Teaching artist Meredith Heller teaches how to use the five senses to write an ode to a fruit or vegetable.

Vocabulary You Will Learn:

• Ode - A poem that celebrates something or someone.

Materials You Will Need:

• A fruit or vegetable
• A piece of paper
• A writing utensil

How to Write an Ode to a Fruit or Vegetable

1. First, use your sense of sight to examine the fruit or vegetable. Imagine that you are an alien from another planet, seeing it for the very first time. What does it look like? What color is it? What does it remind you of? Write down any words or phrases that come to mind. 
2. Next, use your sense of smell to describe the fruit or vegetable. Hold it to your face, breathe in, and write down any words or phrases that come to mind. Try to avoid using the name of the food itself. So instead of saying “it smells like an apple,” you could say “it smells as sweet as a spring day.”
3. Next, use your sense of touch to explore the fruit or vegetable. Hold it in your hands and notice what it feels like - is it bumpy or smooth? Does it have a thick skin? Write down any words or phrases about how the fruit or vegetable feels. 

4. Now, cut the fruit or vegetable open and see what it looks like on the inside. Does it have seeds or a pit? How many? What color is the inside? Write down what it looks like. 
5. Finally, use your senses of taste and hearing to describe the fruit or vegetable. Take a bite. What does it sound like when you bite into it? What does it taste like? Is it juicy? Sweet? Bitter? Write down what it sounds and tastes like.
6. Now that you have some descriptions of your fruit or vegetable written down, read them aloud and see how they flow together. You can rearrange words, add descriptions, or take words away. Play around with your poem until it flows and sounds the way you want it to. It can be serious or silly. It can rhyme or not. Be creative and have fun! 

In this video, Meredith shows us how to write an ode to a fruit or a vegetable. If you want to go even further, think about these questions: 

• Can you create different versions of the ode that you created? Can you make one silly and one serious, or one rhyming and one not? How can you create different odes using the words that you came up with during the lesson? Which version of the ode do you like best? 
• What else can you find around your home that you can write an ode to? Take a common object or an object from outside in nature and go through the process of seeing it through fresh eyes with your five senses. Practice creating odes to different objects. 
• What happens if you focus on only one of the five senses? Can you write a detailed poem just about how your fruit or vegetable tastes or looks? How is this harder or easier than using all five senses to write a poem? 
• Artists frequently use their senses to come up with inspiration for all different types of creative work. Try drawing a picture, writing a story, or composing a song, while specifically focusing on what you see, hear, smell and feel around you. 

Accessibility

Don't forget that you can turn on "Closed Captioning" to view the YouTube video with English captions.

More about the Teaching Artist

Meredith Heller (she/her) is a poet, singer-songwriter, and educator living in Northern California. A Poet in the Schools, she leads workshops for all grades in public and private schools, at Juvenile Hall, and nationally online for kids and women. She is the author of three poetry collections (Songlines, River Spells, and Yuba Witch) and a book (Write a Poem, Save Your Life). Her passion is empowering people to believe in themselves, trust their creativity, stretch their imagination, tap their wisdom, and speak their truth. For info about her workshops and books visit: www.meredithheller.com

Kennedy Center Education provides resources and experiences that inspire, excite, and empower students and young artists, plus the tools and connections to help educators incorporate the arts into classrooms and learning spaces of all types.

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Generous support for educational programs at the Kennedy Center is provided by the U.S. Department of Education.

Gifts and grants to educational programs at the Kennedy Center are provided by The Paul M. Angell Family Foundation; Bank of America; Capital One; The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation; Carnegie Corporation of New York; The Ednah Root Foundation; Genesis Inspiration Foundation; Harman Family Foundation; William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust; the Kimsey Endowment; The Kiplinger Foundation; Laird Norton Family Foundation; Lois and Richard England Family Foundation; Dr. Gary Mather and Ms. Christina Co Mather; The Markow Totevy Foundation; Dr. Gerald and Paula McNichols Foundation; The Morningstar Foundation; Myra and Leura Younker Endowment Fund; The Irene Pollin Audience Development and Community Engagement Initiatives;

Prince Charitable Trusts; Dr. Deborah Rose and Dr. Jan A. J. Stolwijk; Rosemary Kennedy Education Fund; The Embassy of the United Arab Emirates; The Victory Foundation; The Volgenau Foundation; Jackie Washington; GRoW @ Annenberg and Gregory Annenberg Weingarten and Family; and generous contributors to the Abe Fortas Memorial Fund and by a major gift to the fund from the late Carolyn E. Agger, widow of Abe Fortas. Additional support is provided by the National Committee for the Performing Arts..

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