Similes, Metaphors, & Poetry...Plus a Color Run!!!

Seriously, y'all! I feel like I never *ever* had a spring break. I keep thinking...surely spring break is around the corner! When in fact, that bad boy is gone! Long gone! So, now I have to get focused and help my kiddos get ready for our second round of state testing...in 19 days to be exact! 

This week, we have been into all things poetry and we. are. LOVING it! It's our little poetry picnic {as we call it}. During our picnic, we have been working our way though poetic devices. On Monday, we reviewed similes and really began stretching our thinking past "My shirt is as blue as the sky" and tried to think deeper to create more complex similes. We also reviewed acrostic poems. So, I decided to mesh the two together with Reagan Tunstall's all too cute Rainbow Name-bows. Rather than writing a basic acrostic, the students had to write a simile with each letter of their name! 

If you want to check out Regan's cute little get-up...click right {HERE!}

On Tuesday, metaphors were on the menu. We made metaphor kites {because you fly kites on a picnic...of course}. 

On the metaphor kites, the students wrote four separate metaphors. Then on the bows, they wrote the word "metaphor", the definition, and key words that help us find metaphors in our reading. 

Today, we mixed it up a little and studied both similes and metaphors in the context of music. I found this amazing resource on YouTube, and I was immediately ub-SESSED! I used it to have the students analyze some of today's current hits to find and understand the meaning. Talk about higher level thinking. They really had to dig deep, find similes and metaphors, and identify what message the artist was trying to convey to their audience.

Did I mention that I am obsessed with this video?!?

Along with poetic devices, we have also been reading, analyzing, and writing different types of poems. Last year we made iPods with my iPoetry unit, but same kids = new idea! So, I found this idea for a book on Pinterest and have been dying to use it, but couldn't figure out the perfect time. Well, welcome perfect time. What better time to use these way too cute paper bag books than during our poetry picnic? 

Original source for paper bag booklets: Rosy~Posy

I will post more about our booklets towards the end of the week as we finish up our poetry picnic. 

So, tonight I will leave you with some pictures from my weekend getaway to Atlanta with some of my favorite ladies. We ran in the Color Run and had way too much fun! Love these girls! 

Hope y'all are having a great week! XOXO