Lark, by Storybird. Make and share art-inspired poetry.

Lark allows users to view and compose poems, and each poem contains an image and text. To engage the app, users must first register before they can access its content or create poetry. Once registered, users can tap the icons at the bottom of the screen to navigate the app. By tapping the “House” icon, users can view poetry that was recently published or is trending. If users particularly like a poet’s work, they can tap the poet’s name and choose to follow him/her. If they choose to follow a poet, users will be able to access that person’s work by tapping the “Following” tab. Users can also leave comments by tapping the “Comment” icon that is below the poem, in both the “Recent” and “Trending” options. To create poetry, users can tap the “Lightning Bolt” icon. Next, they can tap the “Image” button to browse art for the poem’s background, and they can tap the “Magnifying Glass” button to search for art by key terms. Once an image is selected, the app provides them with a word bank, and users can drag the words from the bank onto the image and arrange them to their liking. When finished creating their poem, users must tap the “Post” button, and then they can share their poem via email, message, over social media, or with another app.

Instructional Ideas

1. After reading a text, students can create a poem using this app that summarizes the text. Once completed, students can share their work by emailing it to themselves and then uploading it to a class website. Their classmates can then review the poetic summaries and write what they liked about the poem and/or how it could be improved.
2. As a creative writing activity, teachers can have students create a poem using this app. Next, students can share it in small groups, and the groups can talk about what they liked about the poem, any questions they may have, and ideas for improving it. Afterwards, the student who wrote the poem can use the feedback when writing a new draft.
3. To teach poetic critique, teachers can connect their iPad to a projector and show students a poem. Next, teachers can ask students questions such as: (1) What do you like about this poem?, (2) What connections exist between the image and text?, and (3) If you could make one recommendation to the poet about how to improve this work, what would it be? Students can respond either orally or in writing.
4. Teachers can have students peruse the “recent” and “trending” poems and leave comments to the poet about his/her work.