Today's Classroom Activities :

Poetry and Paintings

Poems From Paintings
Writing/Art Share Paint Me a Poem: Poems Inspired by Masterpieces of Art by Justine Rowden (Wordsong, 2005) with your students so that they can compare the paintings in the book with poems written about those paintings. Work with the art teacher to get some well-known paintings for students to view and write their own poems about.

Poetry: A Picture of Your Feelings or No, Virginia, Poetry Doesn't Have to Rhyme
The class goes on a field trip. Students paint a picture and write a poem about most memorable spot on the trip.

Painting Pictures with Poetry
Students will use metaphor, simile and personification to create imagery in their writing and recognize philanthropy in poetry. The learners will also become familiar with the present Poet Laureate of the Library of Congress and his writing.

Poems of Tennyson and Noyes: Pictures in Words
Striking examples of poetic "pictures"-not just vivid images but the entire mental picture conjured up by a poet-are to be found in "The Charge of the Light Brigade," by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, and "The Highwayman," by Alfred Noyes. As they explore the means by which Tennyson and Noyes create these compelling pictures in words, students will also learn the critical terminology to analyze and describe a variety of poetic techniques and will have an opportunity to create their own pictures in words.

Limerick Poetry and Painting Lesson
Students will create a limerick poem to express their point of view about slavery or jazz roots and/or music synthesizing ideas read about the Southern Colonies. They will then paint a picture to illustrate their poem.

Poetry in Triple Textures
Students create a painting that highlights one or more textures, express these textures in a poem to accompany their art, and finally recognize that words can express the visual sensation of art.