Creativity Unleashed: Mastering Concrete and Acrostic Poetry

1. Concrete Poetry How to Write a Concrete Poem with the help of Paul B. Janeczko

2. DEFINITIONS OF CONCRETE (N) • hard construction material: a mixture of cement, sand, aggregate, and water in specific proportions that hardens to a strong stony consistency over varying lengths of time • mass of coalesced particles: a mass formed when particles coalesce • solid and real: able to be seen or touched because it exists in reality, not just as an idea

3. What is a concrete poem In a concrete poem, the arrangement of the letters and words on the page adds meaning to the poem.

4. How does the arrangement of the letters and words on the page add meaning to this poem?

5. Concrete poems can be short and sweet. Although this poem is short, it make a clever statement.

6. “You can’t read them the same way you read a “regular” poem. Sometimes they can’t be read at all!” ~ Paul B. Janeczko

7. Figurative language is still an important element of concrete poetry. The art of this type of communication is in the image and in the words. Name some examples of figurative language that you see here.

8. By: J. Patrick Lewis What is the effect of the repetition in this poem?

9. Concrete poems can be long and visually complex.

10. You can add graphics to enhance the meaning of your concrete poem.

11. What happens when you eat a popsicle in the hot, hot sun?

13. Acrostic Poetry • Uses each letter of a word, phrase, or sentence to create a poem • Commonly uses adjectives to describe the subject of the poem • The subject of the poem is who or what the poem is about – usually, the word, phrase, or sentence used as the poem’s base

14. Acrostic Poetry

16. Naturally beautiful  Intelligent Caring Hilarious! Optimistic Literary Sarcastic On-the-go Not serious at all about this poem 

17. Now you try! • Your job… • Choose a character from SURVIVING THE APPLEWHITES • Choose to make either an ACROSTIC poem or a CONCRETE poem • If you chose acrostic… • Write the character’s name down your page • For each letter of the character’s name, choose an adjective or adjective phrase that describes the character • If you chose concrete… • Think of a symbol or simple picture that represents the character • Write a poem about the character and fit it into the shape of the symbol or picture – the poem does NOT have to rhyme!