Some ideas on writing poems with young learners

(From: Read, C. (2007). 500 Activities for the Primory Classroom. Oxford: Macmillan Education.)

2.28 Shoped poems

Level All Age 7-I2 Orgonizotion whole closs, poirs At the seaside
I can see blue sea and grey sky
Aims To write sentences to describe something; to creote o shoped poem'
I canhear thewind andthewaves
Longuoge focvs be, have got, present simple, odjectives to describe, eg trees or plonts, onimols, Ican smell the sea
oblects, fruit or vegetobles Ican taste the salt
Moteriols Essential: on exomple of o shoped p oem I Optioncl: poper or cord (one piece for eoch And I can touch the soft, yellow sand.
child)

ounf/oi,.
" '" r .t$ot"" "'ro
."E-- .9
^"
še{ to* see
a
uq

og
zš -8
uunf/oten
% , oee& ä?ntlow"^ ..Sšoro*"' feel heor
tunf/o,,jlaor^us9o'.-""o'
'ei'sod *t
,eeo-^
?
Šl".j*',."a "uJ""d o& *)jw
ilo$et "'"^
"Š'
't
3
9zo^ -- "*"o^ ,".n ,d ",l 9 Seosida
-"+,*i*o'ä'"".l", '::: seed
.6
š'*o *s ._eed '""dZz13n.o\\$'
"""'7,,:,:7;

t.t\ower ,
;l ;; :ist'ed".:;'ffi"i;"i:i
o_ee'a/ 5""-.eed "
,""d ,.".J
seed f
-Q
'un'o*u' s(
zž
#-r"*oo*d "__
,
d q touch

fŠ
,a "'
%;":"-::":;1;.i;
, seed-^-"-',ft6.y seed seecl
"',r -o8
$ smell

äu.n- *;:):'",ä*"u"'-*'1*1"]oo{
*ed *ur_i* '*,-''lo'on
"li}^o,run,
-,,$N
-eopuns ^-"'t" 's inJ3noaq ar,e9š' 'n ,.h
r*"' !o/,lurn'
J ''%o^ 2.29 Five senses poems
,. "iäno.. g Level ell Age 8-!2 Orgonizotion whole closs, poirs
9'o, 9š š o*-
Aims To creqte ond write o poem bosed on the five senses; to develop the qbility to visuolize ond
zrr" 'oqolJun, 9'- Z
rr*oso& imogine o ploce.
Longuoge tocus can (f.or possibility), the five senses, the seaside, odf ectives of description
Alte,nativ es : countryside, weqther
Moteriols Essenfiol; none
2.3O Ubiect poems
l'evel lZJ, A2.Z,BL.L Age 9-1.2 Orgonizofion whole closs, poirs
Aims To observe, touch qnd exomine on obiect closely; to onswer questions in order to describe A shell
the object; to use the onswers to creote, write ond edit o poem obout the object. Onthewet sand
Longuoge focus present simple, feelings, odjectives to describe obiects, Like a smallplate
Iike a ...
White andpink
Moleriols Essential: objects for the octivity, eg shells, conkers, pebbles, feothers (one for eoch
Smooth and shiny
pair) I Optional photocopies of the question sheet (one for eoch poir) I thinkof the sea
I feelhappy

Whot is it?

Where do you find it?

In a cÄÄ wintsr
Ccrnb.:zr
Whot size ond shope is it? A bufrerft3
Frorrr aC'ru,s uLtreu
In Auiu;mn, Si*e o'n q xlnker
Whot coiour is it? .Jn th-e qrounÄ And fatj,s äourn t}re tres

How does it feel when you touch it?

Rcwrd o?,a brourn It bounrea
AarC ,n,J- sit-,rg Anl the p.ioktg shell opens
Whot other wonds describe it? !Y:s ru;,*Izln
r- tl
couunrl
It's brovrn and Ugl.'
L LoLÕ" ano- ;aj
Jul
I

AnJ it sellns l;ke a"bmtn broken

Whot does it moke you think of?

Whot does it moke you feel?

2.31 Feelings poem I feelhappywhen ...

I go to the park on my bike
Level All Age tO-\Z Orgonizotion individuol, groups, whole closs
My friends come to my house
Aims To express personol feelings; to creote and write o poem colloborotively; to show I play on my Mum's computer
willingness to droft, redroft ond edit written work. I stay up late andwatchTV.
Longuoge focus present simple, odjectives of feeling But I feel sadwhen
Moteriols Essential: different storter lines written on cord, eg I feel happy / sad / angry / frightened It's time to go to bed
when ... (one for eoch group), strips of poper (one for each child) Andthe end ofanother day.
Nome: Dote *
* ,i,

@ clil
:

0ne
Lltefahffe - P*try appreclatjorr
,*-! -'---! ,:- -- -<- -a- 'a- -'-

Ad jective Poerns
-+-! -<_-1- <- -.- ^a- -<-
,i,
't,
,i'

* I
,I

,t,
Complete the sentences with rh;rming words. /rr
,1,
i/
a Drqw the pet.
,i
hot sun six knee g(
.|,

Hot is the coffee

Hotter is the oven
,i'

tr c-
My pet

n/
Hottest is the sun (\
My pet is o mogic CArti .

,i
With o green ond yellow
It con do some speciol tricks
Write three adjective poems in the some woy.
i?

And it con count up to 6 '

\L
It con swim ond it con run.
n
lt con jump up to the
-"ä'
,1,

,!
/t
"Xo
.l
mall is It con sit on my 1il6
left
sing o ,ong*tor, ,".-
,1,

moller is And it con

.!,
mollest is 4\

1\

2 Mqke o shape poem. Complete the sentences.

n/
il
o snoke. dongerous.
l/
n, red ond yellow but it con't run
n/

'Y
n,

I My pet is

i7
It's green, ao
/^
't,
0
It isn't
.!

It con wriggle,
,t,

'i

't,
.l
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l-inrited 2006.
 WRITING SIMPLE POEMS

Using models
l. Stems
o I have forgotten what ... x I (don't) like swimming in cold water
I have forgotten who ... I (don't) like peeling potatoes.
I have forgotten why ...
I have forgotten how to .
I have forgotten where .. *lwishl
I have forgotten when ... If only I
i have forgotten whether

2. Diamond poems (cinquains)

tree Line I one word to name the subject
tall, green Line2 two words to describe it
growing, reaching, standing Line 3 three action words about it
a witness to the past Line 4 a four- or five-word phrase describing the theme
future Line 5 one word that means the same thing as the first word,
or a word that sums it all up

3. Lantern poems
Rose Line I one syllable
Lovely Line 2 two syllables
Pink and white Line 3 three syllables
Touch the petals Line 4 three or four syllables
Smell Line 5 one syllable

Associations of words
4. Opposites
e.g. high, low black, white
quick, slow day, night
5. Letters alive
e.g. S is like a snake
slender and slippery and slow
6. Alliteration
. Using the alphabet
e.g. A is for apple, B is for bed, C is for chapel, D is for dead
. Using similes with "as ... as ..."
A - As angry as an actress
B - As bored as a boot
C - As cold as a cave ...

From: Valdmaa, Ruth. (2002). Using Poetry in Teaching English. University of Tartu
Unpublished diploma thesis