The Poetry Writing project features three authors whose works expose students to various characteristics of poetry, such as powerful description, rhythm, and rhyming. Each of the writers offers models of his or her work as well as suggestions for students. Students are introduced to warm-up exercises, and other tips to help them create, revise, and share their work. An ongoing journal component is included in the Teacher's Guide to provide students with a personal portfolio they can use to organize, information, notes, and their own poems in process.

Although you may wish to use elements from all three workshops in your poetry lesson, the following grade configuration is a suggestion: Jack Prelutsky's writing workshop is aimed at younger students from grades 1–4; a riddle writing project with author Jean Marzollo targets students from grades 2–5; and Karla Kuskin's writing tips will be most appropriate with more advanced readers and writers between the grades of 4-8.

Several assessment components are embedded in this lesson plan. Skill labels highlight activities that address specific target skills. Targeted skills are listed in the Learning Objectives. A rubric assesses student proficiency with the poetry writing activity, and a journal checklist assesses students proficiency with global project skills.

Scholastic's Online Activities are designed to support the teaching of standards-based skills. While participating in the "Poetry Writing" project, students become proficient with several of these skills. Each skill below is linked to its point of use in the Teacher's Guide.

Poetry Writing with Jack Prelutsky
Students discover how to shape ideas and words into creative, descriptive, and silly poems. Popular children's poet Jack Prelutsky provides students with an example of his own poetry accompanied by an audio clip of him reading the poem. He also shares writing tips that he uses when he writes poetry. Students get to show what they learned when Jack challenges them to continue a poem he has begun. Jack also provides students with guidelines for revising their writing.

Writing I Spy Riddles with Jean Marzollo
Author Jean Marzollo leads students on a poetry writing journey using her riddle-writing style from the award-winning I Spy series. Using models of her published riddles and photographs from her books, Ms. Marzollo turns a complex writing style into a simple format that young students can copy and extend.

Poetry Writing with Karla Kuskin
Students learn to write poems with help from award-winning poet Karla Kuskin. Karla provides students with a sample poem, plus writing tips, strategies, and challenges to help them create their own poetry. She also gives students guidelines on revising their writing, and provides general comments, suggestions, and ideas about writing poetry.

Poetry Anthology
Once students have crafted their own poems, they can submit them to Scholastic's Poetry Collection using a simple interactive form. After being reviewed by Scholastic.com staff, the students' poems may be published online! Students can view all accepted poetry submissions in the archive.

Poetry Idea Engine
Students can practice writing their own poems with the Poetry Idea Engine. Developed with GoCyberCamp, this engine allows students to explore several types of poems including limericks, haikus, cinquains, and free verses.

Write a Collaborative Poem with Jack Prelutsky
On April 21, 2004, Jack Prelutsky moderated a live poem written by students online. Read the transcript of the poem with Jack's comments.

Project Introduction (1 Day)
Invite students to discuss what they know about poetry. Go through a book of well-known poems with students, and read some favorites. Have students discuss poems that they know. Ask: How are poems different from stories? Begin a poetry web on the chalkboard. Ask volunteers to contribute ideas they feel should be part of the graphic. Then distribute poetry journals to students. Collaborate on a list of ways students will use the journal — include poems and note-taking. Ask students to create a journal entry about what they've learned that they think it will be helpful to remember.

Building Background (3–5 Days)
Introduce students to the poetry styles of the author that best suits the needs of your class: grades 1–4: Jack Prelutsky; for grades 2–5: Jean Marzollo; and for grades 4–8: Karla Kuskin. Allow students time to visit the pages and read author bios or print-out pages from independent reading. You may wish to read aloud with your students. Encourage students to take notes in the journal. Suggest they write about what interests each author about the genre, or any other interesting tips about writing.

Introducing Poems
Have a volunteer read aloud a poem from one or each of the three writers: Karla Kuskin, Jack Prelutsky, and Jean Marzollo. Then have students discuss their thoughts about each poem. Write informative responses on the chalkboard. Ask them to pay attention to punctuation marks to help them understand the rhythm of a poem. If applicable, encourage students to compare and contrast elements in the pieces. Ask: How are they similar? Which poem did you like best? Why? Have students create a list of features that make each poem unique. Write these on the chalkboard. Have students contribute any relevant information to their journals.

Pre-writing
(2–3 Days) Let students know that they will be writing original poems. Point out that poetry, like any other writing genre, has its own rules, and that these rules will help students construct their own poems. Encourage students to visit the tips page for the poet they are working with. You may wish to promote all writing styles by visiting each site.

Jack Prelutsky
Work with students as a class to develop the first tip. Create a rhyming wall on the chalkboard. Divide it into three columns, one for each "syllable" word. Encourage students to use made-up words as well. Discuss why rhyming might be a good tool to use in poems. Then suggest students work in groups to do activities 2 and 3.

Jean Marzollo
Visit her "Write Your Own Poem Riddle" page for riddle writing tips or Riddle Writing Hints. Share an I Spy book with students, if possible, to familiarize them with the poetic style. Tap out the rhythmic pattern with students as they read. Read aloud Jean Marzollo's "Write Your Own I Spy Riddle" page with students. Encourage students to view the published pieces of poetry to use as models for their own work. Invite them to tour the I Spy gallery for models.

Karla Kuskin
Have students read in pairs, and drill one another on what they've read. Point out that Ms. Kuskin uses a style called free verse, which has very few distinct rules or boundaries. Ask them to notice the verses in her poem. Have students compare various ones. Let them know that the rhythm, or cadence, of free verse varies throughout her poem. Though the words don't rhyme, they flow along an uneven pattern. Encourage writers to draft a preliminary piece of work. Remind them to implement Kuskin's use of description in a free-verse style. Then have partners exchange their work and check that it responds to each of Karla's suggestions.

Print out the list of ten tips and post it in the classroom for reference as students write. Invite all students to discuss authors' tips and share which ones they think they would find particularly useful for their projects. Encourage students to contribute any tips, ideas, or poems in the style of the guiding writers in their journals.

Drafting
Now, it's time for students to draft their poems. Suggest that they read the ideas presented in their poet's "Write Your Poem" page before they attempt their own work. You may wish to review these aloud. Post the writing rubric in the classroom for students to use as a guideline for what is expected of their poems.