April is National Poetry Month, and Thursday, April 18 is the official National Poem in Your Pocket Day. This is a special day to select a favorite poem and share it with everyone you meet.
Choose a poem or compose an original work and carry it with you in your pocket all day, sharing the fun of National Poetry Month wherever you go. Don’t have a favorite poem? This is the perfect time to write your own, and formula poetry can easily help you unlock your inner poet.
Formula poetry is created by following a set pattern of instructions. A common type of formula poetry is the five senses poem, which describes an emotion or idea in terms of the senses. To get started, choose something that interests you (like a season or a favorite food) and use one of the five senses for each line of the poem. Try to use really descriptive words and feel free to leave out a sense if it just doesn’t fit.
Use these prompts to get started:
I see…
I feel…
I taste…
I hear…
I smell…
What will you write about? Ask each member of your family to write a poem and share them with each other. Then, take turns giving each other topics to write about and see who can come up with the most creative words! Put your favorite poem in your pocket and share it with your friends.
Did You Know?
Each year on Poem in Your Pocket Day, schools, bookstores, libraries, parks, workplaces, and other venues celebrate the art of poetry with open readings of poems from pockets. You can share the poem you select or write with students, teachers and families around Oklahoma by posting it in the Poem in My Pocket blog at www.okaplus.org. You can also share your poem with the nation by making a twitter post with hashtag #pocketpoem.
This Learning Adventures project is sponsored by Primrose Schools and Green Bambino. Activity idea provided by Oklahoma A+ Schools, the state’s only research-based whole school network with a mission of nurturing creativity in every learner. Learn more at www.okaplus.org.