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Grades level iconsGrades 2–5
Genre information iconPoetry
Resource type iconSparks

An Ode to Pieces

Lauren Rudewicz and David Hutcheson, 826michigan
Students will define the word “ode” for themselves and identify the people and moments in their lives they’d like to celebrate in a poem.
What Your Students Will Learn
  • Students will practice making the meaning of a new word and write a poem that exemplifies that meaning.
  • Students will combine pieces of inspiration into one cohesive, celebratory poem.
What Your Students Will Produce

Students will produce their own ode poem.

What You Will Do

Before you begin, frame the exercise with students by sharing that both the mentor text they’ll read and the poem they will write are a little abstract—like watching clouds in the sky and trying to decide what shape they are. Share with students that sometimes it’s easy to begin writing a poem with a shape in mind, but staying flexible and seeing where the poem takes them can be a reflective exercise. Maybe they will look back at this poem and say,  “Oh, I guess pink cake was on my mind!” or “I guess I really like the beach!”

STEP 1 (5 minutes)

Ask students what they know about the word “ode”—have they heard it before and in what situation? Are there any context clues that might help them guess the definitions?  Write their thoughts on the board. Throughout the lesson, students will gain an understanding of this...

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