Appreciating Poetry
Grade Level(s): 3-5, 6-8
By: Upsadaisy

Combines appreciation for poetry and handwriting practice.

Objectives:

Students will demonstrate proper handwriting, either cursive or manuscript, an awareness of the form of a selected poem, comprehension of the selected poem and will demonstrate awareness of the poem's tone in an illustration.

Materials:

Poetry books
lined paper
plain paper
art supplies
pencil

Plan:

1. Provide an assortment of poetry books to students.
   
   
2. Ask students to choose a poetry book and skim through it.
   
   
3. Ask students to select one poem which they enjoy and which they will be able to write (ie, not too long).
   
   
4. Provide these instructions:
   a. Write the title of the poem on the second line on your paper.
   b. Write the poem in cursive (or manuscript if appropriate) exactly as the words appear in the selected poem.
   c. End each line in the same place it ends in the selected poem. (The only exception should be if it cannot fit on the line if a student writes big. Then the student may wrap the sentence onto the following line.)
   d. Capitalize only words which are capitalized in the selected poem.
   e. Use the same punctuation as appears in the selected poem.
   f. Skip one line and write the author’s name on the next line.
   g. Illustrate your handwritten poem in color on plain white paper.

Comments:

You could combine the completed poems and illustrations into a class book. You could extend the lesson by having children write their own poems.