Sonya Bishop-Makhulu
EDU 530-01
Jeff Gundy
Sounds of Poetry: Onomatopoeia
Objective: Students will be able to come to an understanding of what the concept of onomatopoeia is, through using words that sound like what they describe in their poetry. They will demonstrate an understanding verbally and in written form.
Task Content Area: Language Arts/ 5th Grade
Time Needed: One class period
Materials:
-Scraps of paper with actions written on them
-Pencils
-Notebook paper
-Chalkboard, Etc.
-Container to put slips of paper in
-Glass
-Pitcher of Water
Advance Preparation: The teacher will need to prepare slips of paper ahead of time, which have predetermined “actions” written on them. For example, one slip might read, bacon frying, or another might read fingernails scratching on a blackboard, etc…The teacher should prepare enough of the torn slips to allow each student to draw one out of a container. A glass and pitcher of water should be at hand for the teacher to use as a demonstration tool.
Procedure: The students should be sitting in a large circle formation, before beginning this lesson. The teacher will then go to a door in the classroom, and slam it shut. This will probably startle the class, and provide a good example to begin to discuss the idea of onomatopoeia. Then the teacher should say something like, “ What sound did you just hear when I shut the door?” This should prompt someone to answer, “Slam!” The teacher should then go on to explain that words like slam, sound like what they describe, and these words are examples of onomatopoeia. Next, the teacher should write six words on the board which are examples of onomatopoeia. For example, click, swish, boom, hiss, tick-tock, buzz, etc… Students should then get out a piece of paper and number it from one to six. They need to list the name of the object which would produce the sounds which are listed on the board. They should be given a bit of time to do this, and then the teacher should ask for student’s answers.
To begin the next part of the lesson, the teacher should take a pitcher of water, and pour some of it into a glass in front of the class. Before doing this, he/she should emphasize that each student needs to close his/her eyes, and listen carefully to the sound of the water being poured into the glass. The teacher should pour at least two glasses, so students are given the chance to determine what sound is being made by this action. Students should then be asked what sound emerges when water is being poured into a glass. Various answers will be given, such as trickle, blop, etc… They may find it hard to describe the sound of water, but that is okay. After this, the teacher will go around the room, having each student draw out a slip of paper from a container. Each student will then read, one at a time, what is on their slip of paper. (Ex. a mouth chewing) The teacher would then ask that student what sound that action would make. The student would most likely reply, “crunch.” or “chomp.” This pattern would then continue until each student had assigned a sound to the action provided on the slip of paper.
Following on into the poetry part of this lesson, each student would need to get out a sheet of blank paper, and then choose five onomatopoeia words which they could use in their poetry. Have them write those five words at the top of their papers, and beside each word they will write what it is that produces that particular sound. They can use any of the words that they heard their peers use, or any that were on the board. The teacher needs to walk around during this time to monitor student understanding.
The teacher should then put an example on the board, and talk about it with the class.
whoosh-wind clip-clop-horses hooves crash-car hiss-snake
squeak-mouse
Hear the mouse squeaking with delight
The snake hisses in the dreary night
Until the wind ceases its angry, whoosh
Etc…..
Tell the students that they must use their five words in their poetry, but they can also add more if they want. The only rule is that they use those five words, and the rest is up to their imagination. Obviously, this lesson would follow previous lessons which would have already addressed how to go about writing poetry. Students should then be encouraged to share their poetry, during another class period. They should be allowed to take it home and work on it before presenting it.
Grading: The point of this lesson is to determine whether a concept has been understood, and so grades need not be assigned. This could simply be part of a student’s portfolio, and credit could be given for completing the poem.
Poetry
Sonya Bishop-Makhulu
Embellishments
Where is your beauty?
Inside a bottle with a styrofoam cork
Haphazardly placed in containers on the bathroom sink
In a closet full of cotton, lycra, and viscose
Where ten year old moth balls finally create a stench
In the voice of an alto accompanied by a Celtic harp
Or in words which don’t plagiarize
It might flow in watercolors upon a cardboard canvas
In double prints of camera shots from sometime ago
Beyond the kitchen gadgets and family ties
In old world cathedrals full of incense
Whatever it is, let it be your art
Let it reveal who you are
Who you want to be
So, where is your beauty?
Remembering always, your art
Jeff Gundy
Poetry
Sonya Bishop-Makhulu
Poison Cocktails
In that clinically, stark, white, disinfected room
A blood specialist, results in hand
No sugar coated words, or even a pause to take it all in
Immediately you are classified in her eyes
Another experiment
She will oversee your treatment, better known as your only chance
We or you or someone decides on the poison cocktail
They say it does burn your insides
But, good news, it could kill off the disease
Someone sits down with me and discusses statistics
Offers to listen
I don’t feel comfortable allowing myself to feel
Am I your referee or your judge?
Your always being X-rayed, or doped when I can chat
To see your constitution looking so frail
Eating a slice of pizza makes me feel guilty
I think of the nausea it would cause you
I question what is circulating in your blood
Chemotherapy, morphine, antibiotics, and all in the name of another day
We joke about slight organ damage
All in the name of another day
The cause being life
Different physicians, different opinions
Hope given then taken
I’m dizzy after each days diagnosis
Your room starts to reek of cancer
Or is it just the scent of cocktails
I know about the cells
How they can’t stop growing like a child who overdoses on calcium and
nutrients
Then the cause is beating the cell growth
But, the poison cocktail has taken a toll on your heart
I prepare for the inevitable
I alone have to tell you of your death sentence
With the presumption that you would want to know
Not in days or hours but just that it is
Inevitable
Unfair
That you can’t beat your blood’s blueprint
That neither of us are ready
We pretend and then the cocktails numb you and I learn
How to go beyond the pain for your sake
You went to the stratosphere with me holding your hand
For awhile I’m afraid to step into each day without you
Then you sent me hope in your message from the stratosphere
I now anticipate a new start, always with your infectious love
Imprinted on my heart
Poetry
Sonya Bishop-Makhulu
Under Water
There is a quarantine in the seaside village
Some unknown disease has entered in
They cancelled the shellfish festival
Even the fish aren’t well
The cure is supposedly unadulterated seaweed
From some other coast
Some place where the shellfish are still hearty
Ms. Mollusk was its first victim
She broke out in hives and applied coconut lotion
The doctor refused to come
He has ten kids, you see
Promises to attend to the weak and frail
When his shipment of seaweed arrives
In the meantime the villagers search for divine inspiration
Through Mr. Calamari’s fiddle
His melodies are a fictitious and welcome distraction
While we wait for unadulterated seaweed
We dance to the harmonics of the bow and string
An infectious circle we make
Later we’ll have a seashell exhibition
To take our minds away from the fact
That there is a quarantine in our seaside village
And the fish are still unwell
And the physician is still indefinitely away
Jeff Gundy
Poetry
Sonya Bishop-Makhulu
Catch The Red Bus
Catch the double-decker red bus while you can
So what if you lack the correct fare
If you climb to its peak
You may avoid the bus conductor
He may stay in his trance on the lower deck
Sometimes you’ll find the early morning tabloids
Just lying in wait, so take a seat
Free gossip to stimulate your day
Deep breaths and take in exhaust and morning’s pollution donation
The asphyxiation of the city
Maybe the coffee at Starbucks is cold
Who cares, we still get variety
Take in a caffeine overdose from countries you’ll never see
Interrogate your boss at work
He’s never been neighborly anyway
And don’t forget to compliment Mr. Yank’s necktie
In case he forgets to wear it again tomorrow
Allow that fly in your office to live
A pest has a life too
Or maybe take the bug home in a jar
Go home on the double-decker bus
Stop at the temple on your way back
Confess, cry, or renew your vows
This way you and the fly’s trespasses are covered
Tomorrow may bring danger or nothing unexpected
At least you and that fly are now connected
To live in peace and harmony
And to travel into another avenue on the red double-decker bus