Here are a few visual poems.

Can you read them?

1. Follow the map.

2. Connect the dots.

The first one is a map, of sorts. You have to follow the arrows to read the phrase . . .

“You can’t get lost if you don’t know where you’re going.”

I like that visual image a lot. It’s not quite a poem and not quite a drawing. I’m not sure how to classify it, other than it’s creative and it really struck a chord with me. It has something to say and communicates it in a way to engage the reader.

Isn’t that what poetry is all about?

The second one takes the map concept and mashes it up with a connect the dots puzzle.

“How I wish you spent as much time thinking about me as you spent trying to read this poem.”

Once again, this says more in the complexity of the word arrangement than what the words alone can convey. It’s brilliant!

I want to challenge my students to use words in creative ways by combining them with images such as arrows or dots.

It’s time to create some visual poems! 

Teaching Tip Tuesday – lessons, tips, tricks, and ideas you can use in your classroom.