This document provides ideas for using poems in the classroom, including both reading poems and writing poems. Some suggestions for reading poems are having students solve puzzles from poems, complete phrases, predict ideas, and draw pictures based on descriptions. Suggestions for writing poems include finishing incomplete poems, altering published poems, writing acrostics, and having students describe scenes to later "poemify". The document also lists some poetic forms to experiment with such as couplets, alphabetics, and haiku.

2. Ideas forusingpoems in class Reading poems: Read a «puzzle» fromthepoem and studentssolveit. GiveSssomesentences/ phrasesfromthepoem and askthemto complete themwiththirownmetaphors, images, ideas,… Predict ideas, opinion in a poem Brainstorm and discussthefeelings/storythat lie behind a poem Do a picturedictation: describe thescene in thepoem and Ssdraw a picture. At theendthey compare pictures and readthepoem, decidingwhoisclosesttothe original.

3. Poemsabout Spring

7. Writingpoems «Finishmypoem». Theteacherprovides a nearly complete poemwithpartsto complete. «Alterations». GiveSs a publishedpoem, theycopyitwith a number of alterations. Whentheyreaditaloudtheotherteamsmustguesswhatisnotfromthe original. «Acrostics»: try outsomedifferentpoeticformssuch as acrostics, a funwaytostartpeoplewriting. «Wakeningthesenses». Theteachergives a series of instructionsthataskSsto look, listen, noticewhatisaroundthem and withinthem. Each line iswritten as balddescription. AfterwardsSsgo back and «poemify» it.

8. Somepoeticformstoexperimentwith Couplets Alphabetics Spinepoems Endings Samewords Haiku Diamontes Limeriks Sonnets

10. BLACK AND WHITE

12. What’sthis? What’sthat? Changethe original

13. SIMPLE POEMS SUMMER Hot days Cold ice cream Yellowsand Blue water Big waves Small fish NAME POEMS Shelikesplants Animals Red roses And High places IN THE GARDEN Onedog sleeping in thesun Twocatswashingtheirears Threechildrenplaying in thegrass Fourmothersdrinking tea Fivetreeswithgreenleaves Sixbutterfliesflying in thesky Sevenclothesonthe line Eightbirds in a tree Nineclouds full of rain Ten flowerswithyellowheads. MIRÓ

18. Imagine