Zip Ode Poetry in 6th Grade Language Arts with Holly Stephens

Over the past month, 6th graders have been hard at work developing Zip Odes—poems intentionally short in length, but packed with memories and feeling. Zip Odes are a poetic form that celebrate one’s hometown or neighborhood through their zip code. These poems have a unique structure that is entirely dependent on one’s zip code. Since every American zip code has five digits, each poem has five lines, with the number of words in each line matching the corresponding number in the zip code. While the length and word count of each poem was predetermined by their zip code, the 6th graders put great thought and creativity into making their poems descriptive and symbolic. 5/6 language arts teacher Holly Stephens helped guide this unit with conversations about identity and lessons on literary devices. Each student was challenged to use different forms of figurative language to enhance their writing and share how their hometown shaped them as individuals.