It's a BLACKOUT!

Over the summer, I stumbled upon some really fun, engaging writing activities that I knew I had to try with the students this year.  One of them was Blackout Poetry where the students take a newspaper and cross out the words they don't want to use for their writing.  They keep the ones the like and write short, but usually profound, verses and lines of poems.  Seems simple, right?

Well, the excitement was overwhelming!  The kids rushed into groups with elements of the local paper, eagerly circling and crossing out words.  Feverishly, they wrote line after line, some funny, some thought-provoking, some beautifully crafted.  I loved watching each student create colorful writing from simple black and white print.  And their finished products were nothing short of spectacular! 

          "Expose yourself to a large crowd who could easily be close friends right now."
                                                                                  -Purple Panda

          "Someone could light a fire under you and ignite a brilliant new idea."
                                                                                  -NekoJihyo

          "Picture a thousand words that take your breath away."
                                                                                   -LAXKid101

After we shared, I quickly surveyed the response of the students regarding this new way of writing.  One student, when asked if he liked the project, responded with, "I didn't like it, I LOVED it!"

Who knew the local newspaper was hiding so much poetry??

For more information, check out this writer's Blackout Poetry blog!
http://www.austinkleon.com/category/newspaper-blackout-poems/