Love, love, love this project! You can do it for students in any grade-level. I have done it for 1st, 3rd, and 6th grade! The writing that they produce can be treasured for a lifetime. ;)
For both grade levels, I start by reading the book Hailstones and Halibut Bones by Mary O'Neill. I usually have the students close their eyes and visualize the objects in the poem. I have used other books as well, such as My Many Colored Days by Dr. Seuss. I just do one color a day for the little ones, and move up to two for the upper grades (I always do red very slowly). We then brainstorm ideas for a certain color and write them on chart paper or now, on the SmartBoard. Be sure to save the file, as students will always ask to go back and review the ideas.
After brainstorming a variety of ideas, I usually reread the color poem again just in case we want to add more! For the writing, I do an "Is" poem. Red is...Orange is...etc. I give them a few examples first: "Red is a juicy red strawberry floating in my summer lemonade." I have them add in a prepositional phrase to make their sentences "stronger."
The students create about 6 sentences and record them down. The lower grades have a packet to keep them organized, while the upper graders just record in their writing composition books. I check the lower grade writing for errors and have them circle their favorites with the color crayon that matches. Not all the sentences will fit on their rainbow, but it is good to have extras.
When students finish they may begin making their rainbow. I created this crazy contraption to help the kids draw an evenly spaced rainbow out of 16 pencils and duct/masking tape. The little kids will need help, but it works fairly well. You'll need to fill in some missing lines. Just don't break a tip! It isn't easy to fix. You can make traditional rainbows or have them make any other pattern.
I make the rainbows on 12" by 18 in white construction paper. The kids will need to draw really dark, so it can be seen through the was paper. Make sure they also use the traditional colors (no sea green for green, etc.). I always add the wax paper....just stapled on. Any kind will do.
When the students get to writing on the wax paper, use pencil first. It will not show up very dark, which is fine. Tell them not to push too hard or they'll rip the paper. I have them put as many of their sentences they can fit. If they think they'll run out of room, they can shorten their sentence, and if they have a little room, I have them add a small sentence (Red is fiery.). At the end, they use a sharpie. I started adding their name in a pit of gold decorated with gold glitter in the past few years (top photo).
Some of my students have been really creative in their writings and have chosen themes. Here are a few:
Sports theme (red: Chicago Bulls, St. Louis Cardinals, Detroit Red Wings)
Birthstones/Gemstones (red: rubies, garnet orange: topaz, fire opal)
Childhood memories (Red: strawberry picking, blood (ouchies))
Animals: *difficult on blue, indigo, and violet, but used fish, whales, dolphins, and the color of the ocean at different depths....
Enjoy!
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