Methods/Techniques of Poetry
Let the stories read aloud to the class be the source of inspiration for a poem. Have the children list words or phrases that describe the setting, problem, solution/ending along with juicy words the author used. Use one or all of the lists and arrange them a poetic fashion.
Poetry revolves around images, feelings, and things around us. Poetry paints a picture or expresses a feeling with words. It may repeat a word or letter sounds - alliteration - to achieve rhythm but a poem does not have to rhyme. Smilies and analogies are great for writing descriptive poems.
“Adding a little poetry to classroom routines help(s) struggling readers attend to the reading process, understand concepts presented in poems, and learn to read fluently...” Sekeres and Gregg in Poetry in third grade: Getting started Rdg. Teacher 2/2007
Poetry supports “At Risk” students. Repeated shared readings of poems followed by discussion of words meaning and connections to their lives enhances comprehension, fluency, vocabulary and confidence with the short lines, repetition and rhyme.
Routines suggested by Sekeres and Gregg:
-Whole Group instruction: 5 to 25 mins. depending upon difficulty: first fluency; discussion of various aspects of the poem; then rereading poems previously studied.
-Teacher reads a new poem as students follow along in their copies
-Students echo each line after the teacher reads it.
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-Chorally read through the entire poem themselves.
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Students keep Poetry folders to hold copies of the poems and to hold their drafts.
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★Poetry Immersion Centers/Scholastic
Imagery: learn to make a mental image. Acting them out, vary voice tone, speed, and intensity add to the meaning.
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★The Power of Poems: Writing Activities that Teach and Inspire /Marguiet Ruurs-read Marguiet Ruurs book in its entirety on line.
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★Randy Lewis gives us 6 guides in writing poetry in
Sit Down ad Write: Poetry Resources. 11/14/19
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Guide for Authors and Writers fromMarisa Kelly Feb. 15, 2002
“Poetry is more
Poetry has many meanings
Poetry is magical
It’s something that makes
reading come alive.”
Luca 8, in third grade
Luca’s book mark
Methods/Techniques
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★Fold Me a Poem byKristine O’Connell- a creative collaborationof origami and poety
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★Lesson Plan: Dancing Minds & Shouting smiles/ Personification though Poetry NCTE (Click on the “Instructional Plan.)
30 Days of Poetry/TRIPOD
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•Lesson Plans: Rhyme Time/Teacher Net scroll down
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★Daily Poetry Don’t miss
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★Poetry Read - alouds& lesson plans
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★Poetry Lesson Plans teAchnology -an inclusive : including persuasive, narrative, rubrics, lesson plans...
style letter into poetry Read,Write,Think
A poem to match a nonfiction book /click on a link at the top of the page.
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•Poetry Resources for Read a Winter Book-Write a Winter by Marci McGowan
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•Poetry Idea Engine - Tool to help you write poetry/Scholastic
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•Poem Picture Books and Their Uses in the Classroom/Reading Teacher
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•The Power of Poems and Photos to Inspire Writing - Part 7 Teacher Net Gazette
5W Poem
Method:
Line 1: Who
Line 2: What
Line 3: Where
Line 4: When
Line 5: Why
Sample:
Sarah
Walked the dogs,
Across the softball field,
After lunch,
Because all their legs wanted to move.
Hello Spring Poem
Method:
Good-bye, sign of winter
Good-bye, sign of winter
Good-bye, winter.
Spring's ahead!
Good-bye, sign of winter
Good-bye, sign of winter
Good-bye, winter.
Spring, hello!
Hello, sign of spring
Hello, sign of spring
Good-bye, winter.
Spring's in sight!
Hello, sign of spring
Hello, sign of spring
Good-bye, winter!
Hello, spring!
Sample:
Good-bye and Hello!
Good-bye, ice skates.
Good-bye, sled.
Good-bye, winter.
Spring's ahead!
Good-bye, leggings.
Good-bye, snow.
Good-bye, winter.
Spring, hello!
Hello, crocus.
Hello, kite.
Good-bye, winter.
Spring's in sight!
Hello, jump rope.
Hello, swing.
Good-bye, winter!
Hello, spring!
by Barbara Anthony
One Inch Tall Poem
Directions:
What would you see if you were only one inch tall? Read Shel Silverstein's poem below and then let your imagination run free. Fill in the blanks with your creative details and descriptions from the point of view of being just one inch above the ground.
Method:
If you were only one inch tall
write detail one here
write detail two here
write detail three here
write detail four here
write detail five here
write detail six here
If you were one inch tall
Sample:
One Inch Tall
If you were only one inch tall, you'd ride a worm to school.
The teardrop of a crying ant would be your swimming pool.
A crumb of cake would be a feast
And last you seven days at least,
A flea would be a frightening beast
If you were one inch tall.
If you were only one inch tall, you'd walk beneath the door,
And it would take about a month to get down to the store.
A bit of fluff would be your bed,
You'd swing upon a spider's thread,
And wear a thimble on your head
If you were one inch tall.
You'd surf across the kitchen sink upon a stick of gum.
You couldn't hug your mama, you'd just have to hug her thumb.
You'd run from people's feet in fright,
To move a pen would take all night,
(This poem took fourteen years to write--
'Cause I'm just one inch tall).
by Shel Silverstein
Rhyme Time with the Seasons Poem
Directions:
Try to come up with three words that rhyme as you think about each of the seasons of the year. Follow your creative urge and
make up words if you need to that describe what you’d like to express in your poem. See the sample below for inspiration.
Method:
Spring is _____ , ________, _______
Summer is ________ , ______, _______
Autumn is ________ , ______, _______
Winter is ________ , ______, _______
Sample:
Spring is showery, flowery, bowery
Summer is hoppy, choppy, poppy
Autumn is wheezy, sneezy, freezy
Winter is slippy, drippy, nippy
-Anonymous
Spring Poem
Directions:
1) Think of a spring word (like leaves or flowers or spring or pick one from our spring word bank below) and write it on the first line.
2) Write the first word again on the second line and add another spring word to it.
3) Write the same two words again on the third line and add another spring word and so on until you have ten words in all.
Spring Word Bank
Bud April Iris Sun May
Leaf Flower Breeze Wind March
Rain Bees Seed Kite Showers
Daffodil Earth Tulip Robin Birth
Method:
Line 1 one spring word
Line 2 one spring word plus a second spring word
Line 3 one spring word, a second spring word and a third to make a sentence
Line 4 add one more spring word until there are ten or so words in all
Sample:
Spring
Spring brings
Spring brings flowers
Spring brings flowers back
Tulips
Tulips grow
Tulips grow tall
Tulips grow tall and strong
Wish Poem
Method:
Line 1 I wish I had
Line 2 I wish I had
Line 3 I wish I had
Line 4 I wish I had
Line 5 I wish I had
Line 6 I wish I had
Line 7 I wish I had
Lines 8-10 I wish I had a magic wand
to make all my wishes
come true.
Sample:
I wish I had three day weekends
I wish I had a nap at noon
I wish I had more time to play
I wish I had greener grass
I wish I had whiter teeth
I wish I had summer year round
I wish I had six pack abs
I wish I had a magic wand
to make all my wishes
come true.
Write an Animal Goes to School Poem
Method:
Line 1: I came across a (an) (animal’s name)
Line 2: On the way to school
Line 3: His (body part) (was/were) very (description)
Line 4: And his (body part) (was/were) very (description)
Line 5: I hid him in my (location)
Line 6: So that teacher would not see
Line 7: He stayed there very quietly
Line 8: Until frightened by (a/an) (noun)
Sample:
Elephant at School
I came across an elephant
On the way to school
His beak was very hot
And his flippers very cool
I hid him in my desk
So that teacher would not see
He stayed there very quietly
Until frightened by a bee
Author unknown
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•A Bear of a Poem /How to Read Write Think NCTE
Developing Inferencing Skills via Poetry
Summary of ideas from Margriet Ruurs
Reading Today, Aug./Sept. 2010
Abandoned Farmhouse
BY TED KOOSER
(Mr. Kooser’s entire poem can be found on Poetry Out Loud website.)
He was a big man, says the size of his shoes
on a pile of broken dishes by the house;
a tall man too, says the length of the bed
in an upstairs room; and a good, God-fearing man,
says the Bible with a broken back
on the floor below the window, dusty with sun;
but not a man for farming, say the fields
cluttered with boulders and the leaky barn.
Listen to the poem.
Describe the picture this poem painted in their minds.
Discuss:
Who or what gave us the information about the person we never met?
It was the shoe that told us about the size of the man
The Bible that showed us that he read if a lot. ( had a broken back.)
List on chalkboard information given:
He was big - told by the shoes.
He was tall- told by the bed.
He read a lot- told by a broken back.
Note: BUT:
He was not a good farmer told by the boulders and the leaking barn.
Prepare for their own poem:
List three things about themselves ending with a But...
Example:
He excelled at playing video games says the unbeatable high score
He loved soccer says the scruffy ball.
He sure liked pizza say the empty boxes on the kitchen table.
But he wasn’t very good at math says the “C” on his report card.
Take the following pattern and have the children write what the colors mean to them.
Take Strega Nona’s pattern and compare an action or character from a recent story; e.g., a non fiction story such as Gail Gibbon’s Galaxies, Horses, Owls, or Bears.
Standards - former NYS standards: reading, writing, listening, and speaking for information, understanding, responding, expressing, developing critical thinking skills, and social interaction are all met through poetry.
Poetry is great for teaching story structure - poems are short and concise. Using the Venn Diagram with thematic poems is great for teaching critical analysis. Turning the summary of a story into a poem especially non-fiction is a great reinforcement of information.
Poetry is a great tool for teaching skills such as phonics and parts of speech. Repetition of sounds and words reinforces in a delightful way.
Poetry supports fluency; rhyme and rhythm helps the reader sense the next word as well as meaning.
Poetry is entertaining and it needs to be read aloud - a great tool for social interaction
Descriptive Poetry
Similes and analogies work well with descriptive poetry
Publishing Poetry
Poems by Definition by Margriet Ruurs
After reading various types of poems write the word Poem on the overhead or chalkboard. Draw a circle around it, as shown below.
Ask the children to tell you what this word means to them. Elicit from them a definition of poem and features of poems, titles of poems they know, and other characteristics such as: words that rhyme; word pictures; rhythm; words that stand for sounds etc.
Color My World Poem
Method:
Line 1 :Name a color
Lines 2-4 Name 3 things that are that color
Lines 5-7 Name 3 things that sound like that color
Lines 8-10 Name 3 things that taste like that color
Lines 11-13 Name 3 things that feel like that color
Line 14 What can that color do?
Sample:
Purple
a bruise on your leg,
bunches of grapes in a bowl,
a sweater that goes great with black,
the sound of power,
fruit juice poured into a glass
a school bell ringing, ringing
Grandma's rhubarb pie.
cold medicine served up on a tablespoon
squishy cough drops,
velvet covered cushions
pointy tip pentel markers,
the sky before lightning starts
Purple can take you for a sweet ride.
Color Poem
Yellow, yellow, hello yellow!
Welcome to a bright hot sun.
Yellow, yellow, let’s yell for yellow!
Juicy lemons,
Banana peels,
A singing canary in a cage,
The plastic ruler in my desk,
Yellow crayons in the box.
Yeah, let’s hear it for yellow!
The form is easy and can be adapted in any way.
----------, ----------hello ----! (color)
Welcome to ---------------. (something that color)
----,----, let’s ---- for------! (color, verb)
--------- -------- (something that color),
----------,---------
Yeah, let’s hear it for --------(color)!
Method:
Line 1 name an emotion
Line 2 is (a /and) adjective animal name
Line 3 write an action filled phrase describing how the animal moves
Line 4 write a phrase telling where the animal lives
Line 5 write a phrase that tells readers either why the animal acts the way it does or possibly how others react to it
Samples:
Envy
is a scavenging hyena,
slinking, tail between his legs
on the dry grassy savanna,
jealous of the lion's power.
Jealousy is a creeping snail
leaving a slimy trail as he slides
through the undergrowth of your mind
without a leg to stand on
Special thanks to Terri Street from Oklahoma for sharing this form with us along with two examples of her students' work.
Love That Poem
Method:
Love that noun,
like a noun loves to verb
I said I love that (noun from line 1)
like a (noun from line 2) loves to (verb from line 2)
Love to call (him/ her) in the morning
love to call (choice from line 5)
“Hey there, (noun from line 1)!”
Sample:
Love That Boy
Love that boy,
like a rabbit loves to run
I said I love that boy
like a rabbit loves to run
Love to call him in the morning
love to call him
“Hey there, son!”
by Walter Dean Myers
Love That Dog
Love that dog,
like a bird loves to fly
I said I love that dog
like a bird loves to fly
Love to call him in the morning
love to call him
“Hey there, Sky!”
-Jack from the book Love That Dog by Sharon Creech
Our thanks to Edgewater Park poetry loving teacher Suzanne Fox who shared Love That Dog with us.
Life Lessons Poem
Method:
Line 1 I'm learning to _____________
Line 2 And I'm learning to ___________
Line 3 And I'm learning to ___________
Line 4 Not __________________, when I_____________
Line 5 And I'm learning not to ____________
Line 6 And I'm learning not to _____________
Line 7 And I'm learning (though it sometimes really hurts me)
Line 8 Not to ___________
Line 9 And I'm learning to ________________
Line 10 When I _____________
Line 11 And I'm learning that it's much
Line 12 Much easier to be ___________
Sample:
Learning
I'm learning to say thank you.
And I'm learning to say please.
And I'm learning to use Kleenex,
Not my sweater, when I sneeze.
And I'm learning not to dribble.
And I'm learning not to slurp.
And I'm learning (though it sometimes really hurts me)
Not to burp.
And I'm learning to chew softer
When I eat corn on the cob.
And I'm learning that it's much
Much easier to be a slob.
by Judith Viorst
Biography Poem
Directions:
Sometimes during a social studies or science unit, your teacher will ask you to do some research on a famous person. Often, that fact finding leads to writing a report or research paper. As an alternative, try taking some of the facts from your notes and fill them into the form below to create an instant biography poem about your famous person.
Method:
Name of Famous Person
Born in
Child of
Lived in
Studied
Overcame
Worked as
Challenged by
Personal traits
Always
Never
Best known for
Sample:
Abraham Lincoln
Born in Kentucky
Child of Tom and Nancy Lincoln
Lived in a log cabin
Learned his lessons by candlelight
Overcame lack of formal education
Worked as a storekeeper, railsplitter, lawyer
Challenged by a fighting nation
Personal traits were honesty and determination
Always helped those who couldn’t help themselves
Never gave up on what he thought was right
Remembered as the 16th President of the United States
Bio-Poem
Method:
Line 1: I wish I
Line 2: Like
Line 3: And I dream
Line 4: I am
Line 5: I used to
Line 6: But now I
Line 7: I seem to
Line 8: But I'm really
Sample:
I wish I could sing
Like Sheryl Crow
And I dream sad story songs
I am hitting high notes
I used to softly hum along
But now I've found her voice in mine
I seem to be a mimic
But I'm really uniquely me
Auto -Bio Poem Pattern
Line1: Your first name only
Line 2: Four adjectives that describe you
Line 3: Son/daughter of _
Line 4: Lover of (name three things-phrases work best)
Line5: Who feels (name three)
In the following sections, writer may name as many as they like.
Line 6: Who finds happiness in_
Line 7: Who needs_
Line 8: Who gives__
Line 9 Who fears__
Line 10: Who would like to see__
Line 11: Who enjoys ____
Line 12: Who likes to wear___
Line 13: Resident of city or neighborhood)
Line 14: You last name only
by Carol Simpson from Daily Poetry
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★How to Write a Biopoem Read.Write. Think
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✤Tomie dePaola’s Adelita: A Bio Poem/Education World
A Bear of a Poem /How to Read Write Think NCTE
HAPPY BIRTHDAY! (to Grandpa)
by Gwyneth Higgins Age: 8.0
HAPPY BIRTH DAY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY
ALL THE JOY AND CHEER
WE OPEN THE DOOR AND YOU APPEAR
WE PLAYED, WE SANG
IT WAS SO PLEASANT
EVERY THING WAS GREAT
WITH YOU IN OUR PRESENCE
WE HAD TREATS
WE HAD SWEETS
WE DANCED WE GALLOPED
WE GALLOPED AND LEAPED
WE HAD SO MUCH FUN , A GREAT DAY
BUT BEFORE HE LEAVES WE ALL SAY ………HAPPY BIRTH DAY!
Summarize
Tip:After reading an expository text have the children choose interesting facts that answers who, what, where, why, and when. Use a new line for each answer. The children could draw and cut out a large picture of the topic and place their poems on top.
The diamante poem is helpful in summarizing main characters in narratives or summarizing expository information such as science.
Diamantes Poems to
Summarize
Margriet Ruurs uses picture books to teach different aspects of writing: characters, dialogue, and others. She advocates using the diamante poem is diamond- shaped. It can help in writing any genre especially stories involving two opposite characters. Reading Today Oct. / Nov. 2010 p.46
The diamond-shaped poem is seven lines long. The traditional form contains antonyms in lines 1 and 7 and descriptive words about those nouns.
Line 1 One noun, an antonym or contrast to line 7,
e.g. main character
Line 2 Two adjectives that describe line 1
Line 3 Three gerunds (verbs with - ing ending) that
relates to line 1
Line 4 Four nouns, the first two related to line 1,
the second two related to line 7
Line 5 Three gerunds that relate to line 7
Line 6 Two adjectives that describe line 7
Line 7 One noun, an antonym or contrast to line 1
Gwyneth Higgins, 8 years old, drew the unicorn via adjectives and descriptive phrases; e.g., “…dancing on rainbows, sparkly horns, happy unicorns having fun… “
Her mother read to her every night from day one.
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•Mrs. Friedman’s Poem for Emergent Readers
Teach Summarizing via Poetry
Select a chapter book that fits the theme of the weekly poetry lesson. After a chapter or two is read, ask a student or two to illustrate the important event that happened in the chapter. When the illustrations are finished, ask the class to help label or summarize the pictures. Try labeling in verse. Post each of the daily drawing in sequence on the bulletin board, wall, or chalkboard. Each time a new posting goes up, reread the captions of the previous drawings - a good review via only the most important words/ideas.
When the chapter book is finished bind all the pictures together into a book adding a cover and a comment page at the end. If the pictures were labeled in poetic language, form a poem out of the labels and place the poem at the end of the book.
Children take turns taking the book home to share with parents / caregivers and to get a written response from them. ( Ideas received from Carol Simpson in Daily Poetry.)
Fun 15 Min. Poetry Writing Activities Scholastic Professional Books
Acrostic Poems-
- first letter of each line, read vertically, spells a word, a character, name.
-Short sentences that don’t rhyme
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-Use to describe subjects being studied in across the curriculum; use an acrostic for a book report
Acrostic Poems- KidZone Poetry
Acrostic Poems ReadWriteThin
Author Unknown
Luca’s art work in third grade
Examples of Diamantes Poetry
two examples from a book written by Jane Heitman of a
third grade boy quoted by Margriet Ruurs - a diamond shaped diamante poem in 7 lines
Fire
hot, red
blazing, camping, raging
warm, light, clear, cold,
refreshing, melting, snowing
solid, fun
Hunter
Thoughtful, ethical
Following, caring, helpful
Scholar,friend, friend, clown
Attention-seeking, fun-loving leading
Mischievous, troublesome
Stripe
Check out The power of Poems by Margriet Ruurs - great illustrations and ideas
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★Pizzaz, Creative Writing &Storytelling, Opp-Beckman description for Diamante Poems
Gwyneth as a toddler and later drew the unicorn with descriptive words and wrote Thunder Storms
Constructed by Mary DeFalco Up dated 6/14/19
Writing a Poem
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1.Write the name of an object.__________________
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2.Wist words that describe the object____________
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3.Imagine that your object has five senses.
What kinds of things does it see?
Hear?___________
Taste?___________
Smell?___________
Feel?____________
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4.What kinds of things does your object like to do? _____________________________________________
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5.What does it dislike? ________________
a sample submitted by a student named Nancy
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★“I” poems: invitations for students to deepen literary understanding by Linda Kucan
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Don ‘t miss- great ideas for developing I poems. “Using literary models, teachers can invite and support student in composing first-person poetry about specific people, places, and perspectives. In the process, students can deepen their understanding of characters, setting, plot conflict, and narrative point of view.
Interactive Poetry-Writing Sites
The waves
Dance in
The Moonlight
As the sand waves goodbye.
Sounds of Words: Onomatopoeia, Alliteration, Assonance
Mrs. Friedman writes her own poetry to reflect what she wants to teach.
The above poem includes:
-Reversible words as on/no
- Was with a lower case and a capital letter
-Word families
-Different sentence structures - note the above poem has a declarative, exclamatory, and a interrogative sentence.
Written by Luca , 8 yrs. old, in third grade
Poetry Samples from my grandsons
Third Grade
Reading Teacher / March 2006
Matias/Second Grade
Matias Salizar 4th Grade
Matias Salizar 4th Gr.
We only fear death.
Death we only fear.
Luca’s Goat Beast Sculpture. Gr. 4
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★Books With Rhyme, Alliteration, and Other Word Play
Nancy Schimmel and Fran Avni
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★ Make Books with Mrs. Silverman’s Second Grade poems of the Pumpkin Patch. (Get permission)
Money-Saving Guide for Authors and Writers by Marc Mezzacca The Elements of Style, Education & Skill Development for Writers,
College Scholarships for Writers, Career Options for Writers, Manuscript Formatting and Preparation Resoursces, Editing Your Book With an Editor, How to Get a Literary Agent, How to Write a Book Proposal, Self-Publishing Information,Poetry Writing Resources, Writers Conferences and Conventions, Organizations for Writers and Authors
