Day 21: Poetry for Winter. 3 creative activities
Three low-prep poetry activities: Blackout Poetry, Model Writing, and Lego Matrix Poetry. Each activity offers a different way into poetic expression, works even for students who say "I hate poetry" or "I can't write."
Goals: encourage creative expression through structured poetry activities, build confidence in using English poetically, explore different approaches to poetic writing.
Timing: 15-90 minutes, depending on how many activities you want to include. You don't need to do all three activities in one lesson! Choose what fits your time and students' energy. Each activity stands alone.
If you only have 10 minutes: Go for Blackout poetry, skip the model stage, it’s probably the quickest one + quick sharing.
Timing: 15-90 minutes, depending on how many activities you want to include. You don't need to do all three activities in one lesson! Choose what fits your time and students' energy. Each activity stands alone.
If you only have 10 minutes: Go for Blackout poetry, skip the model stage, it’s probably the quickest one + quick sharing.
Blackout poetry is created when we take an existing text and "black out" most of the words, leaving only selected words visible to create a new poem. It's like sculpting—you remove what you don't need to reveal what was hiding inside. It focuses on the principle of destructive creation (breaking things down to reveal). It works because it’s low-pressure (students aren't starting with a blank page), and it imposes creative constraints: the text provides boundaries, which actually makes creativity easier.
Black-out poetry: lesson ideas
Show an example of blackout poetry. You can find more examples on Pinterest or start with your own model. Say something like:
"Blackout poetry is when you take a text and black out most of the words, leaving only a few to create a new poem. You're not adding anything, you're revealing what was already there."
"Blackout poetry is when you take a text and black out most of the words, leaving only a few to create a new poem. You're not adding anything, you're revealing what was already there."
Do one black-out poem together. Read the paragraph aloud:
"The snow falls quietly in the dark. No one is outside. The streets are empty and cold. I watch from my window, warm inside, thinking about nothing and everything at once."
Ask: "Which words or phrases stand out to you?". Circle or underline those words. Cross out everything else. Read the "new poem" that remains.
Possible poem:
snow falls
quietly
empty and cold
I watch
thinking about everything
"The snow falls quietly in the dark. No one is outside. The streets are empty and cold. I watch from my window, warm inside, thinking about nothing and everything at once."
Ask: "Which words or phrases stand out to you?". Circle or underline those words. Cross out everything else. Read the "new poem" that remains.
Possible poem:
snow falls
quietly
empty and cold
I watch
thinking about everything
Give students the texts (or let them choose a paragraph from any English text they have). For higher-level students, one of the texts is more hopeful, and the second one is more melancholic. With higher-level students, you can also select the texts from any authentic sources.
Instruct students to read the text once. Circle/underline words or short phrases that resonate with you. Cross out (or digitally black out) everything else. Encourage students to trust their instincts, there's no wrong way to do this, really. Thinking about the mood/feeling they want to create first may help. Focus on feeling rather than perfect grammar. With higher-level students, you may want to introduce even more challenges by prompting them to create more abstract poems, a poem with very few words, or go for unexpected word choices.
Instruct students to read the text once. Circle/underline words or short phrases that resonate with you. Cross out (or digitally black out) everything else. Encourage students to trust their instincts, there's no wrong way to do this, really. Thinking about the mood/feeling they want to create first may help. Focus on feeling rather than perfect grammar. With higher-level students, you may want to introduce even more challenges by prompting them to create more abstract poems, a poem with very few words, or go for unexpected word choices.
Students share their poems in pairs or with the class. You may want to discuss the mood of the poem, and whether it was different from the original text.
Early finishers can add visual elements to their blackout poetry, drawing / pics around the remaining words, creating patterns with the crossed-out sections, etc.
Early finishers can add visual elements to their blackout poetry, drawing / pics around the remaining words, creating patterns with the crossed-out sections, etc.
Model writing uses "Birthday Cake (Feeds None)" poem by Victoria Hutchins, which follows the structure of a cooking recipe making it very familiar. Students create their own "recipe for..." poems using poetic ingredients and instructions. This activity uses the principle of structured creativity (filling in a template). The recipe format gives students a framework to follow, yet it’s very familiar and leaves room for creativity.
Model writing: lesson ideas
Show students the "Birthday Cake (Feeds None)" poem. Ask:
"This is a poem that is structured like a recipe: ingredients, instructions, final product, but it's actually about emotions, experiences, or ideas.”
With lower-level students, you just need to get the format down, no need to work on every word they don’t know. With higher-level students, you may discuss the poem itself, whether they can relate, etc.
- What do you notice about this poem?
- How is it like a recipe? How is it different?
- What is the poem really about? (Hint: not actually about cake!)
"This is a poem that is structured like a recipe: ingredients, instructions, final product, but it's actually about emotions, experiences, or ideas.”
With lower-level students, you just need to get the format down, no need to work on every word they don’t know. With higher-level students, you may discuss the poem itself, whether they can relate, etc.
Ask: "If you could write a recipe for something that ISN'T food, what would it be?" There are some ideas included, but let students choose the topics they want to write about.
Give students time to write. Circulate and help with vocabulary. For lower-levels, simplify the structure: just 3-5 ingredients + 3-5 instructions. Remind students they can mix concrete and abstract ("snow" + "forgiveness," "tea" + "clarity").
Students read their poems aloud in pairs or to the class.
Optional discussion questions:
Optional discussion questions:
- Which "ingredient" was your favorite?
- Did anyone's poem surprise you?
Lego / Modular poetry matrix is an activity where students choose fragments from a grid to create their own unique poem. First, students respond to prompts and fill in a grid with their own words. Then, they combine elements from different rows to create multiple unique poems. Like Lego bricks, each fragment fits together in different combinations, no matter which pieces students choose, the result is a coherent poem. This one works because it uses the principle of combinatory creativity (building from pieces). It encourages experimentation and forces interesting juxtapositions: sometimes unexpected combinations create the best poems.
Lego poetry matrix: lesson ideas
Invite students to pick the poem they feel best describes their winter.
Today we're going to write poetry, but in a different way. First, you'll answer some questions and fill in a grid with your own words. Then, you'll use those words like Lego bricks, combining them in different ways to create multiple poems. Every combination will be different, but they'll all be YOUR words. This is called Lego Poetry because you're building a poem from pieces that fit together.
Show the matrix and walk through one example as a class. You can try a couple of different combinations. “What if we chose B-C-A instead? How does the meaning change when we swap the pieces?"
Show the matrix and walk through one example as a class. You can try a couple of different combinations. “What if we chose B-C-A instead? How does the meaning change when we swap the pieces?"
Give students the matrix (choose the level-appropriate version, the versions I included for A2+ are more concrete, and the versions for B2+ are more abstract).
For lower-level students, you might want to feed them ready-made metaphors, if they find it challenging.
Metaphor word bank for lower-levels
For lower-level students, you might want to feed them ready-made metaphors, if they find it challenging.
Metaphor word bank for lower-levels
Students read their poems aloud in pairs or to the class.
- Why did you choose those specific fragments?
- Did you try multiple combinations?
- Which combination felt most true to you?
- Did any combination surprise you?