Found Poetry

Creative Writing

What is Found Poetry?

• Found poems are “found” in an existing text.
• They are created through the careful selection and organization of words and phrases from existing text.

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Overview of the Process

• Read selected text.
• Choose powerful words and phrases from the text.
• Add words of your own to help the poem flow.
• Rearrange words to develop meaning, to make some kind of sense.
• Arrange the words into stanzas, or into a shape to represent the theme of the poem.

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Ways to Use Found Poetry

• Three methods:
• To study the language used in different genres and styles
• A prewriting strategy
• A strategy for review and summary

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A Language Study

“This exercise gives us a chance to celebrate ordinary prose: its concreteness, its richness, and its surprises...You can find moving, rich language in books, on walls, even in junk mail...So, poems hide in things you and others say and write. They lie buried in places where language isn’t so self-conscious as ‘real poetry’ often is.” Pg. 3

Getting the Knack: 20 Poetry Writing Exercises

Stephen Dunning and William Stafford

Example:

Precalculus Textbook

Example:

Narrative

Example:

Personal Ad

Recipe: Now You Try!

• With an elbow partner, read through the recipe provided in your packet.
• Choose 20+ words or phrases that stick out to you and underline them.

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Forming your chosen words into a found poem

• With your partner, string your words together to create a poem.
• There is no “right” way! Create any rhythm and form that you’d like.
• You may add up to 3 of your own words.

Share Out

Pair Share

Look at your found poem. What does it tell you about the language used in the recipe?

• Things to consider:
• Parts of speech
• Formality Vs. Informality
• Imagery

Why Use this Method?

Writing a poem introduces a genre to students, especially those who struggle with language, in a condensed and less intimidating form.

Method Two: A Strategy for Prewriting

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“One way to help students examine the imagery and symbols in a work of literature is to ask them to translate what they read into another genre. In found poetry students “find” a poem that is embedded in a work of literature by rearranging the words, phrases, and images that resonate with them.” Pg. 192

The Reading/Writing Connection

Carol Booth Olson

Method Two: A Strategy for Prewriting

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Main Takeaway: Translating what is read into another genre can deepen understanding of the images and symbols in a text, preparing students to write about it.

Examples from my Classroom

Examples from my

Classroom

Sample Writing Prompt to Follow

In constructed response format, describe how learning the truth about release affects Jonas. Refer to specific images you used in your found poem to support your response.

• How did this change how he felt about his father’s profession and his community as a whole?
• How did this change his plans for the future?

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Method Three: A Strategy for Review and Summary

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Found poems can also be used as a method for reviewing a difficult text. The strategy requires students to closely read the text, determine the theme of the text, and find language that is representative of that theme.

The Great Fire

By Jim Murphy

Context: This is an excerpt from a narrative non-fiction Newbery Honor book written by Jim Murphy. The book is an account of the events leading up to, during, and after the Chicago fire of 1871.

As We Read...

Underline any words, phrases, or sentences that appeal to you.

Quaker Read

If you feel compelled, read an underlined word, phrase, or sentence that you underlined aloud.

Topic, Theme, Mood

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Choosing Words for your Poem

• The words chosen MUST relate to the determined theme. They may or may not come from the words you have already underlined.
• Only 2-3 connecting words may be added, in order to maintain the integrity of the original text.
• Option: repeat words or phrases for emphasis.

Sharing Out

Who would like to read their poem?

Reflection

How did creating your poem change or deepen your understanding of the text?

Adapting These Strategies for Different Grade Levels

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• These strategies can be used as is for language learners and those struggling with academic language.
• For elementary school, the chosen text is vital to success.
• There is flexibility in the number of lines you ask for.
• Narrative texts may be more simple to use.
• Narrative non-fiction can be used to differentiate for higher level students.