This post details how to teach students color shape poetry writing. We combined writing about a certain color and create shape poetry with it. This post outlines the steps used to teach, plan, write, and create a color and shape poetry display.

This is lesson 3 in a 3 part poetry writing series.

The Fun Way to Teach Poetry: Color Shape Poetry Writing

Introduction to Colour Shape Poetry

If you have been following my previous posts HERE and HERE then you understand my passion for teaching children poetry. Children love to learn and read poems and the exposure helps them strengthen their reading, writing, and listening skills. Read this post to find out more about why teaching poetry to children is beneficial and how to introduce poetry in your classroom.

To start our lesson on color poetry, I start by explaining it using these poetry styles posters. Color poetry is poetry written about a certain, perhaps favourite, colour. It includes what the colour means to you and what it reminds you of. It is written in a certain format where the first word of each line is that colour. Each line connects that colour to our senses (i.e. what it tastes, smells, feels, looks, sounds, and makes us feel like). There are different variations of colour poetry out there, but for this lesson we used a template and format that works for primary children.

Planning Colour Shape Poetry

We start every poetry lesson by reading a book that connects to our senses. Some of my favourite go-to choices for books on colours are Bear Sees Colors, A Color of his Own, and Duck & Goose Colours (affliate links). These books each give examples of things that are different colours. This helps us think and imagine more.

To prepare for colour shape poetry writing, I separate students into small groups (4 or 5 in one) and they are given a specific colour. Their task is to brainstorm together a variety of things (food, items, animals, clothing, etc.) in their particular colour and write them on the back of their planning sheet. I visit with each group to give them guidance and encourage ideas. Working together and sharing with one another helps them think of more.

Writing Colour Shape Poetry

Once each group has plenty of ideas, we meet as a class to share and discuss the format for writing our colour poems. We complete an example as a class using a different colour that is not being used by a group already. We work together to create sentences to fit the colour poetry frame. This is extremely helpful as a guide for those less confident writers.

Students are given a blank template to write their own colour poems. They are encouraged to use the words and ideas we thought of as a class and in small groups. This template and a planning sheet is available for free at the end of the post.

At this point, students are fairly confident and independent in writing their colour poetry drafts. For a lot of writing with young children, usually one draft is enough, but with poetry writing I like to have a polished, edited piece to add to a display.

Creating Colour Shape Poetry

Shape poetry is poetry written in a shape that relates to what the poem is about or its topic. We connect our color poems by creating a shape poetry display with them. Students take one idea or thing from their colour poems and draw its shape.  For example, shapes for the colour red could be a strawberry, a rose, a heart, etc.

With a large white piece of poster board, students draw that shape large to cover the page and leave enough room to copy their poems inside. They use a ruler to draw the appropriate number of lines to fit the poem. If it is an odd shape (like a snake, for example), students can write the poem without using lines for a more freestyle form.

Students copy their edited poems in the spaces of their colour shape. After re-writing their poems, they trace their writing with skinny markers and use pencil crayons or crayons to colour it in.

Hang the color shape poetry writing up to create a unique display or bulletin board that will grab any reader passing by.

Poetry Writing Resources

FREE Colour & Shape Poetry Writing Templates

You can grab your own FREE color shape poetry templates today by clicking the image below. Color and shape poetry writing and 11 other styles are included in the poetry writing unit available HERE. It includes posters, poetic terms, planning and creating sheets, many templates, and student poetry notebooks and covers.

Integrate the following resources easily into the primary classroom and into any language arts curriculum. Each offers a wealth of engaging poems and activities to build a ton of skills and a love of poetry!

Poetry Mega Bundle

Poetry Writing

Have you taught colour or shape poetry before? Leave a comment below. I’d love to hear from you!

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More Ideas for Lessons on Shape Poetry

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