Celebrate World Poetry Day with this found poetry art lesson! Simple and easy, it’s perfect for adding a spark of creativity to your language arts, vocabulary, and poetry lessons!
Help your kids embrace their creative genius with our Found Poetry collage lesson! This project is SUPER easy, and provides a great opportunity for kids to express themselves in unique and creative ways!
Found poetry is the process of taking other pieces of writing (found in books, newspapers, magazines, etc.) and outlining or rearranging them to create something new. The beauty of found poetry is that there’s no limit to what you can create!
Rearrange clippings from a magazine to create an inspirational statement. Blackout lines in a newspaper, leaving only the words you want to show. Write down your favorite quote you like and paste it within your art journal. Print out quotes and passages from your current read-aloud, encouraging kids to use vocabular words from their current reading sessions!
Art supplies you will need:
Feel free to use whatever art supplies you have on hand, however here is what we use:
- Art journal
- Paper clippings (book pages, newspapers, magazines, etc.)
- Scissors
- Black pen or fine point sharpie
- Sharpie or markers
More Blackout Poetry Examples:
More Found Poetry Examples:
Other Quote Ideas:
“Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” – Pablo Picasso
“Painting is poetry that is seen rather than felt, and poetry is painting that is felt rather than seen.” – Leonardo da Vinci
“I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn’t say any other way – things I had no words for.” – Georgia O’Keeffe
“You can’t wait for inspiration, you have to go after it with a club.” – Jack London
“Everything has its beauty, but not everyone sees it.” – Andy Warhol
Step-by-Step: Let’s Create Found Poetry!
Step 1: Choose Your Paper
For blackout poetry, use a book page, newspaper clipping, or print your own text. For found poetry, use a magazine.
Step 2: Choose Your Words
Start your blackout poem by taking a pencil and crossing out the words you don’t want to use, then circle/box words you want to keep. For found poetry, take scissors and cut out the words you like.
Step 3: Arrange Your Words
Use a black sharpie to cover any words you don’t want in your blackout poetry, making sure to leave your chosen words untouched. Cross out whole lines or blackout the entire page! Be sure to accentuate the words in your “poem” by outlining them as well. With your found poetry, start arranging your cut-out words into knew phrases and sentences. Move them around as much as you want until you create something you like, then, glue them down on the page.
Final Step: Read Your New Poems!
Enjoy your new poems by letting other people read them, or have a read-aloud session! Add your poems to a journal, or give them away as a cool custom card!
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Why You Should Make Use of Found Poetry
- Poetry is a Great for Self-Expression – Found poetry allows both writers and artists alike to express their emotions and unique ways. By rearranging words and phrases, kids can learn to communicate personal thoughts and ideas.
- Ties in with Language Arts Studies – While engaging with pre-existing literature and text, kids can find new meanings and interpretations with words.
- A Fun Way to Explore Vocabulary – Exposing kids to words in books, magazines, and other printed material naturally expands their vocabulary. Rearranging words helps the better understand language.
- No Limits – Found poetry is accessible to anyone with text, markers, and glue. There are no strict rules, so kids are free to create outside the box!
If you’re looking for a way to incorporate art with language studies, found poetry would be perfect for you!
Watch this video as I walk you through step by step:
Or watch it on YouTube here.
And if you want some ideas for different backgrounds to use for your found poetry, check out the companion art lesson for creating Chaos Layers.
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