Read the following "biography" poem to yourself. Notice the form, rhythm, and details in the poem. Read it aloud a few times with a partner. Then discuss the questions below.
 

Bio-poem

By Ko Hee-Joung

Ko
Bright, positive, cool, but sometimes sad
Friend of Hey-Kyung, Kyung-A, and Young-Mi
Lover of letters, ballad music, and snowy winter
Who feels the pleasure of love, happiness with family, and curiosity about strange places
Who needs good friends, delicious rice, and a wonderful job
Who gives good advice, deep love, and lasting friendship
Who fears the end of a moving movie, her father's anger, and death
Who would like to see Korea unified, her family's good health, and her first lover
Resident of Jung-Gye, No-won, Seoul, and Korea
Hee-Joung
 

1. What are some adjectives you would use to describe yourself? What adjectives do other people use to describe you?
2. Who are your three favorite people in the world? What are their names?
3. What are some of the things that you love?
4. What kinds of emotions do you feel? When? (You might use some words like these: anger, compassion, courage, fear, confidence, helplessness, shyness , curiosity, etc.)
5. What are some things that you really need? What could you not live without?
6. What do you "give" to other people?
7. What are some things that you are afraid of? Why?
8. If you could change three of the worst things in the world, what would you like to change?

Assignment - Today & Next Class

Write a bio-poem to describe yourself. Try to include the most important details about yourself. Use the pattern below. (You can change the pattern a little if you want to, but include about the same number of lines and similar kinds of details.) You can arrange the lines of the poem to make it look however you want. For example, you can indent some lines, type some words in CAPITAL or bold letters, or center all of the lines if you want to. You might want to add a title, too. Write the first draft in class today. Hand in your first draft along with a typed second draft in our next class.

LINE 1: Your last name (family name) only²
LINE 2: About 4 adjectives that describe you
LINE 3: Brother/Sister of…, Son/Daughter of…, Friend of…, etc. (some people's names)
LINE 4: Lover of (about 3 people or things)
LINE 5: Who feels (about 3 things)
LINE 6: Who needs (about 3 things)
LINE 7: Who gives (about 3 things)
LINE 8: Who fears (about 3 things)
LINE 9: Who would like to see (about 3 things)
LINE 10: Resident of (explain where you live) [e.g., address, apartment, town, city, province, country, etc.]
LINE 11: Your first name only
 

Read my students' bio-poems

Download this assignment as an MS Word File

Notes

1. This assignment was adapted from the "Who Am I?" poem suggested by Broughton (1998). The sample poem above was written by one of my students. Broughton originally suggested this activity for native English-speaking "elementary and middle grades" students. Holmes and Moulton (2001, pp. 51-56) give suggestions for using the same pattern and include a number of examples.
2. Note that I suggested that my students write their family names on the first line and their first names on the last line. This is because family names are written first in Korean. You may want to reverse the order depending on your students' backgrounds.
3. My students' bio-poems are online here: https://ausharjah.tripod.com/students/portfolio/portfolio1.html
4. If you try this assignment with your own students, I would appreciate it if you let me know whether or not it was successful or if you have any suggestions for improving it. You can contact me here: <rtyson@aus.ac.ae>.

References

• Broughton, M. G. (1998). Poetry ideas: Who am I? Integrating poetry in all curriculum areas [Web site]. Retrieved March 2, 2001, from http://www.ceap.wcu.edu/Broughton/Poetryunit.html
• Holmes, V. L., & Moulton, M. R. (2001). Writing simple poems: Pattern practice for language acquisition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.