In these poems the first letters of each line are aligned vertically to form a word. The word is usually used as the subject.
An example is:
Easy to cook
Good for your body
Good to eat
Shell is white and hard
Free Verse
Be very imaginative and creative! These poems don't have real rhythms or patterns, so you can put the words together in various ways.
An example is:
Leaves
Blowing in the wind
falling from the trees
Some are green,
some are brown,
a shade of
red and yellow.
When it's windy outside
It looks
like its raining
leaves.
Preparing Children For Writing Poetry
Present the idea to your students by describing what a poem is. Discuss types of poetry above and give examples of various poets and their style of poetry.
There are many types of poetry. Rhyming, Acrostic, Free verse, etc. Choose a style for your students to work on. For example, if you choose rhyming poetry, have students start with a Rhyming Couplet or a Rhyming Triplet. If you begin with a Quatrain they will need your guidance in finding rhyming words. It is important for students just beginning to write poetry to learn how to play with and arrange their ideas.
Rhyming is one of our favorite poetry styles at Bugnmymug. If rhyming poetry is your choice, begin by writing a word on the board, such as 'Hay.' Make sure to look at samples of our poetry to for ideas.
Ask your students to give you 4 additional words that rhyme with 'Hay' and write them on the board.
Have children break into small groups.
Using the rhyming words you wrote on the board ask each group to choose a topic below to create 4 lines of poetry.
Example;here is a bizarre and silly rhyme starter...see what you your students can create:
During my summer break my two year old brother had a birthday
My mother asked him what he wanted, he said, "horse...hay"
I laughed so hard...
Idea Topics
Summer Break
Write about something fun you did this summer.
Do you have a favorite place you and your family go each year?
Do you have a funny summer story to tell?
Back To School
Is there a funny back to school story to tell.
What did you do the day before school started?
Back to school preparation is a lot of work for kids and parents.
There are always stories to tell about this experience.
Sports
Do you play baseball, softball, soccer, volleyball, etc.?
Is there a memorable moment that you want to share?
Imagination Juice
Imaginations can go a long way.
Write a poem about something that never happened.
For example, at night I turn into a howling monkey from Planet Zoop.
Yesterday, my Dad ate spaghetti and turned into a meatball.
Animals
Do you have a favorite zoo animal that you would like to write about?
Bugs
Do you have a favorite bug that you would like to write about?
Or, is there a bug that gives you the shivers every time you see it?
Food
What is your favorite food?
Do you have a yucky food that you can stand to eat, does it make you say
“Ugh” to see someone else eat it?
The students wrote a poem, now what?
These Are A Few Presentation Ideas
More Drama Please
If you have a group of four children, have two act out the poem,while the others do the storytelling, by reading it expressively.
Allow the children to rewrite the poem as a script and perform it.
