Pioneer Poetry
Lesson Plans for using the POETRY MAGNETS activity in the Wagons Ho! Exhibit
Have students sort magnets-words into columns that fit the following:
Feelings
Example: tired
hungry
Actions
rest
swam
Nouns/Things
wagons
pie
Descriptions
soft
muddy
Have students compose a simple cinquain (five-line) poem using this formula:
First line:
Line 2:
Line 3:
Line 4:
Last line:
Example:
Start with one word
use two words related to the top line
use three words or three word phrase describing an action
use four words or a four word phrase describing a feeling
use one word related to the subject and title of the poem
pioneers
journey west
wagons roll on
they are hungry now
traveling
Compose a tercet. A tercet is a style of poetry using three lines. It can be a way to
start a longer poem with each stanza being three lines. Some poets like to make the
last words in each line of a tercet rhyme, but it’s not necessary.
Example:
The day is long and dry
Wheels roll west
Crossing rivers and plains
National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive Center | 22267 OR Hwy 96 | Baker City, OR | 541-523-1843 |oregontrail.blm.gov
For classrooms not able to visit the Wagons Ho! exhibit in person, this
is the list of words used in the POETRY MAGNETS activity.
across
ahead
aim
another
baby
beans
been
behind
best
beyond
bison
bold
brother
camp
change
child
cook
cold
cost
dream
deep
desert
dew
dust
dry
early
emigrant
evening
every
fall
family
father
far
fast
few
fire
first
food
ford
from
frost
future
gone
grand
green
heat
hills
hungry
hope
horse
Indian
journey
land
last
left
let
long
lost
moon
morning
muddy
mother
mountain
near
now
new
old
one
Oregon
oxen
past
pioneer
place
plain
promise
rain
rest
rifle
ruts
right
rocky
river
sang
see
sister
sick
sky
sleep
some
story
stars
storm
sun
soft
tall
team
test
tired
trade
travel
trail
try
valley
wagon
walk
wade
water
way
went
were
what
when
where
why
will
wind
with
a
all
an
and
as
at
be
ed
er
est
for
had
has
have
if
it
ly
no
nor
not
of
s
so
than
that
the
then
there
to
too
we
I
yet
National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive Center | 22267 OR Hwy 96 | Baker City, OR | 541-523-1843 |oregontrail.blm.gov