Black out poem9/20/2023 ![]() ![]() Many peoms are interpretive and lack formal structure. ![]() Finding connecting words, usually verbs, was key to making any sense at all.īut then I had to remind myself that this whole idea didn’t have to make sense. I used another piece of blank paper to write down the words I’d circled and then tried to make some sense. Try to make sense of the words (for clarity) and also write down connecting words that will link the key words together. On a separate piece of paper write down your words. I made copies of the three types so I didn’t have to ruin my books.Īll the preliminary work should be done in pencil because once you “blackout” the page pencil marks won’t be seen. Step 1: Find your mediaįor my first attempt at blackout poetry, I decided to try three different pieces of writing. Use my blackout poetry examples and step-by-step approach (if you’re doing this activity for your substitute teacher, check out my helpful sub plans). I will take you through the key steps to creating blackout poetry. I could hardly get through the research for this article without wanting to stop and try it so now is my chance. Crayola or other child-friendly products may be your best bet. If you’re a teacher, you know that “Sharpies” contain permanent ink in addition to having a smell that alerts you to dangerous fumes.You may want to use magazines with a lot of pictures. If you are doing this activity with children it’s important to have materials they can read.Construction paper (not required) Notes Regarding Children.Newspaper, Magazine, Menu, Old Book etc.Use paints, felt pens, highlighter, even collage (for more artwork try rainbow writing for young students). Artwork instead of black works beautifully. Most of the directions I read suggest Sharpie pens because they are dark and permanent.īut don’t limit yourself to those. Libraries usually have materials they are getting rid of or are willing to sell for a donation. While newspapers aren’t as common as they used to be they can be found along with old magazines or ads. It is not expensive because it only requires a pen and a recyclable newspaper or photo copy of anything already printed. Because you are able to add as much or as little as you wish. Materials Needed For Blackout PoetryĪs you may have deduced, blackout poetry doesn’t take much in the way of materials. ![]() From then on you can decorate the page as you wish – create a piece of art.After identifying the words you want to keep, delete all the other ones by using a black marker.Attempt to follow sentence structure (although that isn’t even always necessary) and find connecting words that will link the keywords.Write the words down on another piece of paper to organize the thoughts.After selecting a page, read through it and circle a few words you like (or that stand out).Using an old book, magazine, mail ad, or any recycled print, select a page.What a relief they must feel when all they have to do is look at what’s already on the page and choose the words they like. That’s why blackout poetry is an excellent activity. When they do write and make mistakes, kids will erase until there are holes in the paper. I can still feel the frustration when after presenting a great lesson, the kids refused to put pencil to paper, afraid to make a mistake.Īnd that is another problem. If it’s bad for adults just think of how it must feel for a student. How Blackout Poetry Worksįor an artist or writer there is nothing more daunting than a blank page. Caleb liked to scramble the newspaper words and read them in his local pub. The oldest records he found were of Caleb Whiteford who was a neighbor of Benjamin Franklin. ![]() Tom Phillips is the most recent “word” artist identified but when Kleon did further research he found that wordsmiths have been doing similar things for 250 years. When he posted his poetry/art publicly he was accused of copying other artists in the past who did similar work. However in his book titled, “ Steal Like an Artist” he explains how it happened. Creative Writing Prompts for Middle School Blackout Poetry – A Brief HistoryĪustin Kleon deserves credit for popularizing the idea of using a newspaper to make poetry. ![]()
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