The document provides instructions for students to write different styles of poems, including sensory, portrait, diamante, concrete, and haiku poems. It includes examples for each type of poem and outlines the objectives, directions, and formatting for students to create their own poems in these styles by focusing on sensory details, personal reflection, opposites, shape/arrangement of words, and nature imagery.

1. Writing Poetry April 2009

2. Sensory Poem Watercolor Poetry Objectives: Students will be able to write a watercolor poem. Directions: Pick a color other than white, gray, or black. Complete the graphic organizer, using your senses to list items you associate with the color you picked. Use the information to write a poem about your color on paper (sloppy copy). Write your nice copy on a piece of paper and decorate it with objects from the poem around the page, using the color you chose.

3. Example: Blue Blue is the color of blueberry pie, A blue jay’s feather and the bright moon sky. Blue is the color of ocean scenes, Picasso’s art and my favorite jeans.

4. Portrait/Personal Poem Objectives: Students will be able to write a portrait poem. A portrait poem is personal – it reveals something about the person writing the poem. It does not have to rhyme. Directions: Fill in the steps on your paper. Once your sloppy copy has been proofread, we will write up our poems on nice white lined paper. We will mount our poems on construction paper and decorate it with pictures about you and things you like.

5. Example: Carol. Busy, tired, mother and teacher, Sister of Bill, Lover of children, animals and a happy classroom, Who feels joy when reading, power when riding and sore muscles at the end of the day, Who needs laughter, pets, and flowers, Who gives help, love, and praise, Who fears dragons, big bugs, and the dark, Who would like everyone to succeed, wars to end, and a cat, Krimm.

6. Diamonte Poem Objective: Students will be able to create a diamante poem. Diamante poem – a diamante poem can be about one thing, such as monsters, or they can compare two opposite things, such as day and night. Directions: Pick a topic to write about (either one item or opposite items). Use diamante worksheet to fill in words about your topic. Follow the guidelines. We will either write or type up our final drafts and decorate.

7. Example: Monsters Creepy, sinister Hiding, lurking, stalking, Vampires, mummies, werewolves, and more- Chasing, pouncing, eating, Hungry, scary, Creatures

8. Example: Day Bright, sunny, Laughing, playing, doing, Up in the east, down in the west- Talking, resting, sleeping, Quiet, dark Night

9. Concrete Poem Objective: Students will be able to write a concrete poem about the topic of their choice. Concrete Poem – use of words to convey meaning. This may be done with color, the shape of letters or the arrangement of words. From a distance it will look like a picture but up close it will consist of words and phrases.

10. Example

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12. Example

13. Haiku Objectives: Students will be able to write a haiku to be graded using poetry rubric. Haiku- A haiku poem can be written on any topic. It takes imagination to think of a subject, and a bit of work to perfect. A haiku only has three lines, totally 17 syllables. -first line must be FIVE syllables -second line must be SEVEN syllables -third line must be FIVE syllables For this particular poem, we will write about something in nature. We will work outside and focus on the beauty around us to write our haiku.

14. Examples: Birds take wing on high, gliding over angry waves back to their safe nests. Clouds sit still above. Mountains stir a calming sea. Nature’s beauty glows.