Blackout Poetry
Blackout poetry is a type of “found” poetry. In 2005, Austin Kleon started creating a daily “blackout” poem using the newspaper (you can read more about his process here). He posted his poems online, and the idea took off!
To create one, you can use any text, scan it for words and phrases that create a poem. Then, using a Sharpie (or other marker), black out all the other words. Your poem jumps out of the text from there. Simple as that.
Follow these simple steps:
1. Choose a page of text
2. Gather the interesting words. Scan the page looking for words and phrases that jump out at you. Circle those words lightly in pencil.
3. Determine what words to keep. Read through the list of words you’ve circled and
begin to see your poem appear. * Remember: we read from top to bottom and left to right, so the words need to be in that order so the reader will understand the poem in the same way the you do.
4. Refine word choice. Read your poem aloud to yourself to see if it makes sense. What theme are you trying to convey? What do you want the reader to
understand or feel after having read your poem?
5. Blackout! Blacken the words with a marker, or connect them with colour.
6. Bonus: After circling the words, you can sketch a design that fits with the theme or images of the poem.
https://justaddstudents.com/how-to-teach-blackout-poetry/
Examples
Stacey Antoville Scholastic.com
historytech.wordpress.com
Stacey Antoville Scholastic.com
pediastaff.com
pediastaff.com