This activity teaches something about poetry and reading while focusing mainly on words and vocabulary building. You'll be taking a poem and substituting synonyms to see how the meaning and pattern stay the same even as the words change.

Recommended Time

Variable, based on the length of the selected poem. This activity works well when spread out over several sessions, spending about 10 minutes each day on just a few lines.

Goals

• To build vocabulary, especially synonyms
• To reinforce sentence patterns and construction
• To introduce poetry and poetic patterns in a casual way.

Materials and Equipment

• Oversized pad of paper, approximately 2' x 3' (preferable) or a blackboard.

Before You Begin

1. Select a fairly simple poem that's age appropriate for your students. Modern poems tend to work best because you want a more conversational tone and common language. Avoid poems that rely heavily on repetitive patterns, rhyme scheme, highly structured meter or overly poetic constructions. Poems with short lines work particularly well. This example uses a few lines from Dreams by Langston Hughes.

2. Write the poem in large letters on an oversized sheet of paper that can be read clearly from around the room.

Step 1: Introduce the Poem

Tape the poem you have prepared to the wall. Read it aloud, then have everyone read it aloud with you once or twice. Here's the first verse of Dreams by Langston Hughes:

Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken winged bird
That cannot fly

Now write the first line at the very top of your pad or on the blackboard. Leave at least 1/2" to 1" of space between each word, and keep everything on one horizontal line.

Step 2: Word Substitutions

Ask the kids for words that mean the same thing as the first significant word in the line; in this case, it's the word "hold." No need to use the word "synonym"; it's fine to say "means the same." As they suggest words, write them on the pad in a vertical column beneath the word "hold." After a few suggestions (try to get five to seven), move on to the next significant word (in this case, "fast"), and do the same thing.

Note that in this poem, "fast" is used differently from its most common meaning, so point that out. Once again, collect about the same number of synonyms as you did for the previous word, then move to the next significant word, avoiding words like to, if, is, the, etc. If the class is struggling for synonyms for a particular word, move on to the next. Here's one way the first line from Dreams might look:

Step 3: Transforming the Poem

Once you've finished the line, read aloud across the top line of substituted words. Now, read more and more variations, mixing up words from various places on the chart, such as: "Grasp tight to hopes" and "Grab firm to imagination." Point to each word as you select it so the kids can read aloud along with you. Remember to include words from the original version as well.

Step 4: Pair-Share

Now have kids take the next line and work on it in the same way in pairs, either on paper or in their journals. Meanwhile, write the next line on the pad or blackboard in columns, as you did the first. Give the kids two or three minutes to work, then start with the first word of the new line and have them call out some of the words they came up with. Write them in the columns as before. Now repeat the reading aloud with the class for a number of the different variations.

You can now go on and do more lines, or come back and do two lines again tomorrow. Because poems often have repetitive lines, you can ask the class for new synonyms, or you can skip lines you've already done.

Variations

• When you've finished the entire verse or poem, try having the kids take all the permutations for each line and create their favorite substitute version. With older kids, try discussing which versions are their favorites and why, especially if they're old enough to understand the differences between the connotations of different words.
• Try versions of this activity with song lyrics, proverbs or other forms.
• Try it once using antonyms instead of synonyms.
• Have the kids draw pictures to illustrate the poem or any of the substitute lines.