Students tapped into their creativity this week by writing poetry in honor of National Poetry Month.
According to poets.org,the Academy of American Poets inaugurated National Poetry Month in 1996, and every April, schools, publishers, libraries, booksellers and poets throughout the United States band together to celebrate poetry and its vital place in American culture. Thousands of organizations participate through readings, festivals, book displays, workshops and other events.
Fifth and sixth grade students at St. Thomas School created diamante poems, which are diamond-shaped poems that follow a set structure, requiring students to supply different parts of speech, such as nouns, adjectives and words ending in "ing." The poem’s seven lines may be used to describe one topic or two.
"When students are beginning to write poety, it is nice to have a formula for them to follow," said teacher Julie Talmage. "(Diamante poems) can pose as a good spring board and from there, the students can take off.
Talmage added that the format steps away from traditional grammar and gives students the chance to be creative.
"They love it," she said.
The diamante format Talmage's class followed is:
- Noun
- Two adjectives
- Three action verbs that end in "ing"
- Four nouns
- Three action verbs that end in "ing"
- Two adjectives
- Noun
Below are examples of the poems written by some students in Talmage's class:
Connor Sutherland
Baseball
fun, cool
sliding, running, catching
baseball bats, baseballs, pitches, catcher
batting, pitching, throwing
fast, slow
sport
Kian Gonzales
Dogs
growl, bark
running, clawing, stretching
walk, run, sleep, soft
sleeping, drinking, sneaking
meow, purr
cats
Sara Coffield
Horses
fast, tall
running, jumping, winning
gentle, pretty, brown, black
eating, sleeping, resting
fun, active
friends
Ameilia Stewart
Lightening
night, bright
storming, darkening, yellowing
dark, evil, black, clouds
annoying, saddening, booming
loud, scary
thunder
Mikel Tomczak
Fishing,
ice, exciting
hooking, setting, reeling
lake, fish, leech, minnow
loading, cooking, shooting
partridge, squirrel
hunting
Cole Fish
Computer
fun, big
buying, watching, bidding
news, screen, mouse, games
learning, playing, discovering
amazing, impressive
laptop
Brady Amerud
Hockey
epic, cool
checking, hacking, slashing
beautiful, cold, outdoor, pretty
roughing, charging, slashing
fun, awesome
sport
Caillie Lowthian
Summer
light, hot
laughing, playing, smiling
fun, love, school, ice
freezing, slipping, shivering
dark, cold
winter
