Creating a Classroom Community Found Poem: A Collective Writing Experience

“What is poetry?” Daniel asks.
“Come with me,” says Spider, “and I will show you.”
— Daniel Finds a Poem by Micha Archer

In Daniel Finds a Poem, readers journey with Daniel as he walks through the park and asks his animal friends, “What is poetry?” Each creature responds in their own way. Spider speaks of dew, Frog talks about cool water, and Owl praises the night sky. As Daniel listens, observes, and reflects, he discovers that poetry is all around him. Poetry is what you see, hear, feel, and imagine—just like what our students can discover during a walk outside.

Using Daniel Finds a Poem as a mentor text, you can create a powerful classroom-building activity that also helps destigmatize the practice of writing poetry through found poems.

Creating a sense of belonging in the classroom isn't just a goal—it’s the foundation for all other interactions. This activity is a great way to build community at the beginning of the year, or to reconnect after a longer break. Found poetry invites writers to “find” words and phrases from existing texts or the world around them. For this activity, you might take students outside, but you could also use books, signs, notes, or even snippets of spoken dialogue—then arrange them into a new poetic form.

In this variation, students become the source text. You collect their words and transform them into a poem that reflects your shared classroom identity. The best part? When everyone shares their favorite line to create a collaborative community poem, it almost feels like teaching magic.