Children's Poetry Ideas- Koch

"I wish" (repetition)

All students contribute to the class poem. All lines must begin with the words "I wish" and should contain the following rules or others:
- must include a color
- must include a comic-strip character
- must include a city or country
Read the poem aloud- line by line, pulling from a hat. Have the class come up with a title of the poem they created.

"Feelings at P.S. 61"
I wish I was Dick Tracy in a black suit in England
I wish that I were a Supergirl with a red cape; the city of Mexico will be where I live.
I wish that I were Veronica in South America. I wish I could see the blue sky...


This idea can also be done individually.

Sometimes I wish I had my own kitten
Sometimes I wish I owned a puppy.
Sometimes I wish we had a color TV.
Sometimes I wish for a room of my own.
And I wish all my sisters would disappear...
- Erin Harold, Grade 4

Comparison

Look for strange comparisons. Something real to something unreal. Something in school to something out of school.

"A breeze is like the sky coming to you..."
- Iris Torres, Grade 4

"The flag is as red, white and blue as the sun's reflection..."
- Marion Mackles, Grade 3

Ideas for encouragement- take the students outside and ask them what it most resembles inside the classroom. (Someones dress, the chalkboard, the globe...)

"Thunder is like bowling
Clouds are like a feather
The sun is like a yellow balloon in the sky
A tiger is like the beating of drums."
- Robert Mattei

Noise Poem

Ask the kids what kind of noise different objects make
- crumple a piece of paper
- hit chair with ruler


Then think of words that sound similar to the noise (tap, snap, hat, badge)
Write poems incorporating these words/ sounds

"I wore a bathing suit that clashed and then I dashed and splashed in the water.
The girl started to swing on the swing and started to sing.
When the rock `n' roll group began to sing, the children began to swing."
- Debbie Novitsky, Grade 5

I Used To/ But Now

Odd lines: I used to...
Even lines: But now...

I used to be a tree
But now I am a leaf
I used to float through the air
But now I fall on my face


I used to be smart
But now I'm smarter
I used to be pretty
But now I'm prettier
I used to be little
But now I'm bigger
- Agnes Mins, Grade 1

I used to be a flower but now I'm a color
I used to be a brush but now I'm a strawberry
I used to be a person but now I'm a pocket
I used to be a book but now I'm a ladybug
I used to be a design but now I'm a tree
I used to be an eraser but now I'm a pencil
......
I used to have a dress of buttons but now I have a name of bees
I used to have a dot but now I have a row of measles
......
I used to have a ladybug but now I have a picture of people
- Iloan Baburka, Grade 3

"Write as if you are"

Write a poem from the point of view of the object.

Snow
We would cover the sun with clouds so it could not melt us...
- Carmine Vinciforo, Grade 6

I Dream

Write about one or more dreams that you have dreamt. If you can't think of one, think of a dream you would/ would not like to have.

My Dream

I had a dream that I was in a forest
the trees grabbed me and tried to eat me
I kicked them all and ran away
Then I fell in a flower garden
I fell in a flower the flower closed
I was trying to get out of the flower
Then I woke up and found myself in bed instead of a flower.
- Lenora Calanni, Grade 5

Repetition
I dream...
I dream...
I dream...

Lies

I Was

I was in a cartoon on television. I was a broom standing in a corner. I swept the floors with my feet. I didn't like sweeping floors.
I was bought from a store.
I was able to talk.
I was a movable broom.
I was very mad because all I did was sweep.
I was finally so mad I turned right back into a tree.
I threw my trees of oranges at the people I swept floors for.
- Ilona Baburka, Grade 4


Combine all poem themes together!