| When Looking At.... | Ask Yourself... |
|---|---|
| Poetic Form/Free Verse Conventions | Does the poem take on a poetic form (limerick, sonnet, haiku, etc.) or is it free verse? If the poem has a form, how well does the submission adhere to that form? If the poem is free verse, does the writing flow smoothly or rhythmically, or seem choppy? Where are the stanza breaks, and do they interrupt or emphasize ideas? |
| Ideas/Originality | Does this poem copy a tired style (with no unique twist) or does it try something new? Is the subject matter of the poem unique or interesting? Does the poem have a clear meaning, theme, or story? |
| Word Choice/Usage | Does the vocabulary used match the intended theme/story of the poem? Do the words used help create an appropriate emotional response in the reader (does the poem create mood)? Does the poem sound natural/human, or flat/robotic? Do you feel there is a discernible style to the poet’s writing? |
| Significance/Coherence | What is the goal/aim of this poem (ie Does it tell a story? Is it trying to recreate an emotion for the reader? Is it explaining/expressing someone’s thoughts?)? Does the poem meet it’s goal? Does the poem help the reader understand something deeper, feel something for themselves, or tell a complete story? Do the stanzas and ideas come together as a complete, coherent work? |
| Spelling/Punctuation | How well was the piece proofread? Do the punctuation and spelling errors, if present, affect the readability of the poem? |
| Points | Poetic Form / Free Verse Conventions | Ideas / Originality | Poetic Devices | Word Choice / Usage | Significance / Coherence | Spelling / Punctuation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 - Novice | - Has no poetic form, does not flow as free verse (is prose) - Stanza breaks highly random or missing - Line breaks disrupt rhythm/flow |
- Unoriginal, seems like retelling or cliché (roses are red…) - No discernible meaning/theme/story to poem |
- Does not utilize poetic devices | - Word choice inappropriate/does not support theme/mood/story of poem - Poet voice/tone inappropriate or absent |
- Work is unrelatable /unempathetic/incoherent - Unsuccessful in aim/goal of the poem |
- Punctuation and/or spelling errors are frequent enough to affect coherency of text |
| 2 - Student | - Attempted poetic form, rough free verse - Stanza breaks seem random - Developing rhythm/flow, but still a bit awkward |
- Mostly basic detail or seems contrived - Vague/unclear meaning/theme/story to poem |
- Minimal/unnatural/does not understand use of poetic devices -Utilizes one or two poetic devices |
- Some words support theme/mood/story of poem, but overall no real development/ineffective - Poet voice/tone somewhat appropriate but underdeveloped or doesn’t quite agree with theme |
- Work contains attempts at relatability/empathy, but not cohesive as a whole - Somewhat successful in aim/goal of the poem, and aim/goal lacks depth/significance |
- Arbitrary punctuation and major spelling errors |
| 3 – Apprentice | - Recognizable poetic form with some liberties of form, rough free verse with some intentional line breaks that support rhythm - Stanza breaks mostly deliberate/support rhythm of poem |
- Some basic detail, attempted creativity/originality - Attempted meaning/theme/story to poem, unclear execution |
- Mix of natural and unnatural use of poetic devices - Uses a few different poetic devices |
- Appropriate word choice to support theme/mood/story of poem, beginnings of mood/atmosphere - Poet voice/tone appropriate/supports theme |
- Work is relatable/somewhat empathetic, work comes together as a whole - Successful in aim/goal of poem, yet aim/goal lacks depth/significance |
- Some punctuation and some spelling errors |
| 4 - Protégé | - Recognizable poetic form with few liberties of form, mostly flowing/natural free verse - Mostly intentional stanza breaks, sometimes apply emphasis/support rhythm |
- Fairly creative/original - Discernible meaning/theme/story of poem, still developing |
- Mostly natural and clear understanding use of poetic devices - Uses a small variety of poetic devices |
- Appropriate word choice to support theme/mood/story of poem, clear mood/atmosphere to poem - Poet voice/tone is appropriate to theme and individual style is developing |
- Work is relatable/empathetic, and comes together as a complete work - Successful in aim/goal of poem, attempts to add to or inspire deeper understanding of its subject |
- Minor punctuation and spelling errors |
| 5 - Poet | - Exemplary of poetic form, flowing/natural free verse - Stanza breaks intentional and create emphasis |
- Highly creative/original - Clear meaning/theme/story to poem |
- Natural and masterful use of poetic devices - Uses variety of poetic devices |
- Exemplary word choice in support of theme/mood/story of poem, clear mood/atmosphere - Poet voice/tone complements theme and individual style is established |
- Work is relatable/empathetic, and comes together as a complete work - Successful in aim/goal of poem, adds to or inspires deeper understanding of subject and/or is emotionally significant |
- No punctuation or spelling errors |
Submission Scorecard
| Facet | Points |
|---|---|
| Poetic Form/Free Verse Conventions | /5 |
| Ideas/Content/Originality | /5 |
| Poetic Techniques | /5 |
| Word Choice/Usage | /5 |
| Scope/Significance/Coherence | /5 |
| Spelling/Punctuation | /5 |
| Total | /30 |
