This document provides teachers with guidance on introducing different types of poetry to students. It describes various poetry forms like haiku, cinquain, diamante, and gives examples of poems written by elementary school students. The document encourages teachers to foster students' creativity and self-expression through exploring nature, using descriptive words, and incorporating art into poetry projects.

1. Poetry and Technology A Guide for Teachers By Gail Laubenthal 2008

2. What is Poetry? A group of 5 and 6 year old students said Poems Words that rhyme Funny stories About different things-animals, nursery rhymes, pretend and real, feelings, bugs Haiku

3. Scaffolding Their Learning This type of poetry supports young children and old alike (See Poetry Resources by Nancy Cecil) I like…repeat 2-3 times, then on the last line write -but I don’t like… I love… I wish… If I were (a) …I would… I’m so smart I can… I used to be…. I became…, now…

4. Elena, age 5

5. Janie, age 5

6. Connecting With Nature Think about your favorite thing to do outside – seasonally Take a walk and focus on sights, sounds, textures, smells, and tastes (be careful not to eat anything poisonous) Become a keen observer of nature…even the smallest plants and creatures deserve our attention!

7. Creating Poetry Journals Nature Poetry Picture Perfect Poetry Poetry that Rhymes Pick-A-Word Poetry Awesome Alliteration Shape Poetry Haiku Cinquain Diamante Artifact Poetry Other Types of Poetry Poetry in the Round Observation Poetry Rainbow Poetry Color Poems Found Poetry Poems for 2 Voices One-Word Poems Two-Word Poems Memory Poems Thematic Poetry

8. Picture Perfect Poetry Have a large group of nature pictures cut out (National Geographic, Nature, and Texas Highways are great) Students will choose a picture, glue it down in their journal and write a poem about it, using descriptive words and feelings

9. Picture Perfect Poetry I’m An Urchin I’m spiny I’m colorful I protect little fish Along comes a piranha Tickle, tickle, DISH! by Beatrice, Age 6

10. Poetry that Rhymes Have a selection of rhyming dictionaries and word family lists available Students make word banks of possible rhyming words first Write a poem using words that rhyme

11. Poetry That Rhymes A Great Dane named Mark Twain Has an owner named Terrain. He is from Spain. One day Terrain went down the drain, So the Great Dane got his airplane! By Marisol, age 6

12. Pick-A-Word Poetry Make several envelopes of nouns (nature theme, like…dog, eagle, mountain, stream, etc. and several envelopes of adjectives (red, blue, breezy, small, etc.) Have the students choose 2 words from the noun envelope and 2 words from the adjective envelope They then pick only 1 noun and 1 adjective to use in their nature poem The words may be part of the title and/or the poem Underline the two words that were drawn

13. Pick-A-Word Poetry I know a very breezy rainbow High up in the sky Where bluebirds fly Where you can understand The true meaning of the world by Maisie, age 6

14. Awesome Alliteration Make a nature poem with words beginning with the same sound or letter Students might pick an animal or a friends name to be their focus sound or letter…Sally’s silly snake…

15. Awesome Alliteration Bluebird Beautiful bluebird Brings a big bouquet Of brilliant bluebonnets to Beatrice. By Maisie

16. Shape Poem Shape poems are concrete poems that take on the shape of the topic The book, Doodle Dandies: Poems That Take Shape by J. Patrick Lewis and Lisa Desimini has great examples of shape poetry

17. Shape Poem By Marisol

18. Haiku This unrhymed Japanese poem, consists of 3 lines, each containing a certain number of syllables**. These poems are usually about nature, evoke an emotion, and at least 2 senses Line one – 5 syllables Line two – 7 syllables Line three – 5 syllables **This rule was for the Japanese language, so when writing in English the lines could have less than 17 syllables

19. Haiku Robins in the sky Flying, flying, flying high Hide in the ground worms! By Quinn, age 5 A little toucan Breaking hard nuts with her beak Colorful feathers By Emma, age 6

20. Cinquain A 5-line poem using the following pattern Line one-A one-word title (noun) Line two-Two words that describe the title (adjectives) Line three-Three words that show the action of the title (verb) Line four-Four words that express a feeling about the title (phrase) Line five-One word that is another word for the title (synonym)

21. Cinquain Monarch Spotted, graceful Flying, fluttering, sipping Happy little thing Butterfly By Beatrice, age 6

22. Group cinquain by Ms. Polan’s 5 year old PK students

23. Diamante This 7-line poem has an interesting twist in the middle Line one-A one-word title (noun) Line two-Two words that describe the title (adjectives) Line three-Three participles specific to the title (action words) Line four-Four nouns (first 2 describe the title and the second 2 describe the last line of the poem – the opposite of line one) Line five-Three participles specific to the subject of line seven (action words) Line six-two words that describe line seven (adjectives) Line seven-opposite of the one-word title (noun)

24. Diamante Sister Sweet, clever Loving, caring, playing Teacher, Maisie, Kenny, toddler Crying, wanting, yelling Curious, funny Brother By Maisie, age 6

25. Artifact Poetry Collect a nature artifact (found object, never hurting a living creature) Example: bring in a basket of seashells and let the students choose one that they would like to write a poem about Option: display them in a shadow box

26. age 6

27. Poetry in the Round This circle poetry is written on round paper and starts at the outside edge and swirls toward the center. Nursery rhymes work well in the round; rebus-type illustrations add to the impact of this poetry The poems may also be set to a familiar tune, such as “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”

29. Observation Poetry Find a place to observe things Go outside to observe nature Pick a corner of the classroom and observe your friends Observe a family member doing something Write a poem about what you see, hear, think, and/or feel

30. Purple Petunias Little purple petunias Growing by a wall In the green grass With other flowers by it Nature’s bouquet Maisie Frogs Jumping, croaking, ribbit Swimming, hopping Lily pad to lily pad Flies buzzing ‘round and ‘round Slurp, gobble, gobble Delicious frog snack Yummy, yum! Emma

31. Rainbow Poetry Colors are everywhere and students are naturally drawn to their favorites The student could pick a theme, like fruit, flowers, or frogs Think of descriptive words to use with each object…red, juicy apple Use all colors of the rainbow (for young children use purple instead of indigo and violet)

33. Color Poems Student chooses his/her favorite color Create a poem using only this color Don’t forget to use descriptive words Read Hailstones and Halibut Bones by Mary O’Neill when introducing this type of poem

35. Found Poems The magic of poetry lets students discover words and phrases that they can combine into poems Have newspapers and magazines available for students to look through When they find words that they want to use in a poem, have them cut them out and glue them on paper to create the poem

36. Found Poem-Magazine Headlines Magnificent makeover It’s out there The perfect warm welcome to fall Play with color Cushy ripples CrunchaBuncha leaves The ultimate party Extravaganza! A rich and luscious experience It stirs the soul How sweet it is. Gail L.

37. Poems for Two Voices This is a great way for two students to co-author a poem. Some lines are read by one student, some are read by the other, and some are read in unison Read A Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices by Paul Fleischmann to introduce this type of poetry

38. Texas and Florida L and M: The state bird is a Mockingbird L: Texas is the Lone Star State M: Florida is the Sunshine State L: It became the 28 th state in 1845 M: It became the 27 th state in 1845 L: The state tree is the pecan tree M: The state tree is the sabal palm L and M: The Gulf of Mexico touches this state By Laura and Mozhgon, age 7

39. One and Two-Word Poems These are a favorite because they can be created in a short amount of time Use one or two words per line Each line expresses a separate thought about the topic

40. One Word Poem Niagara Thunderous Misty Powerful Peaceful Breathtaking Rocky Swift Rainbow Swirling Eddy Commercialized Gail L. Two-Word Poem Solar System Nine planets Hot Sun Cold Pluto Pretty Jupiter Warm Venus Many Stars Catherine, age 7

41. Memory Poems This is a simple way to have students recall a special memory Begin each line with “I remember” End the poem with ”And I remember” These poems can rhyme They have as many lines as the memory and imagination of the poet

42. I Remember… I remember my cat sitting on my lap I remember my cat stretching on my lap I remember my cat purring on my lap And I remember my cat sleeping on my lap. Elena, age 7

43. Thematic Poetry Usually about something the students are learning about May also be about something they are interested in You need not have any “rules”

44. Trees Trees are a treasure down under A magical mystery A terrible monster at night A grandfather of all life and death Bark like a rough rhino’s back Words spoken softly to those who listen Stands tall and brave Strong and weak by its senses Famous for its high reach in the sky A gift from heaven that will never die Dillon, age 7

45. A Beach Story I went to the beach today. The sun was as hot as hot sauce . The sky was as blue as water . The ocean was as cold as a popsicle . I swam in the water just like a whale . I played in the sand and built a big castle . While I was walking around I found a snake . I love to run on the beach like a roadrunner . I had fun at the beach. LaVante, age 5

46. Poetry Resources Cecil, Nancy. For the Love of Language: Poetry for Every Learner Cecil, Nancy. For the Love of Poetry: Literacy Scaffolds, Extension Ideas, and More Heard, Georgia. Awakening the Heart: Exploring Poetry in Elementary and Middle School Morice, Dave. The Adventures of Dr. Alphabet: 104 Unusual Ways to Write Poetry in the Classroom and the Community Koch, K. Wishes, Lies, and Dreams: Teaching Children to Write Poetry Terban, M. Time to Rhyme: A Rhyming Dictionary Young, S. Rhyming Dictionary (Scholastic)

47. This book was created for teachers to use as a guide as they introduce poetry to their students. By giving students an opportunity to write from their “heart”, they become poets who can share their feelings, hopes, dreams, fears, and experiences. When integrating poetry and technology software, graphic images, and bookmaking, even more possibilities unfold. The sample poetry in this guide was created by kindergarten - second students in the Austin ISD. This guide is also used to teach teachers how to unleash the poet inside them, as they reach for the poetry of the stars. Gail Laubenthal

48. If we follow the children, they will surely lead us into their hearts, minds, and dreams. We are just the guide…they are our gift! Gail Laubenthal