May 2026 Protocol of the Month: Paint Chip Poetry

Because students love novelty, I present Paint Chip Poetry, a creative writing activity that makes use of color in written expression.  For concrete thinkers, this will be a difficult assignment, and I encourage you to share that it is OK to have feelings of doubt ("What am I supposed to do? No, seriously, what am I doing?").  For artistic thinkers this will be an assignment that, without some parameters may end up taking too much time or get off-track easily.  With all of these cautions, however, I hope you will try it and watch the benefits unfold right before your eyes. 

PAINT CHIP POETRY (Writing, Discussion, Collaboration)
 
Description: Paint Chip Poetry is a creative writing strategy that uses names from paint sample cards as poetic prompts. Popularized by Danna Smith, this activity invites students to explore language, imagery, and emotion, promoting vocabulary engagement and metaphorical thinking.
 
Application: Use this engaging activity for bell ringers, poetry units, art collaborations, and/or end-of-unit creative synthesis.
 
Process: Before class meets, gather paint chip samples from the hardware store, enough for class set. Keep entire sample intact or cut into parts. On class day, randomly pass out one sample per student. Share a sample poem or model using three paint chip names. Provide guidelines such as Use two to four sample names from card and compose a poem that includes those names, literally or metaphorically. Must have at least three stanzas.  Attach paint chip(s) to the final product. Elevate assignment by adding a visual representation component. After activity, facilitate peer sharing to celebrate student work, followed by reflective discussion on how color influenced tone, mood, and meaning, and how unexpected vocabulary shaped creative expression. 

For Resources or for more information: 
Smith, D. (2021) Paint Chip Poetry, Colorful Wordplay. Poetry Pop Poetry Blog
Bryant, M. (2018) 6-Step Paint Chip Poetry for High Schoolers.
https://longtolearn.blogspot.com/2018/04/6-step-paint-chip-poetry-for-high.html