Objectives

  • Students will learn to write an Autobiography Poem, which is a formula poem.
  • Students will create a bulletin board display, especially fitting for an Open House.

Materials

  • Sample of an Autobiography Poem read to students
  • Sheets with the form of the poem on it for each student, or the formula written on the blackboard
  • Photograph of each student or a self portrait

Procedures

  1. Read a sample Autobiography Poem to students:

    Jaime
    Happy, nice, friendly, kind
    Daughter of Sarah and Mike
    Lover of my parents, dog, and reading
    Who feels summer is too short, school's great and bedtime comes too early
    Who fears being bitten by a dog, being thrown off a horse, and getting an F on a test
    Who would like to see Hawaii, the pyramids, and Disneyland
    Resident of Burnside Way, Stockton, California, USA
    Smith

  2. Give students a copy of the form below or put it on the board. Walk students through each line, having them fill in one section at a time. You might create a poem about yourself on the board while explaining the format.

    _______________________

    (First Name of Student)

    ________, __________, __________, __________

    (Four adjectives to describe yourself)

    Son or daughter of ____________________

    Lover of _____________, ___________, ______________

    Who feels ___________, ___________, ______________

    Who fears ___________, _____________, _______________

    Who would like to see ______________, _______________, _____________

    Resident of ____________________________________

    (Street, town, state, country)

    ________________

    (Last Name)

  3. Proofread students' poems and let them write a final draft, a good penmanship lesson.
  4. Mount students' poems with either a photograph that you take of the student or with a self-portrait drawn by the student.

Students learn to write a formula poem, about a person. This can be adapted to any subject matter.
Grades
4
5
6
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