#3284. Thanksgiving Poetry

Reading/Writing, level: 3-5
Posted Fri Nov 18 15:35:51 PST 2011 by Mr. Marks (Mr. Marks).
Thanksgiving Poetry
Materials Required: Printable Handouts Provided
Activity Time: 1 Hour
Concepts Taught: Senses, Poetry, Thanksgiving

It's Thanksgiving and the perfect time for your children to express their thankfulness creatively through poetry. One of my favorite forms of poetry for Thanksgiving is a sensory poem. Here's how to write one:

1. Brainstorm what you see, hear, smell, taste, and feel at Thanksgiving. I've included a brainstorming sheet below that you can use.

2. Choose one thing from each category and write it on the appropriate line on the paper below. Also include a final line for "I know that." It can be any summarizing sentence to conclude the poem. You can use the rough draft paper I've included below.

3. Ready for poetry magic? Cross out the typed words and presto! -- instant poetry. See example below. Capitalize the first word of the new phrase and cross out the period at the end. See example below.

4. Write your poem on a piece of construction or decorative paper. Include an illustration too. See example below.

5. Share your poem with the world (or at least Grandma and Grandpa). There are many sites that will publish children's poems for free. Two such sites are Kid Lit and Poetry Zone.

YOU CAN FIND COPIES OF THE BRAINSTORMING SHEET AND ROUGH DRAFT TO PRINT AT TEACHERHELPFORPARENTS.COM. THERE IS ALSO AN EXAMPLE OF THE FINAL DRAFT THERE AS WELL.