What is blackout poetry?

! The words for blackout poems are already written on the page, but it’s up to the blackout poet to bring new meaning and life to these words.

! Blackout poems can be created using the pages of old books or even articles cut from yesterday’s newspaper.

! Using the pages of To Kill A Mockingbird, students will isolate then piece together single words or short phrases from the texts to create a lyrical masterpiece that illuminates some kind of larger idea, message, or theme.

EXAMPLES OF BLACKOUT POEMS:

EXAMPLES OF TKAM BLACKOUT POEMS:

Focus: !  First Step—Choose 1 option below:

!  Key symbols from text !  Major themes !  Character development !  Choose a character to express that

character’s reaction to the Tom Robinson verdict

!  Second step: !  take your poem, place it on chart paper,

and annotate it by including a minimum of

of 4 examples from the text that would support why the character you chose felt this way.

Helpful Suggestions:

! Do not to get stuck on the poem “making sense” at the beginning.

! Underline (with pencil) any words/phrases that stand out to you and then start to play around with the word choice/order to form a poem.

! The final stage is adding the artistic element and using sharpies to “black out” the other text so the poem stands out from the page.

Third & Final Step:

! Give your poem a title and write a paragraph or two explaining the mood/tone of your poem/how it connects to the focus area of the assignment (theme, symbols, etc.)

Rubric:

1 2 3 4 Poem does not

convey an idea, feeling, theme, or event from the

section

Poem partially communicates an

idea, feeling, theme, or event from the section

Poem adequately communicates an

idea, feeling, theme, or event from the section

Project clearly and creatively

communicates an idea, feeling,

theme, or event from the section

Organization of text is unclear and

unorganized

Organization of text does not

relate to the text and lacks structure

Generally organized and

presents a message when

read from top to bottom, left to

right

Well organized and presents a clear,

thought-provoking message when

read from top to bottom, left to

right

Lacks visual appeal or any

creative element

Some visual appeal and image is

unclear or lacks creativity

Visually appealing and somewhat creative image

Visually appealing and creative,

artistic, image that clearly

relates to text