I’ve adapted my popular school and library poetry workshop “My Special Place” to help you write a poem. April is Poetry Month, but we can read and write poetry any time! Write this poem by yourself or do it with a friend or family member.
Give it a try! All you need is your imagination, paper, and pencil or pen.
Step 1: Think of your special place. It can be anywhere! Beach, treehouse, candy store, kitchen, soccer field, city park, library, mountain top, a secret corner in your house. Take your time to think of a place you love.
Step 2: Close your eyes and daydream. Take an imaginary journey around your special place. What do you see? Hear? Smell? What are you doing? Who are you with?
Step 3: Come out of your dream and make a graphic organizer. Draw this out on a sheet of paper.
Step 5: Write the name of your place in the center. I chose the beach because I love the beach!
Step 6: Write what you see, hear, and smell. Write quickly, just a few words.
Here’s mine:
Step 7: Say more about each word you wrote. Add words to describe.
Step 8: Finish up by writing what you’re doing and who you’re with. If you’re alone, that’s okay! Just write, “alone.”
Here’s mine: Notice I added a new category: How do you feel?
Now we’ve got a big mess! What’s next?
Step 9: Write your first draft. Get another piece of paper. Where to start? Start with the title and just dig in. Skip around with the words on your graphic organizer. It’s a first draft. If you’re not happy with it, you can fix it later.
Here’s my first attempt.
At the Beach
Ocean waves
blue, gray and green
Crashing against rocks
Rolling onto sand
Tickling my toes
Wind blowing
Seagulls cawing
soaring in the sky
picking at a dead fish
yuck
I’m collecting shells
and climbing rocks
big craggy rocks
with my best friend
Watch out for slippery seaweed!
We jump in the ocean
kicking and splashing
excited and happy
wet and wild
and free
Step 10: Take a break. Maybe you’re done. Maybe you need a snack. Maybe you want to revise it later. Maybe you want to draw a picture to go with your poem. Maybe you want to start a new poem.
Stay tuned! In my next post, we can write another poem together and I’ll talk about revision.
Here’s a quote I love about revision by Naomi Shihab Nye
“I see revision as a beautiful ray of hope. It’s a new vision of something. It means you don’t have to be perfect the first time. What a relief!”