Poesía en el cuarto grado (Poetry in the fourth grade)

Writing poetry is a great exercise for all language learners, regardless of the target language. It gives the learner a chance to experiment with language and vocabulary, and to freely share their ideas without the confinement of accurate grammar. To express their joyful encounters during the Shore Trip to Cape Henlopen in Delaware, the fourth graders will be giving this art form a try.

To embark on this learning practice we first gathered for a Meeting and reflected on the Shore Trip experience. To help awaken the students’ thoughts and memories, we viewed on the SMART Board the many photographs taken during this inolvidable (unforgettable) journey. Afterwards, we read Pam Muñoz Ryan’s book, Hello Ocean / Hola mar. In this tale, a young girl shares how she experiences the sea with all of her senses. Inspired by the story, we decided to create a poem on how our five senses were evoked by the shore experience, adding an emotional feeling as well. To commence the study, the vocabulary for the five senses and their roles was introduced followed by various activities to reinforce the learning.

Yo veo … (I see...)

Yo oigo … (I hear...)

Yo huelo … (I smell...)

Yo saboreo … (I taste...)

Yo toco … (I touch...)

Me siento … (I feel...)

A PowerPoint was prepared that included the Spanish vocabulary for los cinco sentidos (the five senses). Our next step will be brainstorming for words one might use in their poem and include them in this document. The fourth graders will be encouraged to contribute their ideas for each part of speech; sustantivo (noun), adjetivo, (adjective), verbo (verb), and also for sentimiento (feeling). Then, a list will be compiled that includes all the vocabulary words suggested by the students. Student will then work independently in crafting their written art. Using the list and Google Translate on their chromebooks, the fourth graders will form complete sentences. Once done, the students’ complete work will be on display in front of their fourth grade classrooms. Be on the look out!