Saturday, April 9, 2011

Poetry Seen in Songs


The month of April is National Poetry Month. Music often begins as poetry and many musicians are also poets. Many of my favorite songs have rich language and poetic devices that are worth a closer look.

These lyrics are from Metaphors and Similies in Hip Hop
by, Flocaburlary "Hip Hop in the Classroom"
Flocabulary is also on Facebook

"Wes Jackson had the vision, and brought it to fruition with a little hard work, perseverance and intuition."
- Aheru on "Soon Come," Soon Come...

"Me without a mic is like a beat without a snare...
I'm sweet like licorice, dangerous like syphilis."
- Lauryn Hill on "How Many Mics," The Score

"See, I drop the greats like clumsy waiters drop plates."
- Mr. Man on "Fortified Live," Fortified Live

These Hip Hop lyrics include similes, metaphors, and descriptive words. What are some of the things you notice?

What other lyrics do you know that also have figurative language?

Sunday, April 3, 2011

Writer's Block?

Directions and Tips for 7th-8th Grade Persuasive Writing at SchoolNotes 2.0

Writing ideas:
Listen to Margaret Walker's poem entitled, Kitchenette
What are your dreams for the future?

Watch a live video of Eagles nesting in Decorah, Iowa. Have you seen the United States National Bird, a bald eagle, before? If not, this is the time of year that Eagles are nesting and hatching their eggs.
What birds or animals do you notice in the wild?