[Music] hi scholars check this tree out Do you know what kind it is this is a white pine tree which is Michigan's state tree I'm Mrs Mask and today we're going to work on drafting and revising a poem about the white pine The white pine tree can grow to more than 150 ft tall It has long blue green needles that grow in bundles of five The white pine grows in Michigan's forest mostly in the northern lower peninsula and the upper peninsula Because Michigan was the largest producer of lumber in the United States from around 1870 to 1900 using mainly white pine it was officially named Michigan State Tree on March 4th 1955 White pine is still used a lot for building and is a favorite choice for Christmas trees I use it at my house Before we look over and read my drafted poem about the white pine I just want to remind everyone that not all poems rhyme Sometimes it's hard to get thoughts across if we need to include rhyming So it's nice to have options like a free verse A free verse is a type of poem that doesn't have to rhyme or follow any other rules I chose a free verse for my poem to give myself more freedom to use the information I know about the white pine and to write about it in a way that will get people who read it interested and excited without having to worry about rhyming words So let's take a look and follow along as I read the draft I wrote The mighty white pine standing 150 feet tall A nobleman guarding our great state of Michigan So high that it touches the sky Wearing coats of snow and ice in the winter Symbols of purity and strength Roots running deep into the heart of our state Bringing us wealth and greatness and continuing to stand forever Marvels to behold as they stand guard in symmetrical lines like soldiers providing us with handcrafted gifts decked out in ornaments provide pleasure each Christmas What do you think of my draft in my poem I really want to describe the white pine so that it can be visualized or seen in the minds of people who read it I think I did a pretty good job But I also know it's important that as writers we always consider ways to make our writing better Word choice is very important in writing especially when we want to create clear images in our reader's mind So let's consider changing some words We can start by thinking of and finding synonyms for words already written in a poem Synonyms are words that mean the same or almost the same as another words I'm going to make a list of words or phrases I will plan to change while looking over my poem along with some synonyms I might be able to use instead of what's already written in my poem You can make a list too if you'd like Standing h soaring that's a good choice touches the sky reaches the heavens So touches and reaches are pretty close in meaning and the sky is often referred to as a heaven So yes reaches the heavens would be a good synonym for touches the sky Strength resilience When things get tough we need to be resilient Heart Core I like that one Greatness Oo grandness This word makes it seem special Marvels Wonders That's a good one too Guard Sentinel That means to stand guard I had to look that one up in the dictionary to make sure I knew what it means Deck out [Music] Huh adorn I use my theosaurus to find a new word It's a great tool that can help us find words when we get stuck You can use the actual book to look for synonyms or you can use an online thesaurus too Either way the thesaurus helps us with word choice I really like the synonyms we came up with It's helpful to evaluate word choice in order to revise our writing Let's reread my poem together with the changes The mighty white pine soaring 150 ft tall a nobleman guarding our great state of Michigan so high that it reaches the heavens Wearing coats of snow and ice in the winter Symbols of purity and resilience Roots running deep into the core of our state Bringing us wealth and grandness and continuing to stand forever wonders to behold as a sentinel in symmetrical lines like soldiers providing us with handcrafted gifts adorned in ornaments provide pleasure each Christmas As you can see synonyms are useful as we focus on word choice As writers we're always improving our writing so we can produce the best possible version of our work Now give it a try with your own writing Thank you for joining us If you want more fun ways to practice literacy skills don't forget to subscribe to the Michigan Learning Channel and be sure to check the description below for links to activity guides resources and more [Music]