Task 4: Now and then - a HOLIDAY task

WELL DONE on your Haikus - what an amazing collection of poetry you have produced between you! I could not be more PROUD of what you have achieved - and I hope you, your schools and your families are equally proud of you too. :)

Now it's almost time for the next Junior Wordvoodoo task.

First, a word or two on the difference between RULES and STYLE...

In all your wordvoodoo tasks, there will be a handful of RULES which I expect you to follow. These are IMPORTANT and are there for a REASON - and you MUST follow them all.

But that is not where the FUN happens. The JOY of wordvoodoo is in what you might call STYLE. Whilst following the rules, what can you do with LANGUAGE to have the most POWERFUL effect on your READER?

Following the RULES shows that you have read the task properly and followed the instructions carefully. Giving your poem some STYLE shows that you are a true poet, a creative mind which likes to have fun with words - not only their meanings but also the way they sound.

In Tasks 1-3, you have been learning a number of skills. You have LEARNT how to:

1. Create and use fun and original SIMILES.
2. Build and develop exciting and fresh METAPHORS.
3. Play and experiment with the number of SYLLABLES in a line.
4. Escape and avoid the RHYME TRAP.

...and much, much more.

These are ESSENTIAL poetic skills - and one of the best ways to make sure you don't forget them is to carry on using them! Which is what you will be doing with Task 4...

Task 4: The RULES

1. Write a poem which COMPARES what you used to be like with what you are like now.
2. Your poem should consist of TWO STANZAS (or verses) - and each stanza should be FOUR LINES long.
   
3. Your FIRST stanza should be about what you used to be like, and should begin: "When I was young..."
   
4. Your SECOND stanza should be about what you are like now, and should begin: "Now I am nine..." (or "Now I am eight..." or "Now I am ten...")
5. Every line of your poem should be exactly 10 SYLLABLES long.
6. Your poem should RHYME as follows: Lines 1 and 3; Lines 2 and 4; Lines 5 and 7; and Lines 6 and 8. (And make sure you avoid the RHYME TRAP!)

Task 4: The STYLE

Want to make your poem out of this world? Head for MARS:

• M is for METAPHORS: the king of poetic techniques, an original and effective metaphor or two can mean the difference between ordinary and EXTRAORDINARY poetry.
• A is for ALLITERATION: the best poetry blows our mind because of the way it SOUNDS, and alliteration is one of the most efficient ways to play around with the sound of your poem.
• R is for RHYTHM: read your poem out loud - can you feel the rhythm of each line? Some of the best poems almost sound like there is a beat tapping within them.
• S is for SYNONYMS: the wider your vocabulary, the better your chances of finding the RIGHT word for the emotion or idea you are trying to get across. So don't settle for the first word that comes into your head: use a thesaurus and find a more effective synonym instead.

There you go: MARS. The place to go for the best Junior Wordvoodoo poetry.

* * * * * *

Right...

You know the RULES - so please make sure you follow them all.

You know how to give your poem some STYLE - so don't hold back.

Finally, remember this is a FOUR WEEK task - so there is no hurry to rush something on to the page. Take your time - draft and redraft - and only post when you believe you have produced the very BEST poem of which you are capable.

The deadline for this task is 6pm on Saturday 15th August.

Good luck - and watch out for my own attempt in a little while...

englishguru