Here is a writing activity to help ESL students learn English writing with a whole lot of creativity.
List Poem
- Time: 10-20 minutes
- Level: High beginner +
Examples
There are a great many examples of List Poems on the net. One of my favorites is by the great writer Shel Silverstein’s, Sick, a fine list poem.
- This online pdf has many good examples of list poems.
- Good examples by younger writers can be had here, the Poem Farm.
Description
What is a list poem? It is a kind of free form poetry.
This fun, high interest activity asks students to make a list of things and put them inside a loosely structure poem.
What kind of list?
- Things I’m afraid of
- Places I’d like to visit
- Food I’d like to eat
- Things I’d like to do
- People I’d like to meet
- Things I’ve learned outside class
- My best excuses
- The best presents I ever received
- Dreams
How it Works
Step 1
Explain the idea of a list poem. List poems generally have four features:
- a single topic
- a list of people, places, things or actions related to the topic
- organized ideas
- free form structure; words don’t need to rhyme
Step 2
Find and display a few examples on the web to review as models.
Step 3
Students think, create and write.
The Skill
Students learn how to build a list and sequentially integrate facts into a cohesive story. Weaving facts into a whole story is a vital cognitive skill for any writing genre.
Teach writing?
Get the ebook Teach Essential Writing Skills. Transform the quality of EFL student writing by focusing on four essential skills. Click here for details about the ebook that should be part of every writing teacher’s resource library.
Save time. Teach well.
Cut your lesson prep time with this colossal collection of ESL resources that stimulate language learning and critical thinking. Simplify your lesson planning because teaching should be a joy, not a chore.