Fearless Writing – Poetry

Fearless Writing introduces and engages students in the poetic world of unique images and concise language. Teens are often drawn to poetry as they build upon their God-given desire to find meaning and self-expression in creative pursuits. Poetry’s unpredictable images and sometimes dramatic content are great vehicles for building self-awareness and higher order conceptual thinking. Our eight lessons present a set of skill-building examples, exercises, discussion, and writing assignments.

The introductory lesson on metaphor taps into a student’s ability for abstract conceptualization. The following lesson uses details from the five senses which builds a bridge between daily reality and the mind’s ability to make meaning out of disparate images and tools. Then students will  consider the structural aspects of a poem through the mechanism of the stanza and its purpose. Dramatic monologues allow students to relish the fun of telling a story as they create an imaginative set of circumstances and let the poem record what a character says to the reader. The next three lessons on the sestina, the ode, and the Shakespearean sonnet allow students to learn to use the “box” of three different poetic structural forms to fine-tune language and imagery while paying close attention to theme and meaning.

Fearless Writers of Poetry will not forget that writing is fun!  Self-expression through the creative process will foster your student’s continued commitment to invest in being a Fearless Writer.