This Lesson's Title:

One Minute in Time

using onomatopoeia and The Cure to inspire a free-verse poem from your students

This lesson was created by Northern Nevada teacher Dena Harrison. Click here to visit Dena's website for writing teachers.

This writing prompt inspired by

The Cure's song "10:15 on a Saturday Night."

Click here to do a Google search for the lyrics.

Three-Sentence Overview of this Lesson:

After updating my I-pod with some of my favorites 80’s hits, I realized that The Cure’s song “10:15 on a Saturday Night” might inspire some great poetry from my students.  This song explains what happens in one slowed-down minute as the singer is waiting for an important phone call, while also utilizing some catchy onomatopoeia to emphasize the seconds ticking by.  Students will choose their own moment in time to slow down and use onomatopoeia to emphasize the passing of time as they write their own free-verse poems. Teachers: Click here to see the entire lesson plan.

6-Trait Overview for this Lesson:

The focus trait for this lesson is idea development; after hearing the song and looking at the published model, students will be inspired to create their own memorable details to include in their own free verse poems.  The support trait for this lesson is word choice; after identifying and learning the meaning of onomatopoeia, students will enjoy selecting just the right sounds in their poem to mimic the passing of time.