feedback.	Discussant interacted with other posts; provided one post as feedback.	Discussant failed to interact with other posts; provided no post/s as feedback.

2. Impromptu Thematic Poetry Writing Task and Rubric

Task: Applying all the inputs learned in today’s session, write a poem about Covid-19 pandemic. You are given the liberty to decide as to poetic form, devices, techniques, etc. Present your poem in English or Filipino. Post and share your poetic output online.

Rubric:

Criteria	Excellent (9-10 points)	Good (7-8 points)	Fair (5-6 points)	Poor (0-4 points)
Poetic Content	Poetic content is very insightful and compelling.	Poetic content provokes insight and is engaging.	Poetic content directs readers toward some insight, but does not quite hold attention or interest.	Poetic content is deficient of insight and appeal.
Poetic Details (Imagery)	Vivid sensory images are used—making the poem come alive.	Clear sensory images are used to portray ideas and/or emotions.	Sensory images are used, but some of them are ambiguous.	Sensory images used are difficult to visualize nor feel.
Poetic Form, Devices, and Techniques	Choice of poetic form is very appropriate; all poetic devices and techniques present in the poem are effectively utilized and fully reinforce the poem’s meaning.	Choice of poetic form is appropriate; most of the poetic devices and techniques present in the poem are effectively utilized and reinforce the poem’s meaning.	Choice of poetic form is somewhat appropriate; some of the poetic devices and techniques are effectively utilized and reinforce the poem’s meaning to a certain extent.	Choice of poetic form is inappropriate; poetic devices and techniques are not effectively utilized and do not reinforce the poem’s meaning.
Poetic Style	The poem demonstrates original personal expression and outstanding inventiveness.	The poem demonstrates personal expression and inventiveness.	The poem moderately demonstrates personal expression and inventiveness.	The poem lacks evidence of personal expression and inventiveness.

Suggested References:

Anderson, Linda. Creative Writing: A Workbook with Readings. Routledge, 2013.

Addonizio, Kim and Dorianne Lux. The Poet’s Companion: A Guide to the Pleasures of Writing Poetry. W.W. Norton, 1997.

Aguila, Augusto Antonio, Joyce Arriola, and John Jack Wigley. Philippine Literatures: Texts, Themes, Approaches. UST Publishing House, 2008.

Chua, Jonathan. The Critical Villa. Ateneo de Manila University Press, 2002.

Nims, John Frederick and David Mason. Western Wind. An Introduction to Poetry. MacGraw-Hill, 2005.

Parini, Jay. An Invitation to Poetry. Englewood Cliffs, N.J. Prentice-Hall, 1987.

Perrine, Laurence. Sound and Sense. An Introduction to Poetry. 7^th ed. Harcourt Brace, 1987.

The Ophelia A. Dimalanta Reader: Selected Poetry (Vol. 1). UST Publishing House, 2004.

Whitworth, John. Writing Poetry. 2^nd ed. A & C Black Publishers, 2006.

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