Blackout poems: a 30-minute 5th grade poetry activity
What it is: a 5th grade poetry activity where students take a photocopied page of prose, circle words that make a new meaning in order, and black out everything else with marker or patterns. Students practice word choice and see how few words a poem needs.
Time: about 30 minutes. Grade: 5th grade.
Materials: photocopies of pages from old or discarded books, newspapers or the class reader (one per student), pencils, and black markers or crayons.
- Show a finished blackout poem. Ask: "What do you notice? Where did the words come from?"
- Students skim their page without reading closely, lightly boxing 10 to 15 words that jump out.
- They choose words in reading order (top to bottom, left to right) that form a poem, and circle them.
- Students black out or decorate all the other words, leaving the poem visible.
- Read-around: students read their poems aloud and explain one word choice.
Safety: use copies, never library or textbook pages, and open a window or use crayons if markers are strong-smelling.
Differentiation: students who need support start with a page that has short paragraphs and large print. Students who are ready add a title from the same page. English learners can choose words they know and add one picture that matches.
Quick check: ask a student to read their poem and explain why they kept one particular word.
Save this activity to your library so it is ready when you need it.
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About this resource
- Shared by
- @UpOnlyLearning · Curriculum team
- Posted
- Oct 30, 2026
- Type
- Lesson plan
- Grade
- Grades 3–5
- Subject
- Writing
- Language
- English
- License
- Free for classroom, co-op and tutoring use. Please don't resell.