Create a Visual Poem

Students will analyze verse and explore meaning by creating a visual poem.

Engage

Explore examples of visual poems online. Search SchoolTube or YouTube for your favorite poet or a poem your class has recently read and watch the Getty Institutes how-to video.

Before having students work individually, or in small teams, develop a visual poem as a class.

Read the poem you wish to model to our class or distribute for them to read.

What does the poem mean? Work together to identify specific words that help the reader visualize the meaning or feel a certain way and discuss the intent of the author in using these specific words.

Search the Image library for images that support the meaning of the text in each line or stanza. Use the words your class identified in the poem to help organize your search. Discuss how well the images that result match the mood and meaning of the poem.

Then, have a student with strong fluency narrate the visual poem.

Work together to discuss the mood of the poem and find music that is appropriate and add it as a background soundtrack.

Create

Now that you have modeled the process, task students with creating their own. Group students into small teams and assign specific poems or create a collection for students to choose from.

Teams should begin by identifying key words in the poem and discussing the mood or feeling it is meant to evoke.

Using graphic organizers like t-charts and clusters can help students focus on key words and their meanings to determine mood and better comprehend the author's intent.

Cluster Organizer

Have teams focus on individual lines or verses and locate images that help the viewer better comprehend the meaning and connect to the content. Encourage students to use digital cameras to capture original photos.

Teams should combine the images with text, voice narration, and background music to complete their visual poem.

Share

Share student's visual poems at a poetry festival or poetry event at your school. You can project the visual poems between students reciting poetry orally or showcase during a school-wide event.

To extend the learning and focus on really analyzing each poem, post them individually to your classroom web site, or on morning announcements.

Standards

Common Core Anchor Standards for English Language Arts - Grade 4-12

Reading Standards

Craft and Structure

4. Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone.

Speaking and Listening Standards

Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas

5. Make strategic use of digital media and visual displays of data to express information and enhance understanding of presentations.

6. Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and communicative tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate.

Reading Standards

CC.LA.5.RL.7

Analyze how visual and multimedia elements contribute to the meaning, tone, or beauty of a text (e.g., graphic novel, multimedia presentation of fiction, folktale, myth, poem).