Coming up with a topic for a poem can sometimes be the hardest part of writing one. But everyone can make a list of their favorite people, places, or things—and that’s what odes are all about! Help your students choose a subject and write a poem that celebrates what they love most with our free set of ode template worksheets.
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Ode Template Bundle Contents
Here’s what’s included in our bundle of ode template worksheets:
How To Use Our Ode Printables in the Classroom
Use these activities to inspire and prepare students as they get ready to compose their own odes.
Ordinary to Extraordinary
Give students an ordinary, everyday object to examine, like a pencil, hat, ball, etc. Challenge them to explain why this simple item is actually amazing, brainstorming as many different ideas as they can. If they can make the ordinary seem extraordinary, what can they do with something they really love?
My Favorite Things
Make a long list of things (i.e., color, time of day, sport or hobby, song, movie, place, holiday, etc.). Ask students to run down the list and quickly name their favorite for each one. This will give them a wide range of topics to choose from when they’re ready to start their ode.
Ode Collage
Before they start writing, give students a stack of old magazines and books. Ask them to create a collage of images and words that capture how their topic looks, sounds, etc., and how it makes them feel. These collages can help spark ideas when students are writing.
Count the Ways
“How do I love thee?” wrote Elizabeth Barrett Browning. “Let me count the ways.” Give students five minutes to “count the ways” they love their topic. See who can come up with the longest list! Then they can use some of those reasons as part of their own odes.
If It Could Talk …
Invite students to pretend that their subject is talking to them (yes, even inanimate objects!). What would it say? Give them sentence starters like “When people see me, they notice …” or “The most important thing to know about me is …” A different perspective can really amp up their creativity!
Download your free printable ode bundle now!
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