This post details how to teach students shape poetry writing. We combined writing about a particular color with creating shape poetry. This post outlines preparing, planning, writing, and displaying poetry.
How To Teach Color Shape Poetry Writing
Children love to learn and read poems, and exposure helps them strengthen their reading, writing, and listening skills. Read why teaching poetry to children is beneficial and how to introduce poetry in your classroom.
Table of Contents
Introduction to Colour Shape Poetry
Color poetry is poetry written about a particular, perhaps favorite color. It includes what the color means to you and what it reminds you of. It is written where the first word of each line is that color.
Each line connects that color to our senses (i.e., what it tastes, smells, feels, looks, sounds, and makes us feel like). There are different variations of color poetry, but for this lesson, we used a template and format that works for primary children.
Planning Colour Shape Poetry
We start every poetry lesson by reading a book that connects to our senses. Some of my favorite go-to choices for books on colors are Bear Sees Colors, A Color of His Own, and Duck & Goose Colours (affiliate links). These books each give examples of things that are different colors. This exercise helps us think and imagine more.
To prepare for color shape poetry writing, separate students into small groups (4 or 5 in one) and give them a specific color. Their task is to brainstorm various things (food, items, animals, clothing, etc.) in their particular color and write them on the back of their planning sheet.
Visit with each group to guide them and encourage ideas. Working together and sharing helps them think of more.
Writing Colour Shape Poetry
Once each group has plenty of ideas, we meet as a class to share and discuss the format for writing our color poems. We complete an example as a class using a different color that is not being used by a group already. We work together to create sentences to fit the color poetry frame. This activity is constructive as a guide for those less confident writers.
Students get a blank template to write their color poems. They are encouraged to use the words and ideas we thought of as a class and in small groups. This template and a planning sheet are available for free at the end of the post.
At this point, students are relatively confident and independent in writing their color poetry drafts. For a lot of writing with young children, usually, one draft is enough, but with poetry writing, I like to have a polished, edited piece to add to a display.
Creating Colour Shape Poetry
Shape poetry is poetry written in a shape that relates to what the poem is about or its topic. We connect our color poems by creating a shape poetry display with them. Students take one idea or thing from their color poems and draw its shape. For example, shapes for the color red could be a strawberry, a rose, a heart, etc.
With a large white poster board, students draw a shape to cover the page and leave enough room to copy their poems. They use a ruler to draw the appropriate number of lines to fit the poem. If the shape is odd (like a snake, for example), students can write the poem without using lines for a more freestyle form.
Students copy their edited poems in the shapes. After writing their poems, they trace their writing with skinny markers and color them with pencil crayons or crayons.
Hang the color-shaped poetry writing up to create a unique display or bulletin board that will grab any reader passing by.
Poetry Writing Resources
Try the Colour & Shape Poetry Writing Templates
You can grab the FREE color shape poetry templates today by clicking the image below.
Poetry Writing Unit
Try the Poetry Writing Unit by Proud to be Primary. Easily teach over 20 poetry vocabulary terms and 13 different types of poetry with this all-in-one resource for teachers! Find helpful planning sheets, practice pages, engaging templates, and posters!
If you like this resource, you’ll love my poetry activity mats and poem of the week.
More Ideas for Teaching Poetry
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