ONOMATOPOEIA

Onomatopoeia is the imitation of natural sounds or actions in word form. Do you remember those old Batman cartoon shows that used to be on TV? The action frames with SPLAT, POW, etc... are examples of onomatopoeia. When you think of the sound that an animal makes (like hiss or buzz) those words are also examples of onomatopoeia.

Work with a partner. Brainstorm for approximately 5 minutes. List all the onomatopoeia words that you can. Swap lists between groups.

Look at the other group's list. Write the names of a person, place or thing that you think goes with their examples of onomatopoeia.

Give your list back to the original group. Look at the words that your classmates put down. Were they what you thought they would say?

Look through this week's newspapers. See if you can find any examples of onomatopoeia in the comic strip sections of the newspaper. Bring them in and share them with the class.

Now that you know what onomatopoeia. is, write 5 descriptive sentences that contain at least one example of onomatopoeia. Rewrite the sentences and put a blank where the onomatopoeia word is located. Exchange the paper with a neighbor and fill in the blank with an onomatopoeia word. Compare the sentences. See if you changed the meaning of the sentence.

Hope you're inspired because now it's time for you to create an original free verse poem that includes the use of onomatopoeia.

  1. Think of images, descriptive words, and figurative language that best describe your theme.
  2. Jot them down in web form or in a list as you think of them.
  3. Turn your ideas into a paragraph or paragraphs.
  4. Go back and break the paragraph into lines. As you do this, revise the lines until they look, feel, and sound right to you. Draft, revise, and edit.
  5. Now, for the real test, read it ALOUD. Does it really paint a clear picture?
  6. Share your poem with someone else. Listen to his or her critique of your poem. A critique is when someone tells you the strengths and weaknesses of your work. DON'T GET MAD, LISTEN to the suggestions. Revise your work. Remember, the BEST writers are REWRITERS!
  7. Give your poem a title.
  8. Type and choose a font that adds to the look of your poem.
  9. Illustrate your poem.

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