You may have seen the “I Am” poem generator at How to Write an “I Am” Poem. It asks for how a person feels, what they dream about, worry about, and so on and turns these responses into a complete poem. This tool will offer a fun alternative to traditional pre-writing tasks for all learners, but for students who have difficulty with English or with the physical act of writing, it could be the difference between scribbles and success.
Denise at Teaching Successes with ELLs takes this a step further and came up with ways the poem generator can benefit ESL students. She incorporates it into lessons by having students take on a character from a novel or a historic figure (e.g., astronaut, explorer, scientist). This helps her learners take the perspective of the individual studied while practicing key vocabulary words related to emotions, actions, and characteristics.
I was also thinking that these poems might be interesting artifacts to share at IEP meetings. Have the student tell his or her team who they are and what they need by sharing their thoughts in an “I am” poem.
Other ideas?
About Paula Kluth
