Poetry Forms

1. Poetry Forms

2. Acrostic • Formed by writing a word vertically down the page • One letter per line • All capital letters • Each line of poetry must begin with the letter on that line and must pertain to the word • May use one word or a phrase • Does not have to rhyme • Use adjectives and phrases that describe the word

3. Acrostic Example: Students learning lively lessons Clever teachers explaining tricky subjects Having unbelievable experiences each day One by one the buses roll in to start the day Only hard workers achieve excellence Lots of knowledge waiting for students each day

4. Diamante Poem • Seven line poem with specific requirements for each line. The final poem has a diamond shape. Line 1: one word, subject of poem Line 2: two words, adjectives describing subject Line 3: three words, participles (-ing verbs) Line 4: four words related to subject (For lines 5-7, describe opposite/antonym of subject) Line 5: three words, participles (-ing verbs) Line 6: two words, adjectives describing opposite of subject Line 7: one word, opposite/antonym of subject in Line 1

5. Diamante Poem Example Love Happy, secure Dreaming, talking, hugging Husband, wife, enemy, foe Quarreling, loathing, degrading Angry, mad Hate

6. Cinquain Poem • Five line poem with specific requirements for each line that is often used to express emotions. There are two types of cinquains. • One counts words and specific parts of speech for each line. Line 1: one word, subject of poem (noun) Line 2: two words, description of subject (adjectives) Line 3: three words, participles or actions (-ing verbs) Line 4: four words, simile phrase describing feelings about subject Line 5: one word, synonym or relates to subject • One counts syllables and parts of speech for each line. Line 1: two syllables (noun) Line 2: four syllables (adjectives) Line 3: six syllables (verbs or action) Line 4: eight syllables (short phrase or simile to describe) Line 5: two syllables (synonym or noun to relate to subject)

7. Cinquain Poem Example Wind Mia Rough, strong Smart, playful, short Yelling, howling, destroying Barking, jumping, leaping Knocks down the trees Chases Jordan every Friday Tornado Corgi

8. Bio Poem • Poem written about yourself • Contains 20 lines • Follows a certain pattern • Contains several (at least 4) examples of figurative language

9. Bio Poem Example: Corey Cool capable kind Who wishes to play basketball Who dreams of being as rich as Bill Gates Who wants a job in the big city Who wonders what it’s like in heaven Who fears death Who is afraid of spiders as big as frogs Who likes hanging with friends and family Who believes in God Who loves my family Who loves my meowing cat

10. Who loves my barking dogs Who loves playing video games Who plans to graduate from college Who plans to one day have a family Who plans to be happy as a lark in life Who’s called Corey

11. Haiku • A haiku has three lines. • Typically, the topic is nature. • Line 1 should have five syllables • Line 2 should have seven syllables • Line 3 should have five syllables • (5-7-5) pattern

12. Haiku Example: A stairway of light The sun’s bright, flaming footsteps Halting my journey. Magnificent oak Reaching up to the blue sky One lonely giant

13. Limericks • A limerick is a 5-line poem meant to be humorous. • The rhyme pattern is A-A-B-B-A • Lines 1, 2, and 5 containing 3 beats and rhyme • Lines 3 and 4 have two beats and rhyme.

14. Limericks Example: A flea and a fly in a flue Were caught, so what could they do? Said the fly, “Let us flee.” “Let us fly,” said the flea. So they flew through a flaw in the flue. There once was a fellow named Tim Whose dad never taught him to swim He fell off a dock And sunk like a rock And that was the end of him.

15. Limericks Quick Practice: There once was a pauper named Meg Who accidentally broke her______. She slipped on the _____. Not one time, but thrice Take no pity on her, I _______. (Can you guess which words go in the blanks?)