Poetry Scavenger Hunt

Hello fellow teachers!  I am Pam from ROCKIN RESOURCES and I am so honored to be posting one of my ideas on the Who's Who blog!  This idea of a Poetry Scavenger Hunt was designed for upper elementary, but I'm sure you can tailor it to your grade level as well!

I hope you and your kiddos enjoyed Easter and a few egg hunts along the way!  We had our family visit and I love the fact that the teenagers still want us to hide eggs!  They will not be happy if they come across this picture on social media somewhere but here they are dying eggs!  Oh yeah the proof is in all those mugs in front of them.  

Since it is Poetry Month, and I know that no matter what the age, they love to hunt for things.  Soooooo why not conduct a Poetry Scavenger Hunt with your students?  It is Poetry Month ya know!  I teach 4th grade and they will be the first ones to tell you that they enjoy this activity!  It is an awesome motivator to get them to learn!  So what is a POETRY SCAVENGER HUNT?

Materials Needed:

1.  Tons and tons of poetry books- if your own library or your school's library doesn't have a wide variety or abundance, go to the local library and check out as many as you can!  You want enough resources for them to enjoy this activity.  Your media specialist might even allow them to come in and do this activity in their media center to spread out and make it more interesting!

2.  Poetry samples for projecting during whole group lesson.

3.  Poetry cards (below)

4.  Magnifying glasses -optional-  (We are lucky to have plastic ones in our science kits.)  These give your students a "fun" tool to search for elements.  The little things make a difference!

5.  Sticky notes.  (If you have iPad access, you don't need sticky notes)

Lesson Plans:

First, introduce (or review) the following Poetry Elements and examples.  The definitions for each word can be found on the cards later in the lesson!

Alliteration-  Ex. Slimy slugs slither slowly on the sidewalk.

Imagery-  Ex. The thick fuzzy coat was a blessing in the winter blizzard.

Metaphor-  Ex.  A good laugh is sunshine in a house.

Onomatopoeia-  Ex.  Bang, ding, pop!

Personification-  Ex.  The wind whistled its happy tune.

Repetition-  Ex.  Leaving my friends, leaving my home leaving my room, leaving my memories

Rhyme-  Ex.  School, tool, rule

Rhyme Scheme-  

Ex. Roses are red    A

     Violets are blue   B

     Sugar is sweet    C

     And so are you.   B

Rhythm-  (musical quality)

Simile-  Ex.  She was as pale as a lump of sugar.

Stanza-  (a poetry paragraph)

Theme-  (the message)

Tone-  (feeling)

Next, as a whole group, show students how to look in poems to find these elements.  The best way I found is to project slides of poetry and discuss elements found in the example.

One example I use for Imagery:

This is the only one I don't project.  I like to read this one while my students close their eyes so they can form their own imagery.  I read a portion of "Kryptonite" by Three Doors Down:

I took a walk around the world to ease my trouble mind

I left my body laying somewhere in the sands of time

I watched the world float to the dark side of the moon

I feel there is nothing I can do.

Then, pass out poetry books, magnifying glasses, and poetry elements cards to groups.  (I usually give each group 4-5 cards).  When students find a poem with this element, they mark it with a sticky note.  TECHNOLOGY- TAKE PICTURE OF POEM WITH IPAD.  Click on the picture below for free cards.

Last, gather back as a whole group and share their findings!


Are you looking for more poetry ideas and resources?

Free and paid Poetry Products:  CLICK HERE

Poetry Pinterest Board:  CLICK HERE 

 

Visit ROCKIN RESOURCES store!  They offer a variety of free and paid products ranging from grades 2-6.  Pam specializes in LANGUAGE ARTS and SOCIAL STUDIES.  She is well-known for her writing programs that have been best sellers and boost writing scores!  

Thanks again Hilary for the opportunity to post on this amazing blog!  I find so many incredible ideas on here!