Here are some different types of
poems to try in your classroom or at home for fun.
1.
ACROSTIC
In Acrostic
poems, the first letters of each line are aligned vertically to form a word.
The word
often is the subject of the poem.
An example
is-
Elegantly and efficiently shaped
Good to eat
Great fun to find at Easter
Smooth shelled
2.
ALPHABET
Each line
begins with the letters of the alphabet in order.
An example
-
A young girl was busy working on her project for school
But suddenly she
had a question.
Could this be her
lucky day?
Deciding to find
out, she
Entered her
backyard and
Found hundreds of green shamrocks waiting for her.
Another type
of alphabet poem requires you to use all 26 letters of the alphabet in your
poem.
3.
AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL:
Write a poem
about yourself using this form or
another poetry form.
Line 1: __
Your name
Line 2: _,
_, _ 3 personal characteristics or physical traits
Line 3:
Brother or sister of__ or son/daughter of
Line 4: Who
loves__, __, and __ 3 people, things, ideas
Line 5: Who
feels__ about__1 emotion about 1 thing
Line 6: Who
needs__, __, and __ 3 things you need
Line 7: Who
gives __, __, and __3 objects you share
Line 8: Who
fears__, __, and __3 items
Line 9:
Who'd like to see, __1 place, or person
Line 10: Who
dreams of __ 1 item or idea
Line 11: A
student of__ your school or teacher's name
Line 12: __
Nickname or repeat your first name
4.
BALLAD:
Retell an
event in history, in the news, or in your life as a ballad.
You will
want the ballad to rhyme. You may copy the style of other poets.
An example
is -
Joan
of Arc
The day was cold,
Both armies bold,
As hands grasped the ladders,
Ramparts were scaled,
Arrows were sailed,
But the French climbed the Tourelles.
Although Joan was hit in the shoulder,
The French continued to grow bolder,
Even slowly healing in a field,
She raised a fiery French revolt,
Just hit by a crossbow bolt,
Armor glistening white.
The English got cold feet,
And began a hasty retreat,
As French crawled out of Orleans,
Passing the cold river on boards,
Attacking English with sharp swords,
They set the Tourelles on fire.
English Captain Sir Glasdale,
Certainly looked very pale,
When they found him drowned in the river,
Sir Talbot ordered the English forts be
left,
To avoid anymore French fort theft,
And so Orleans was freed.
-Pierce
5.
CINQUAIN: (History of)
Cinquains
have five lines
Line 1:
Title (noun) - 1 word
Line 2:
Description - 2 words
Line 3:
Action - 3 words
Line 4:
Feeling (phrase) - 4 words
Line 5:
Title (synonym for the title) - 1 word
An example
is -
Mom
Helpful, caring
Loves to garden
Excitable, likes satisfying people
6.
COLOR:
A poem about
your favorite color. Express your feelings about a single color with analogies
or similes or list nouns which are (or remind you of) that color. Another easy
form is to use the 5 senses-looks like, sounds like, smells like, tastes like,
feels like.
Color looks like
Color sounds like
Color smells like
Color tastes like
Color feels like
An example
is -
Orange
Orange is feeling in your stomach after an
orange soda quenched your thirst.
Orange is the sun after a summer day.
Orange is the sound of a field filled with
dandelions blowing in the wind.
Orange is the taste of a pizza that just
came out of the oven.
Orange is the sound of a busy bumblebee.
Orange is the taste of cold glass of orange
juice.
Orange is the feeling inside you when you
accomplish something.
Orange is the sound of a tomato plant
growing.
Orange is the color of a carrot that just
popped out of the ground.
Orange is the smell of a Tiger-Lily petal.
Orange is the feeling after a baby smiles.
Orange is the color of a brown beaver's
incisor.
Orange is the smell of a late July day.
Orange is the feeling of a puppy's fur.
Orange is the color of peach marmalade on a
side of toast.
Orange is the sound of a canoe paddling
through shallow water.
And orange is a color that is safe and
alive.
Julia
7.
DIAMANTE:
The Diamante
is a form similar to the Cinquain. The text forms the shape of a diamond.
Line 1: Noun
or subject - one word
Line 2: Two
Adjectives that describe line 1
Line 3:
Three 'ing words that describe line 1
Line 4: Four
nouns - the first two are connected with line 1; the last two are connected
with line 7
Line 5:
Three 'ing words that describe line 7
Line 6: Two
adjectives that describe line 7
Line 7: Noun
Synonym for the subject
An example is-
Pencil
Sharp, skinny
Writing, answering, erasing
Wood, lead, ink, plastic
Drawing, smudging, leaking
Durable, comfortable
"Here lies Sam Shay,
Smoked six packs a day.
He started smoking when he was five.
Now that fool is no longer alive."
Explorer
Poems:
Remember "In 1492, Columbus sailed
the ocean blue"? I mentioned that line to my students while we were doing
explorer reports, and they assured me they had never heard of it before. So, it
made great sense to assign explorer poems. The plan was to start with 5-10
facts about the explorer from their reports. Then we reviewed simple rhyme
schemes and discussed poetic license. The students began their poems in class,
and then took them home to share (and revise) with parents.
9. HAIKU:
Haiku is
Japanese poetry that reflects on nature and feelings. You use your observation
skills to write what you see in a new or different way.
There are
three lines with five syllables in the first line, seven syllables in the
second, and five syllables in the third.
Harry Potter
haiku –
His hair black as night
A lightning scar tells his life
He is a legend.
-- Cherie,
age 10
A powerful blast
Harry is blown off his feet
From the shadow steps ...
-- Alyssa,
age 12
10. I WISH POEMS:
Each line of
the poem begins with the words "I wish" and then you fill in your
ideas.
The poem
should be 8-10 lines long.
E.g:
I wish I had three day weekends
I wish I had a nap at noon
I wish I had more time to play
I wish I had greener grass
I wish I had whiter teeth
I wish I had summer year round
I wish I had six pack abs
I wish I had a magic wand
to make all my wishes
come true.
11. LIES:
Here is your
chance to tell a falsehood and not get punished!
In this type
of poem, each line contains an outrageous lie.
Each line
must begin differently.
The main
rule is not to say anything that hurts anyone.
A limerick
has five lines.
The last
words of lines one, two, and five rhyme.
The last
words of lines three and four rhyme.
A limerick
has to have a pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables.
U S U U S U U S
U S U U S U U S
U S U U S
U S U U S
U S U U S U U S
An example
is -
"There was an old man from Peru
Who dreamed he was eating his shoe
He awoke in the night
With a terrible fright
To discover it was totally true."
Limericks
online - http://www.gigglepoetry.com/poetryclass/limerickcontesthelp.html
http://volweb.utk.edu/Schools/bedford/harrisms/limerick.htm
http://www.teachingideas.co.uk/english/limerick.htm
13. MONSTER POEM:
Describe an
imaginary monster. Try to have a theme (food, sports, animals, school subjects
etc.)
An example
is-
"The
Scrumptious Sweet- Tooth Monster"
The Scrumptious Sweet- Tooth Monster has:
Hershey Kiss Cranium
Peppermint Smirk
Appealing Rock Candy Torso
Red
Licorice limbs
Black Licorice appendages
Green and Blue M&M eyes
Bubble gum feet that blow up into hefty
bubbles when he scampers
Snout is made of a bulky scoop of rocky road
ice cream that is so cold it will never liquefy
Vibrant Colored Chiclets for his choppers
Tootsie Rolls for eyebrows
In a crown form he has Sweet Tarts for locks
of hair
Left Fingers are made of grape lollipops
Right Fingers are made of Watermelon
lollipops
This is one appetizing monster!
Couplets are made up of two lines whose
last words rhyme. They are often silly.
An example
is -
The cat
ate a mouse
And then brought it in the house.
Triplets are made up of three lines.
The rhyming pattern can be AAA or ABA.
An
example is -
What a fine day
To go out to play
In the month of May.
Quatrains are made up of four lines.
The rhyming pattern can be AABB or ABAB.
An
example is -
The
Purple Cow
Gelett
Burgess
I never saw a purple cow,
I never hope to see one:
But I can tell you, anyhow,
I'd rather see than be one.
****For help
finding words that rhyme, go to http://www.rhymezone.com/
15.
SHAPE
(or CONCRETE):
Shape poems
are made up of words that have been placed in such a way that they make the
shape of an object and also use words to describe the object.
Start by
making a simple outline of the shape or object ( an animal, a football, a fruit
etc.) large enough to fill a piece of paper.
Then
brainstorm a minimum of ten words and phrases that describe the shape. List
action and feeling words as well.
Next, place
a piece of paper over the shape and decide where your words are going to be
placed so that they outline your shape but also fit well together.
Separate
words and phrases with commas.
16.
THIRD
EYE:
The Third
Eye poem tells about things that might go unnoticed and are improbable or impossible to see with regular eyesight. The
Third Eye knows what is really happening.
An example
is -
The third eye notices when Abbie spilt juice
on the rug and said it was Lizzie.
The third eye notices when you tell your mom
you brushed your teeth for two minutes,
and you only brushed for one.
The third eye notices when you're supposed
to be doing your homework, and you're listening to music.
The third eye sees when you're on the phone
for five minutes longer then you're supposed to be.
The third eye can tell when you had ice
cream for dinner when your parents went out.
Courtney
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