Title – Color Poems

By – Ryla Pollan

Primary Subject – Language Arts

Grade Level – 3-8

Students write COLOR POEMS based on color poems from

Hailstones and Halibut Bones

by Mary O’Neill.

MATERIALS: a copy of Mary O’Neill’s

Hailstones and Halibut Bones

METHOD:

1. Read each of the color poems in

Hailstones and Halibut Bones

.

2. After each poem, discuss the author’s use of imagery, personification, unique expressions, the senses the author uses to write about the color, etc. depending on age / ability of students.

3. Then have each student select a color, maybe their favorite color, or the color of their favorite poem from the book, or a color that wasn’t included in the book.

4. Give each student a copy of the pattern below for writing their own poem. You can easily add lines to make the poem more complex – or change or take out lines to make it simpler – depending on your students.

5. After writing their first draft, have students go through the editing process, make changes and improvements, until they have a final complete copy of their poem.

6. Then students can type their poems, choosing a font, and print it on colored paper, or use color ink and print on white paper, or make a creative display/background for their poem. They make a beautiful spring display for bulletin boards. Students could also combine the poems to make their own color poetry book and then illustrate it.

POETRY PATTERN:

(selected color) is ….

(selected color) is ….

(selected color) is ….

(selected color) is ….

(selected color) tastes like ….

(selected color) smells like ….

(selected color) sounds like ….

(selected color) feels like ….

(selected color) looks like ….

(selected color) makes me ….

(selected color) is ….

E-Mail

Ryla Pollan

!