Exploring poetry

Today we are going to explore poetry. Do you know what a poem is? Share your ideas with a partner if possible.

What is poetry? Poetry is a group of words that show a feeling or tells an idea. It is a type of writing just like opinion writing and short stories. There are many types of poems and many styles of poetry. Did you know that lyrics to songs are poems? Let’s read aloud some examples of poems.

What is the purpose of poetry?

A poem can do many things. A poem can:

• tell a story
• be funny
• share feelings
• describe something

What form does a poem take?

Poems come in many shapes and sizes. A poem can:

• rhyme or not rhyme
• be about anything
• be funny and silly
• be fun to write

There are many different kinds of poems.

In this learning activity, you will have the chance to create some of your own poems as we explore acrostic poems, rhyme poems, and sensory poems.

In this learning activity, we will explore and create different types of poetry.

Acrostic poems

The letters in the topic of an acrostic poem are used to describe your topic. The topic word is written down the left side. For each letter, a word or phrases starting with that letter describes the topic.

Examine the following examples. Listen to the acrostic poems as they are read aloud.

The letters S-C-H-O-O-L are running vertically along the left side of the poem. The letter S corresponds to “scholastic,” the letter C corresponds to “caring,” the letter H corresponds to “helpful,” the letter O corresponds to “outside fun,” the second letter O corresponds to “opportunities,” and the letter L corresponds to “love to learn.”

The letters S-N-A-K-E are running vertically along the left side of the poem. The letter S corresponds to “snakes slither,” the letter N corresponds to “nicely through the river,” the letter A corresponds to “and find a” the letter K corresponds to “king cobra,” and the letter E corresponds to “eating ice cream!.”

The letters M-A-T-T-I-A are running vertically along the left side of the poem. The letter M corresponds to “magnificent,” the letter A corresponds to “amazing,” the letter T corresponds to “talented,” the letter T corresponds to “truthful,” the letter I corresponds to “intelligent,” and the letter A corresponds to “awesome.”

The writing process

When we write poetry, we follow the writing process.

Before going through the steps in the writing process, brainstorm ideas for the writing process with your teacher and peers.

Acrostic poems

It is your turn to put on your poet hat as we create an acrostic poem! Choose how you would like to publish your poem. It may be presented as a written piece or through spoken word in person or video recorded.

Prewriting: brainstorm

Drafting: writing plan and draft

It is time to turn those ideas into words that begin with the letters F-R-I-E-N-D-S. Use the Friends Draft Organizer in your notebook or use the following fillable and printable to create your draft.

Press the ‘Activity’ button to access Friends Draft Organizer. Activity (Open PDF in a new window)

Revise and edit

Review the poem. Does the poem have:

• a word that starts with each letter from the topic word
• interesting words to describe friends
• correct capitals, punctuation, and spelling

Rhyme poems

Rhyming words are words that have the same ending sounds.

• cat, bat, rat
• blue, glue, true
• hand, band, grand

What are some rhyming words that you can think of? Share some ideas with a partner.

A rhyme poem is a poem where the last word of every line rhymes.

My cat likes mice,

My cat is nice.

Explore how these children help Howie and Baboo understand rhyming.

Every rhyme poem has a rhyme scheme. A rhyme scheme is a way of describing how the poem rhymes. Each new sound gets a new letter.

My cat likes mice,

A

My cat is nice.

A

My cat likes to play,

B

We play all day.

B

The rhyme scheme is AABB.

Let’s join Teacher Wynne as she provides tips on writing a poem in the following video.

It is time to write your own rhyming poem! Choose how you would like to publish your poem. It may be presented as a written piece or through spoken word in person or video recorded.

Drafting

It is time to turn those rhyming words into sentences to write your rhyme poem!

Revise and edit

It is time to review the poem. Does the poem have:

• rhyme words
• an ABAB rhyme scheme
• interesting words
• correct capitals, punctuation and spelling

Sensory “what could it be?” poems

What are the 5 senses?

Explore the following image. There are 5 senses including the sense of sight, taste, smell, hearing and touch.

A sensory poem uses the five senses to describe a topic. It asks the question, “What could it be?” at the end. If the poet has done a good job describing the topic, the reader can guess what it is!

Let’s try the example below! Listen to the poem as it is read aloud.

Poem activity

Let’s brainstorm some topics to write a sensory poem. Think of some ideas and record them in your notebook or the printable document provided. Share with a friend.

Press the ‘Activity’ button to access Sensory Poem Brainstorming Organizer. Activity (Open PDF in a new window)

Choose a topic. Think of some sensory words to describe your topic. Try to think of words about all the five senses. Use the Sensory Poem Organizer in your notebook or use the following fillable and printable document to record your words.

Press the ‘Activity’ button to access the Sensory Poem Organizer. Activity (Open PDF in a new window)

Drafting

Use the My Sensory Poem Organizer in your notebook or use the following fillable and printable to create your poem and follow the structure.

Press the ‘Activity’ button to access My Sensory Poem Organizer. Activity (Open PDF in a new window)

Revising: focus on content

It is time to review the poem.

Does the poem:

• use words that describe all the 5 senses?
• stay on one topic?
• use interesting words?
• help the reader guess, “What it could be?”
• correct capitals, punctuation and spelling?

Publishing: your turn to share your work!

In this learning activity, we have learned to create different types of poems.

We have created:

• acrostic poems
• rhyme poems
• sensory poems

Reflection

How do you feel about what you have learned in this activity?  Which of the next four sentences best matches how you are feeling about your learning? Press the button that is beside this sentence.

Now, record your ideas about your feelings using a voice recorder, speech-to-text, or writing tool.

Press ‘Discover More’ to extend your skills.

Discover More