Learning to recast the text they are reading in a different genre helps make students more insightful readers and helps develop creativity in thinking and writing. The Word Mover allows students to pick out the best words, phrases, and lines from a passage to create a found poem (shown at left).

Visit this interactive tool at: http://www.readwritethink.org/materials/wordmover_mlk/word_mover.htm.

ReadWriteThink Lessons That Use This Tool

Finding Poetry in Prose: Reading and Writing Love Poems (9-12)
After reading several poems that expand the definition of love poetry, students compose found poems based on a personal memoir—either their own reminisces or a love story of another writer.

How Big Are Martin’s Big Words? Thinking Big about the Future (3-5)
Martin's Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. tells of King's childhood determination to use "big words" through biographical information and quotations. In this lesson, students explore information on Dr. King to think about his "big" words, then they write about their own "big" words and dreams.

Poetry from Prose (3-5)
Working in small groups, Students compose found and parallel poems based on a descriptive passage they have chosen from a piece of literature they are reading.