We recently started an extended writing study/inquiry on poetry.  So far, my 8th graders have learned these poetry writing strategies:

  • Color Poems (a strategy I learned while a student at the University of Georgia)
  • Writing Poems Off Photographs
  • Writing a Poem Off a List
  • “Old/New” Poems

Poetic writing techniques we’ve focused on so far include word choice, alliteration, similes, and line breaks.  I’ll do a separate post soon on these poem writing strategies, but I wanted to share some insights from my students on how they approached their color poems.

Yesterday two of my 8th grade writers graciously agreed to share their thoughts on how they wrote their first poems in our course and how they approached their poetry writing.  I hope you enjoy the chat and their poems as much as I did!