Special Cinquains

Activity Overview

Poetry is such a fun way to “play” with literature. Different formats of poetry provide opportunities to engage with many fundamental components of language from new angles. Through poetry, students explore elements like vocabulary, word syntax (the way words are structured together), as well as semantics (the intended meaning of words) in creative ways without limitation from typical conventions. In this activity, students show love and caring towards someone special to them by writing a cinquain (/sing-KANE/) poem dedicated to highlighting the importance of their relationship, and sharing their kind words with their chosen person.

What You Need

• Cinquain Poem template

• Optional: device for audio or video recording

• Optional: Highlighter, markers, colored pencils, crayons etc. or any other medium selected for decorating

Steps

1. Choose someone special in your life. Use the guiding questions to discuss what makes that person special to you (a grownup may want to record some notes during this conversation, or use the questions as you go through the instructions for the poem). In your conversation, think about what kinds of things make that person feel happy or loved. Discuss how we can bring joy to others by showing them kindness, and that one of those ways is telling important people in our lives that they are loved and special.

2. Use the Cinquain Poem template to think about qualities about the important person in your life you have selected to think about, as well as your relationship with that person. Use the guiding questions and follow the instructions to write a cinquain about or dedicated to that special someone.

3. To scaffold the writing task, consider doing just one or two lines each day. Build on the conversation about how that person is special to your life as you think about the elements you could include in your poem. Grownups may want to use highlighter to write the words that students want to use, and then have students practice letter formation by tracing over the highlighted letters.

4. Present the poem to your special person! Consider these options:

   • Assemble the book in order. Cut the top section of instructions off so that only the student work remains visible and decorate the “blank sides” (back of each page). Mail or deliver your cinquain book to your special person!

   • Write the whole poem out as a “finished draft” on oversized paper and decorate. Mail or deliver your cinquain book to your special person!

   • Record a video of the poem and deliver your cinquain book to your special person!

Guiding Questions

• Who is the special person in your life? How are they connected to you? Are they a teacher, neighbor, cousin, grandparent?

• What makes your relationship special?

• What special things do you get to do together?

• What are some of that person’s favorite things? What makes them happy?

• What are some kind things the person does to show you they love or care about you?

• Do you show that you love or care about that person? What are ways that you show people in your life that you care about them?

• How do you feel when this person (or also others) show you kindness and caring?

• What is good about that? How can it impact your life? How can it impact the lives of other people?

Extensions

• Pick a new person to write about after your first poem is done.

• Think of other ways that you show kindness to people. Pick one of those ideas and try it this week.

• If developmentally appropriate, try a Challenge level version of a Cinquain poem that includes a focus on a certain number of syllables for each line. Use Word Patterns to review what syllables are and how to count them.