One of the greatest joys in the life of an English teacher is to introduce poems to students. Getting them to write poetry in the classroom is a natural extension. To get started, it will be a good idea to show them the different forms of poems.

Acrostics

An acrostic poem is a poem in which the very first letter, syllable or word of each paragraph or line spell out a word or message. A good example of an acrostic poem would be:

Panthers growl,

Orioles sing,

Eagles soar,

Monkeys swing.

It looks like a regular poem in that the last syllables of the words all rhyme. Now, let?s examine it closer. If you look at the first letter of the first word in each line, it spells out: Panthers, Orioles, Eagles, and Monkeys. That word is "poem."

Sixers

Sixers are simply six line poems. These kinds of poems are wonderful for younger children because they're easier to form. These poems can literally be about anything. They don't even have to rhyme! An example would be a classic verse from Shakespeare:

Ten times thyself were happier than thou art,

If ten of thine ten times refigured thee:

Then what could death do, if thou shouldst depart,

Leaving thee living in posterity?

Be not self-willed, for thou art much too fair

To be death's conquest and make worms thine heir.

Chant Poems

When it comes to chant poems, the most important thing is that a certain important phrase has to be repeated over and over. These poems often don't rhyme either. All that matters is that the words flow well together, that they sound good being read aloud, and that they make sense. Below is an example where the subject or important word, Saturn, is repeated:

Saturn is cold!

Saturn is cold!

Far from the Sun,

Saturn is cold!

Lunes

A lune is a poem that is very simple and has a distinctive pattern: 3 words, 5 words, 3 words. Once again, rhyming is not required to create a lune at all. In fact, lunes are more like haiku's in that they can actually be a little abstract. An example:

Spring is here!

Snow melts into wide puddles

Splish, Splash----Bath

Poems of High Imagination

Poems of high imagination are poems that include things only present in the imagination! This means you can create new worlds or new animals. There are no rules about how long a poem has to be or if rhymes or not. The easiest way to start this is to list two completely different animals and combine their traits. An example:

The Turtle-cat

The turtle-cat has a pink plaid shell

With flowers growing on it.

It has a turtle head with furry ears.

It says "Meow-ow-ow-oh" when it's mad.

It scratches you with its green claws.

It eats mouse,bugs and purple lettuce

And drinks strawberry Koolaid.

At night it curls up inside its shell

And purrs.

List Poems

A list poem can be a whole lot of fun to write. It has very few rules and it can be about anything. A list poem can be as long or as short as you want. It doesn't matter if it doesn't rhyme, as long as it's basically a list! The easiest way to make a list poem is to actually make a list about something. An example:

My Noisy Brother

He slurps when he eats cereal in the morning.

He gargles milk.

He burps after eating.

He cracks his knuckles.

He whistles.

He snaps his fingers.

He squawks when he's mad.

He snores at night.

Further Resources:

Acrostics For Children

Six Line Poetry Forms

The Sestain

Poems And Translation

Types of Poems

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