Hello! Welcome to Poetry Tuesday: the day we dip (or dive) into the lovely world of poetry!
Interested in poetry?
Write a five senses poem in this activity for kids, adults, and everyone in-between.
Note: This activity is brought to you by my very own poetry-loving mother, Elizabeth Thomas. Thanks, Mom, for all the love, support, and creative input you’ve given me over the years!
A. Observations using the five senses
- If you’re able, this is a great chance to grab a notebook and take your writing outside! If you’re unable to go outside, find a place in the house that’s fairly quiet. Write on your paper:I see
- Now look around you. Write down all the things you see, one on each line. Keep going for a few minutes or until you run out of things you see. Try to include as many details as you can. For example, instead of just saying, “My shirt,” describe the shirt. (example: My red shirt that says, “Peace.”)I’m doing this project on my couch after my kids are in bed so this is what my list looks like:
I see
A dusty lampshade
Red suede couch cushions
A grape juice spill on the wooden floor
A cowboy boot sitting on
A grey and turquoise rug
The bare feet of
My husband
- When you’re finished writing down all the things you see, move on to what you hear. Skip a line and write on your paper:I hear
Write down all the things you hear, one on each line.
- Keep going in this way with the other three senses, one sense at a time, making sure to skip a line after each sense.I feel
I taste
I smell
- When you’re finished, take a 2 minute break to stretch your legs, jump up and down, or move inside to continue the activity.
B. Crafting Your 5 Senses Poem
Welcome back! Hope you had a nice little break.
Did you know you just wrote a poem???
Take a look at your paper.
- Each sense (seeing, hearing, feeling, tasting, smelling) is like a little stanza, or group of lines.
- Give your poem a title! Name your poem based on your surroundings. So, if I were going to title mine at the moment, I would title it:After Bedtime Living Room
- The first word of your title should have a capital letter, as well as the larger words. Smaller, more common words like the, and, in, a, and with don’t need to be capitalized.
- Write your title at the top of your page, before you wrote I see.
- Look at your poem and add any capital letters or punctuation in order for the poem to be a complete sentence.
- Note about capital letters: Traditionally, poems begin every line with a capital letter. Forward-thinking poets like E.E. Cummings challenged this and since your poem is already free-verse, not rhyming or following any kind of meter, you don’t have to capitalize if you don’t want to.
- Make sure you add commas and periods as needed. You may also want to add the word “and” in order to complete the sentence. For example:After Bedtime Living Room
I see
a dusty lampshade,
red suede couch cushions,
grape juice spilled on the wooden floor,
a cowboy boot laying on
a grey and turquoise rug, and
the bare feet of
my husband.
- You’re finished! Read your poem aloud and enjoy it with a friend.
- Note: This week’s poem study is full of five-senses imagery.
Pleased with your poem? Share it in the comments or post it on my Facebook page so we can all read and enjoy them!
Hungry for more? Check out this week’s…
Poem Study: Summer in the South by Paul Laurence Dunbar
Advanced Poetry Lesson: Sonnets (Week 1 of 2)
Hannah Spuler 