Writing Poems from Idea Bundles

In this three-month qualitative study, 36 pre and in-service teachers were invited to create and write poems from four idea bundles (e.g., the mixed bundle, the verbal bundle, the visual bundle, and the arranged bundle) in response to four picture book read alouds that address themes of abandonment (Wild, 2006), homelessness (Wild, 2007), togetherness (Woodson, 2015), and renewal (Tan, 2010). Bundles included a variety of visual and print media (e.g., photographs, art, magazines, newspapers, sheet music, books, greeting cards), used to enhance literacy experiences in writing poems. The purpose of the study was to investigate how different visual and verbal media support students in their efforts to write poems. Analysis of 136 idea bundles, poems, questionnaires, and class discussion on read alouds as they related to students’ writing suggest that idea bundles provided a meaningful pathway for supporting students’ efforts to write vivid and descriptive poems.