Sixteen-Word Poetry

This week, my students have district curriculum testing: reading on Tuesday and math on Wednesday. Each test mimics a real state test to help the kids prepare for the real deal in a few weeks. That means five hours per day, sitting in one classroom, rear ends in pain. 

Having finished a lesson on Monday and knowing that we have a shortened schedule on Friday, I was in need of something manageable and engaging for Thursday and Friday - especially since Friday is Valentine's Day. Corbett Harrison was kind enough to respond to my Edmodo post, suggesting sixteen-word poetry, using "The Red Wheelbarrow" as a mentor text. [If you are not familiar with Mr. Harrison, he is affiliated with Writing Fix, one of my favorite web sites.]

Link

Following his model, I have created a presentation to guide my students through a sixteen-word poem assignment, following the format of "The Red Wheelbarrow." I am going to have my kids write about something they feel passion toward - pizza, Jordans, summer vacation. I wrote about reading, of course. 

Since we are 1:1 with technology, I am going to have my students create this assignment as a Google presentation, adding a graphic element. I am creating a master presentation for each period, and each student will be assigned a slide number on which to create his/her poem. This way, I will have five class presentations. 

Student samples to come.