Our Turkey Poem

Last week we studied the various attributes of poetry. We learned about alliterations, rhymes, and sensory details. To assess their understanding of poetry, the students worked together to write their own poem about turkeys.

Turkeys are tasty to eat,
They are juicy like meat.
Turkeys are soft and fat,
And have smooth wings like a bat.
They talk with a loud gobble,
And walk with a squeaky wobble.

The students first brainstormed as many words as they could think of to describe a turkey. They then chose six of those words to brainstorm rhyming words about. We charted their words on Circle Maps. They then chose which rhyming word they wanted to start with and we reviewed that rhyming words usually are at the end of poetry lines. After brainstorming the lines, we went back to decide where we wanted to add sensory details. The students chose to describe the turkey using taste, touch, and smell. They then divided into small groups to illustrate their part of the poem. They later read their poem to the school secretary and music teacher.