Winter, with its longer nights and colder days, calls for the warmth of community and caring, as we navigate the season together.

Embrace the spirit of connection by engaging in a collaborative poetry project. Here are step-by-step instructions.

Collaborative poems can weave a cloth of love that connects students with their stories and nurtures a tightly-knit classroom community.

Winter Collaboration Poem

Encourage students to join in crafting a collaborative winter poem that reflects the spirit of the season.

1.     Reflect

Invite students to take a moment to reflect on what the winter season means to them—whether it's the holidays, snowy landscapes, festive traditions, or anything else that resonates.

2.     Brainstorm

Ask students to jot down at least three lines related to the winter season in poetry notebooks or on individual paper. These could be personal experiences, favorite traditions, or things they love about the season.

3.     Choose A Favorite Line

Invite students to choose one of their favorite winter lines and write it on an sticky sentence strip.

4.     Collaborate in Groups

Ask students to form small groups of 3-4 students, and take turns sharing their chosen lines. Then, invite them to create a collaborative winter poem using the lines from their group by sticking the sentence strips on the classroom wall, and reading through the group's poem together. Discuss and edit as needed by rearranging lines, adding a title, including an ending, elaborating on details and making their group poem flow.

5.     Present the Poem

Invite each group to read their collaborative winter poem to the class. 

6.     Reflect

Ask students to reflect on the collaborative process. Share the inspiration behind their lines and any unique elements their group incorporated. What did they enjoy about working together? How did different perspectives contribute to the poem?

Teaching Poetry Workshop

Interested in learning more about teaching poetry? Join me for my virtual workshop this April.

Looking for Inspiration?

Don’t miss my Winter Poetry Book Recommendations.