Literacy: Creating Texts

Writing Traits: Word Choice, Ideas

Writing a Colour Poem

Colour poems are written about a single colour, using adjectives, verbs, nouns and other key elements, to express ideas, feelings, or associations that you may have with, or about, that specific colour. The focus is on using imaginative words to build a picture of that colour, in the reader’s mind.

The poem follows a specific, repetitive pattern, where each line is started with that colour name, as below:

Red is the colour of …………………………...

Learning Intention

To use a word prompt to develop our ideas in a poem.

Learning Experience Overview

To begin with, we came together as a year level, to share our ideas and break down the meaning of our learning Intention. We collectively chose the colour red, to be the subject of our class poem.

Closing our eyes, we attempted to visualise that colour, and tried to see what objects or things or feelings came to mind. We brainstormed what ‘red’ might mean – fire hydrant, embarrassment, strawberries, roses, blood, apples, Mars, love, chilli, heart, fire, Rose house, tomatoes, rage, cherries.

Then, together, we modelled how the poem would look, and started to write the first lines of our poem, as below:

Prompts were given for:

adjectives to describe the noun
what the object might look like
where that object might be found
how that object or colour makes us feel
words we might associate with it

The second part of our activity involved students choosing their own colour, to create their individual version of the modelled poem. Students used the template below, to develop their ideas.

They produced a rough copy, which was edited for spelling and grammar, and then wrote out a final copy, which you will see.

Prompts/questions/responses

Helpful ideas to use during planning the colour poem:

If you close your eyes, what colour comes immediately to mind?
What does that colour make you think of?
How does that colour make you feel?
Can you think of any objects or things which are that colour?
Does that colour remind you of a special emotion?
Does that colour make you think of a particular sense?
What does that colour taste like, look like, smell like, sound like, feel like?
Once you have the object in mind, ask yourself where you might see it or find it or discover it.
If you have decided on a place, it could be found, describe that place.

To continue the learning at home, from this experience:

Continue to encourage your child/ren to write for pleasure at home,and share their writing and ideas with you. You might like to write another, different, colour poem or story together, alternating each line or collaborating on ideas
Encourage your child to read more types of poetry, not just the simple rhyming form. Perhaps try poetry books that your local library would stock
As you read together, bring their attention to how the writer has used different techniques. Ask them what a certain writer does in their writing, that they could do too – uses descriptive words or comparisons or alliteration
Read every day, to expose your children to new ideas, different styles of writing, other structures and ways of looking at the world
When you are reading together, notice new ways with words and explicit vocabulary which is used to heighten the reader’s mental image of what is happening in the text. Encourage them to use those words and ideas in their own writing
Write a poem together based on a known poem, where you can model correct organisation of ideas and structure
Be available to help them with spelling and editing their writing.
Type it up on the computer
Make it into a book form, with illustrations
Set aside time to read and listen to them reading what they have written
Encourage all ideas for poems – nonsense poems, rhyming poems, free form poems, list poems or limericks
Most of all, have fun writing together!

Mrs Evans and Rosanna

Year 2 Team

Jocelyn.Evans@education.vic.gov.au

Rosanna.Caruso@education.vic.gov.au

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