I Poems and their use in class

I liked the article about the use of I poems to help children further experience novels. By having students pick various descriptions or characters in a novel and have them research them, both through the novel and through independent research, allows them to better connect to the text. To me, this is a perfect outlet for creativity. Also, being able to describe some aspect of a text through poetry shows a greater mastery of the material than a test. It shows the deep thought process that a child went through to take on their subject and write about it as if they were the actual thing. I think Kucan realizes this fact and in turn, nurtures it by utilizing the I poems.
This would work wonderfully for second grade up. I think it could really show comprehension, build research skills, as well as creative thinking. For kindergarten and first grade, this task could prove difficult. A good way to approach the I poems, a way that I would use, would be to take an everyday common object that each child has experienced and create a class I poem based on its characteristics. I would do this a couple of times and then proceed to try it with a simple text that has a strong character or setting. Perhaps, maybe a Halloween story. Children are easily able to describe scary settings and would probably do well at this task.
I, personally, would have loved an assignment like this. I love poetry and have written some I poems on my own, but to have had an assignment like this in school would have really enthused me about many novels.