Ode to Pizza - Scholastic Store

ODE 

Ode to Pizza 

Your melted cheese, 

so smooth 

and thick, 

makes golden threads 

that glisten and stick. 

Your pepperoni 

in chunk after chunk 

adds circles of spice 

with extra spunk. 

Your crust that crunches 

crisp and loud 

is puffy inside 

like a cumulus cloud. 

Oh, luscious pizza, 

I don’t think twice. 

I always gobble 

slice after slice! 

45 

Graphic Organizers for Teaching Poetry Writing © Betsy Franco, Published by Scholastic Teaching Resources

c…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… c 

46 

Writing an Ode 

Activate Prior Knowledge 

………………………………………… 

Invite children to list some positive feelings, such as feeling happy, loving, 

excited, proud, and grateful. Explain that when people like someone or 

something very much, they usually feel this way for a reason. Perhaps they 

love a dog because it is warm, loving, and playful. They might like ice 

cream because it tastes sweet and feels cool and smooth. 

Share the Poem 

………………………… 

1. Tell children that today’s poem 

is called an ode, a poem in which 

the writer shares feelings about 

someone or something that he 

or she really likes or loves. 

2. Show children only the title of 

the poem. Read the title aloud, 

and ask them to tell some 

wonderful things they enjoy 

about pizza. 

Ode to Pizza 

Your melted cheese, 

so smooth 

and thick, 

makes golden threads 

that glisten and stick. 

Your pepperoni 

in chunk after chunk 

adds circles of spice 

with extra spunk. 

Your crust that crunches 

crisp and loud 

is puffy inside 

like a cumulus cloud. 

Oh, luscious pizza, 

I don’t think twice. 

I always gobble 

slice after slice! 

3. Distribute copies of the poem 

(page 45), write it on chart 

paper, or copy it onto an overhead transparency. 

4. Read the poem aloud once and then a second time with children. 

Ask: “How does this poet feel about pizza? What parts of the poem 

tell you that?” 

5. Point out that in this poem the writer describes parts of the pizza by 

comparing it to other things, saying, for example, that the melted 

cheese makes “golden threads,” and the crust is as “puffy” as a 

“cloud.” By comparing the pizza in this way, the poet gives the reader 

a vivid picture of what he or she has in mind. The poet is able to 

describe it well in just a few words. 

6. Point out that in keeping with the form of an ode, the writer is 

speaking to the pizza, just as he or she might tell her feelings to 

a person. 

ODE 

45 


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Scaffold Using the Graphic Organizer 

……………………………………………………………… 

1. Explain to children that they will be writing their 

own odes. First, you will write one together. 

2. Photocopy and distribute the graphic organizer 

(page 48). If possible, copy the organizer onto an 

overhead transparency or enlarge it so that you can 

model how to use it. 

3. As a class, choose a food to write your ode about. 

Try to choose a food that many students like, such 

as macaroni and cheese, chocolate chip cookies, or 

bubble gum ice cream. Write its name at the top of 

the organizer. 

4. Ask children to close their eyes and picture the food 

in their minds. Encourage them to remember what 

the food looks, smells, and tastes like, and why they 

like it so much. 

5. Have children open their eyes and talk aloud to the 

food, as if it were there in the room with them. Use 

the organizer to write down what they say. Encourage 

them to describe their food by comparing it to 

whatever it reminds them of. 

6. Help children number the ideas in the order they 

want to write about them. As a class, write the ode 

in that order on a sheet of chart paper. 

7. On the same day or during another session, revisit 

your ode and remind children of the steps they 

took to write it. Then give them a fresh copy of the 

organizer. Following the same techniques used above, 

help children use the organizer to plan their own 

odes. When you feel children are ready, have them 

write their poems on a separate sheet of paper. Then 

have them illustrate their odes and attach the poems 

to the pictures. 

Name __________________________________________ Date ________________________________ 

Graphic Organizers for Teaching Poetry Writing © 2008 by Betsy Franco, Scholastic Teaching Resources page 48 

Plan Your Ode 

1. Choose a food that will be fun to write about: 

___________________________________________. 

2. Write about your food below. Use lots of detail! 

My food looks _________________________ 

_______________________________________. 

My food feels ________________________________ 

____________________________ in my mouth. 

My food smells _________________________ 

________________________________________. 

My food reminds me of _______________ 

_______________________________________. 

I really like this food because it _________________________________________ 

________________________________________________________________________. 

3. Number your ideas in the order you want to write about them. 

TIP TIP 

POETRY 

POETRY 

Odes are highly effective 

when the poet relies on 

simile and metaphor to 

paint a vivid picture with 

words. Simile occurs when 

the writer uses “like” or “as” 

to compare two items, as in 

The sun glowed like a ball of 

fire. Metaphor involves the 

writer actually saying that 

the subject is another item, 

as in The cloud is a pillow 

under my head. 

47 


Name __________________________________________ Date ________________________________ 

Plan Your Ode 

1. Choose a food that will be fun to write about: 

___________________________________________. 

2. Write about your food below. Use lots of detail! 

My food smells _________________________ 

My food looks _________________________ 

________________________________________. 

_______________________________________. 

My food reminds me of _______________ 

My food feels ________________________________ 

_______________________________________. 

____________________________ in my mouth. 

I really like this food because it _________________________________________ 

________________________________________________________________________. 

3. Number your ideas in the order you want to write about them. 

page 48

Ode to Pizza - Scholastic Store

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