USING TECH: DIGITAL BLACKOUT POETRY (Reading, Writing, Discussion)
Description: In this highly popular activity, students read an excerpt of text and using editing tools, they create new pieces of poetry by ‘blacking out’ certain lines of text while keeping others. Benefits include student autonomy to revise and edit the aesthetics of the product so that no two are alike as well as experimenting with literary concepts like symbolism, mood, and theme. It is teacher-friendly because the products are stored electronically. Application: Use Digital Blackout Poetry occasionally in literature classes. Process: Introduce the concept of blackout poetry and show examples. Provide students with a reading passage presented on an editable slide like Google Slides (See below for Google shortcuts with reflection questions) and encourage them to scan the entire text, noting keywords/phrases/sentences that particularly stand out to them. Direct students to use the edit tools to “blackout” the words not used and caution them that the words must remain in the original document order and that the selected words should flow “to express an idea, create an image, or develop a theme.” Require students to add visual interest to the poem by adding images, using color, changing font style, etc. Remind students to cite the original work and give them a word count range or a limit on consecutive words to challenge them. After poems are finished, allow enough time for completion of the reflection questions as well as time to share poems. Grade according to content with these questions in mind: Is there a clear and well-developed theme in the poem? Is the theme supported by appropriate tone and diction? Does the word choice create powerful images and elicit emotion for the reader? How do the artistic elements complement, highlight, or develop the poem? Resources or for more information: Special thanks to Ramin, S. https://www.helloteacherlady.com/blog/digital-blackout-poetry-google-slides How To Teach Blackout Poetry | A Beginner’s Guide (chompingatthelit.com) YouTube Instruction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ETZlfuoHtc
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AuthorAlison Thetford, M.Ed CategoriesPast Posts
February 2025
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