Writing Poetry

Today I bumped into a handout made years ago. It reminded me of a poetry-writing activity I had students do outdoors because it was such a nice day that I decided not to keep students in the classroom. The students read four poems with the same pattern and then write in pairs one or more poems of their own. The following is what they read:

Rread and think.

1.

Morning

new and bright

waking up

like a new start

if only I could skip school. (Yi-chun Tsou)

2.

Refrigerator

attractive and interesting

giving generously

like a treasure box

if only I knew how to open it.

(Andy Onishi)

 

3.

Puppy

cute and soft

drinking quietly

like a baby

if only he wouldn't grow up.

(Michael Lo)

 

4.

School

hard and tiring

studying late

like a large house

if only I could skip the homework.

(Brian Chung)

Then, they read this on the right column of the paper:

Now, write your ow little poems.

It's a pity that I didn't keep the students' work except one. Here is how the poem goes:

Airplane

huge and eye-catching

moving fast

like a big bird

if only I could take it to every place.