I recently happened to come across this great article called “7 Fin Ideas for Writing and Publishing Student Poetry”, by Hannah Hudson, on the We Are Teachers website. It was great, because I wanted to get ideas for something to do in class on World Poetry Day, March 21.

Here’s a sample of what we’ve been able to accomplish in class with 5th and 6th graders (4th graders needed a little more time):

I had prepared a list of adjectives, in alphabetic order, which we translated and analysed, working in groups. Then, the students chose the adjectives that they thought described them best. They finished their work by drawing themselves as accurately as possible. It was wonderful to see how absorbed they were, trying to write self-defining poetry! Students love to define themselves, and this is a basic step towards building mutual respect and solving discipline issues in class. All they need is an opportunity! Marvellous!