POET-TREE
Today, we’re going to write poems to express our feelings,
values and beliefs about the environment and related issues in
creative and artistic ways. Before finding your own outdoor space
to write poems, let’s make some observations about the trees
around us.
5 Senses
Visit a nearby tree. Touch the bark or leaves. Take notice of the
details of the tree. Then use the lines below to brainstorm words to
describe what you see, feel, smell, etc.
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Poetic Forms
Cinquain
What is it?
Cinquain
poems consist
of five lines,
and each line
has a
mandatory
purpose and
number of
syllables.
Format
1) the title in two syllables
2) a description of the title in
four syllables
3) a description of action in six
syllables
4) a description of a feeling in
eight syllables
5) another word for the title in
two syllables
Example
Forests
Graceful, growing
Climbing among the clouds
Calmly awaiting the sunrise
Alive.
Complete the following table to create one of your own:
The title in two syllables:
A description of the title
in 4 syllables:
A description of action in
six syllables (Helpful hint:
What is the palm tree
doing? Feel free to think
figuratively):
A description of a feeling
in eight syllables:
Another word for the title
in two syllables:
Palm Trees
Diamante
What is it?
Format
Diamante
poems are
diamondshaped and
consist of
seven lines
that follow the
pattern in the
next column.
Example
Noun
Seed
Small buried
Adjective adjective
Growing breathing living
Participle participle participle
Protection oxygen shade habitat
Noun, noun, noun, noun
Dying rotting crumbling
Participle, participle, participle
Moist rich
Adjective, adjective
Soil
Noun
Choose a noun to write about. It must be about something natural in
order to focus on the earth/environment.
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NOUN
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ADJECTIVE
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ADJECTIVE
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PARTICIPLE
PARTICIPLE
PARTICIPLE
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___________________
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NOUN
NOUN
NOUN
NOUN
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PARTICIPLE
PARTICIPLE
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PARTICIPLE
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ADJECTIVE
ADJECTIVE
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NOUN
Windspark
What is it?
Format
Example
A windspark
poem has five
lines that
follow the
pattern in the
next column.
1) “I dreamed”
2) “I was…”
3) where
4) an action
5) how
I dreamed
I was a tree
On a hillside
Playing with the wind
Joyfully.
Follow the windspark pattern to write a windspark poem of your own.
Stick with the environmental theme we’ve been working with today and
dream to be something in nature.
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Outdoor Brainstorm List
Air (airy)
Landscape
Adventure
Leaves
Appreciate
Months
Animals
Mountains
Beach
Nature
Beautiful
Natural
Bird
Nest
Bonfires
Oasis
Branches
Ocean
Breeze (breezy)
Open
Calm
Outdoors
Canopy
Outside
Countryside
Play
Earth
Protect
Endless
Quiet
Environment
Rain (rainy)
Experience
Respect
Explore
Roots
Farms
River
Forests
Seasons
Fruit
Setting
Free
Scenery
Fresh
Scenic
Garden
Shade (shady)
God
Spacious
Gorgeous
Soil
Grass (grassy)
Soothing
Habitat
Still
Hike
Surroundings
Trail
Trunk
Twigs
Universe
View
Weather
Wide
Wild
Wilderness
Wonder
Woodlands
World