Collective Poem

Social Emotional Learning bolsters self-expression and group communication.

This activity offers students an opportunity to share personal reflections of a poem by deconstructing it and discovering connections with their peers. The final result is a collaborative piece that the group can take ownership of together.
Greeting/Logging-on (5 min)
Introduction: Activating our Bodies (10 min)
  • Physical Chair Warm-up.
  • Breathing Grounding.
Deconstructing Poetry (20 min)
  • The leader reads a poem shared on the screen. Each participant picks 6 words or phrases that stand out from the poem and writes them down.
  • Ask participants to fold a sheet of paper in 6 (lengthwise, then in thirds). In each of the 6 boxes, we write our words.
  • Use the spaces in the paper to show what the word means to you, outside of the context of the poem. We can write a sentence with the word, define the word, or illustrate it with a doodle.
  • Share: Go “around the room/zoom” or in the chat share 3 or 4 of your words and what you created.
  • The leader writes them down in the order they were shared. This becomes the Collective Poem
Collective Cut-and-Paste Poem (5 min)
  • Read the “poem” created by the words taken out.
  • Discuss.
Conclusion (5 min)
  • Grounding breathing.
  • Go around the room/zoom and say one thing you took away and will take into your week.