One of our favorite days of the year is Dot Day. Created to celebrate the publication of The Dot by Peter Reynolds, Dot Day encourages creativity and playful art.
My students and I drew dots and wrote Zeno poems. The Zeno form was invented by J. Patrick Lewis. The form uses a syllable count of 8, 4, 2, 1, 4, 2, 1, 4, 2, 1 with each 1 syllable line rhyming. This is a playful form. We folded paper into a zine. To see how to make a zine, go to this post from last year.
Imagining the brightest knot
see the colors
of the dot
colors of the
rainbow
spot
Brightest of the
ones I’ve
got
Breighlynn, 4th grade
It is true that you have talent
Chloe, 4th grade
you are so high
in the
sky
you should always
attempt
try
you are in clouds
try to
fly
Reflections on the Teche 
WOW!! What a creative way to celebrate!
The poems are brilliant – so much revealed in a few lines.
Thanks for teaching me a new poetry form.
I’m wearing my Dot shirt right now and ready to celelbrate for a 2nd day…Dot bookmarks and adding a fingerprint painted dot to a class canvas to hang in our classroom. Love learning how you and your students are celebrating in Louisiana. You can tell your students that I’m sharing their poems with 6th graders in VA today!!
I forgot to add the link to our kidblog page. More poems there: https://kidblog.org/class/mrs-simons-sea/posts
Thanks!
Margaret, I always enjoy the creative ideas that you present to your students and love seeing their end products. You should send the link to this blog to Peter H. Reynolds.
Love the Zeno poems as zines!
Clever!
And so revealing in the words that are chosen!
I love getting a peek into your celebration of Dot Day! Your students’ poems are terrific!
I’ve never heard of Dot Day or zeno poems. I kind of love them both. In fact, Breighlynn’s really makes me want to write my own poem… off I go!
I love the ethereal quality of this poetry – not to mention the limitless creative ways to celebrate Dot Day. Such freedom and, yes, joy in it.