Found+Poetry

=Found Poetry=

Found Poetry is a poem you write using the words of others.
A **found poem** takes existing writing and reshapes it, reorders it, and presents it as a poem. Like a collage created from words, found poetry is often made from newspaper articles, street signs, graffiti, speeches, letters, or even other poems. The writer decides how to break up the lines and arrange them on the page.

We are going to write a found poem from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have A Dream” speech. Full Text of the I Have a Dream Speech.


 * // You will be constructing a found poem from MLK Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech. You should use his words to create a poem about freedom, dreams, or another theme/message we celebrate this time of year when we celebrate the Civil Rights Movement, The Martin Luther King Holiday, and Black History Month. //**

__ Found Poem Instructions __

Carefully re-read MLK Jr.'s speech, and look for 50–100 words that stand out. These words appear as a word bank here: [] (click on the orange button that says Get Started, then in the new window click on Start a New Poem. Next, under Famous Works choose “I Have a Dream”. You will see a word bank of several different pages, you can shuffle the words and click the New Word Bank to get more parts of the famous speech.) To create your poem- choose words and phrases that you find particularly powerful, moving, or interesting. You want to choose words that emphasize the idea of freedom or a dream – what it means to you. After you finish creating your poem of 5 lines,

Read aloud as you arrange the words! Arrange the words so they make a rhythm you like. Test the possible line breaks by pausing slightly. If it sounds good, it’s probably right. Make any deletions or minor changes.

Remember you are not creating full sentences. Some lines with key words can be on lines by themselves. To see the full text of Dr. King's speech use the following link:

Another version is here.
Remember, Word Mover has the full text of the speech in the word bank for you use use. Choose a title for your poem—is there a better title than "I Have a Dream" or “Found Poem”? You might want a title that emphasizes your theme or message... Freedom or Dream or Dreaming.

Here's what wer're going to do! = _ =

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Title and name also put your grade and teacher or library section (5th grade example: 5Permar, 6th grade example 6AST1) filled in on Word Mover so it prints out when you print your poem. =====

When you are totally finished, print out your poem from ReadWriteThink… we will hang these poems up in the library.
___ Background for the March on Washington: @http://bcove.me/qeccjf82

To get started properly we will watch at least part of Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" Speech.

Full Version of I Have a Dream 16 mins. 43 seconds: media type="custom" key="24783948"

Another Version media type="custom" key="24783940"

Most information on this page can be found here.

Need more information?

Poetic Form: Found Poem
**Found Poem Assessment Rubric** 1. Your found poem consists of words and phrases from the primary source, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have A Dream” Speech. It has a title, at least 15 words from the speech, and at least 5 lines. 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 2. Your found poem shows a clear understanding about the speech and the civil rights movement in the sixties. 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 3. Your found poem utilizes themes found in Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I Have A Dream” Speech. 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 4. Your found poem creates one or more visual images. 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 5. Your found poem contains carefully chosen, exact, precise, and vivid word choices. 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 6. Your found poem breaks most lines so that each image stands on its own. 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7. Your found poem has few errors in grammar, usage, mechanics, and legibility. 0 1 2 3 4 5 6

FINAL SCORE =_ POINTS OUT OF 42 points.