Poetry can be used for so many skills we teach…fluency, concept of word, visualizing, rhyme, comprehension skills, vocabulary, and figurative language to name a few. In Virginia, one of our standards focuses on using sensory words to create imagery. Well, to meet this standard, students have a few subskills to grasp first. Today, I’d like to share my plan with you using one of Shel Silverstein’s poems. One great thing with poetry lessons is that we have wonderful poems to use for modeling from greats like Shel Silverstein, Jack Prelutsky, and Brod Bagert, but also more serious poets like Walt Whitman and Emily Dickenson.
USING SENSORY WORDS TO CREATE IMAGERY


Applying Our Learning
Once the kids had an understanding of the type of words they were looking for, they were ready to work on their own. For the independent work, we used “Clooney the Clown” by Shel Silverstein. It is located in A Light in the Attic. Since we do lots of talking about visualizing all year, my kids really seemed to grasp this quickly. Now, creating imagery in their own writing is something we still are working on, but I’m sure you see it takes a little while longer for that to be polished. Here is an example using the poem,
To download your copy of this sampler, you can click [here] or the image below.
The full Building Poetry Pros pack preview is below. It includes anchor charts and organizers for personification, alliteration, metaphor, simile, imagery, sensory words, onomatopoeia, and hyperbole as well as poetry discussion/analysis task cards.
I hope your students come up with dazzling ideas that show how they sparkle and shine. ? (Using sensory words here).
I am definitely going to use your senses sort with some of my class when we get back and are working on descriptions. Thank you for a great resource!
Growing Little Learners
Thanks a bunch! Hopefully the dead link will be fixed shortly so you can finish the hop. #timezonechallenge
I left this feedback on your TpT store, but wanted to share it here too because I so enjoyed your freebie!
"I love how this challenges young learners to connect words with their own senses, and to actively define what images the words evoke. Lovely activity – thank you!" I'm enjoying this blog hop – so many wonderful ideas and resources! :o) Pamela
Ahh…you made my day! What sweet feedback!
Hi Carla! I shared the link to your Building Poetry Pros pack with the teachers at my school. I think this is an excellent resource for them to use as they begin their poetry unit. Thanks for sharing your freebie. 🙂
Thanks, Carla, for coordinating such a fantastic poetry hop! Picked up several great ideas and connections to teacher stores that offer great stuff for my grade level. Appreciate it!
What a terrific blog hop Carla – so many fantastic resources and ideas – congratulations to your team and thank you 🙂
Kylie
http://ripperresources.blogspot.com.au/
I hope it works well for them. The mini lesson will remain a freebie, so that will give them a taste of the rest of the unit. I plan to go through poetry books (sometime) and add a bibliography of poems that work well with each skill.
You are very welcome, Robin. I am thrilled too since it will make planning easy for next week! Come back soon!
You are very welcome, Kylie. Hope you are doing well. Enjoy the resources.
Carla
Sorting phrases by the senses is a great idea, I've never actually done that with my kids. Seems simple but it's probably something they'd struggle with in reality!
Jessica
Literacy Spark
Thank you for the great ideas for using sensory words in poetry and the freebie! And of course, who doesn't like Shel Silverstein?
Lori
Conversations in Literacy