Activity: Writing Native American Poetry

Prerequisites:  Students must have some knowledge of the Iroquois way of life.

Skills:  Poetry writing (Haiku, Cinquain, Diamante)  

• Syllabication

• Recognizing parts of speech: nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs

• Recognizing antonyms

• Using a thesaurus

• Editing and revising

• Publishing

Procedure: 

These three forms of poetry should be taught independently from each other. Students may be asked to write all three forms or choose any one or two of the forms taught. The subject of the poem should correlate with the Native Americans of New York State lessons. http://www.studyzone.org/testprep/ss4.cfm#1. 

Forms and examples:

Haiku

1^st Line- 5 syllables

2^nd line- 7 syllables

3^rd line- 5 syllables

Examples:

      Canoes                                                  Native Americans

Silent. Paddles are                                                  Columbus was wrong.

poised above the blue water.                                  This land was not the Indies.

Waiting for a sign.                                                   'Twas America.                               

Cinquain

1^st Line- Title (Noun); one word

2^nd line- Adjectives; two words

3^rd line- Verb phrase; three words

4^th line- Statement expressing feeling; four words

5^th line- synonym for first line; one word

Examples:

                Clan                                             Woodlands      

           Happy, Loving                                                  Lush, fruitful             

          Working as one                                               Filled with game                 

  Each member was important                            Gifts from Mother Earth

                Family                                                                Home             

Diamante

Line 1- Title (Subject) One noun

Line 2- Two adjectives describing Line 1

Line 3- Three verbs ending in “ing” that match line 1

Line 4- Four nouns; first two match line 1, second two match line 7

Line 5- Three verbs ending in “ing” that match line 7

Line 6- Two adjectives describing Line 7

Line 7- Opposite of Line 1- One noun

 Examples:

                 Enemy                                                                             Men

            Angry, Cruel,                                                           Brave, adaptable,

  Raiding, Burning, Killing,                                              Hunting, fishing, fighting,

   War, Fear, Hope, Peace,                                            Weapons, canoes, corn, hoes,

  Trusting, Sharing, Helping,                                          Planting, harvesting, sewing,

          Joyful, Content,                                                            Tireless, strong,

                  Friend                                                                         Women