Creating Classroom Community by Crafting Themed Poetry Collections

Materials and Technology

Student Interactives

Printouts

Websites

Preparation

 

MATERIALS AND TECHNOLOGY

• Overhead or LCD projector
  
  
• Transparencies/copies of poems used for instruction
  
  
• General classroom supplies (chalkboard, chart paper, markers, etc)
  
  
• Writer's notebooks, or paper
  
  
• A wide variety of poetry books to be used for instruction and student exploration
  
  
• Books from Thematic Poetry Collections booklist

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STUDENT INTERACTIVES

Grades   K – 12  |  Student Interactive  |  Writing & Publishing Prose

Printing Press

The interactive Printing Press is designed to assist students in creating newspapers, brochures, and flyers.

 

Grades   K – 12  |  Student Interactive  |  Writing Poetry

Diamante Poems

This online tool enables students to learn about and write diamante poems.

 

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PRINTOUTS

• Poetry Collection Checklist (optional instead of interactive version)
  
  
• Guidelines for Writing Diamante
  
  
• Getting to Know You with Cinquains
  
  
• Poetry Using the 5Ws
  
  
• Bio Poem—All About You
  
  
• Writing an "I Am" Poem
  
  
• How to Write a Name Poem
  
  
• Writing a Name Poem
  
  
• Getting to Know You Acrostic
  
  
• Limericks
  
  
• Two-Voice Poetry

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WEBSITES

• Interactive Poetry Collection Checklist
• Links to Other Forms of Poetry and Elements of Poetry
• The Children's Poetry Archive
• Online Poetry Classroom
• Poetic Devices...And Examples
• Poetry Rules
• Elements of Poetry
• Riddle Poem Features

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PREPARATION

• Select one or more thematic poetry collections to share with students (see booklist).
  
  
• Choose at least five poetic forms to focus on in this lesson (e.g. diamante, cinquain, 5W poem, bio poem, I am poem, name poem, acrostic poem, limerick, two-voice). See Links to Other Forms of Poetry and Elements of Poetry for additional options and materials.
  
  
• Make copies or transparencies of the handouts for each format you've chosen to serve as models for students' writing. You may also want to find additional examples in the books that you have collected or at the Children's Poetry Archive.
  
  
• Ask students to bring their writer's notebooks to class. They will compose their poetry collections and definitions in their notebooks. Alternately, students can work on loose leaf paper.
  
  
• Make a copy of the Poetry Collection Checklist for each student.
  
  
• Test the ReadWriteThink Printing Press, Diamante Poems interactive, and if desired the Interactive Poetry Collection Checklist, on your computers to familiarize yourself with the tools and ensure that you have the Flash plug-in installed. You can download the plug-in from the technical support page.

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