Poetry can be challenging to write for younger kids. But it doesn’t have to be. Teach them how to write a poem in four simple and fun steps in and out of the classroom.
Easily Teach Students How To Write a Poem
As a child, I remember falling in love with poetry. The rhythm of words, the metaphors, and the vivid images painted by poets like Shel Silverstein and Jack Prelutsky. They transported me to magical worlds where my imagination could run wild.
As teachers, we know how important it is to make poetry easy to understand and fun for kids. So today, let’s learn how to write a poem in the elementary classroom and make it a blast in simple steps for young writers. We’ll touch on fun stuff like setting up poetry spaces, trying out cool writing tricks, and sharing our amazing poems with each other.
Table of Contents
- Easily Teach Students How To Write a Poem
- Importance of Poetry For Children
- How To Write Poetry Step-By-Step
- Sharing and Celebrating Poems
- Poetry Writing Prompts and Activities
- Resources to Help You Teach Poetry
- More Poetry Ideas and Activities
Importance of Poetry For Children
There are plenty of reasons to teach poetry. Let’s explore why poetry matters for kids, from simple rhymes to deep thoughts.
Here’s why:
- Expressing Feelings – Poetry helps kids express their feelings, whether happy, sad, excited, or confused.
- Playing with Words – Kids mix and match words, create cool patterns, and paint pictures with language.
- Using Imagination – Poetry takes kids on journeys through their imagination, where anything is possible.
- Thinking Deeply – Oftentimes, poems make students stop and think. Poems often ask questions, make students wonder, and help them understand different points of view.
- Feeling Connected – Poetry shows kids that although we’re all different, we share many of the same feelings and experiences.
Poetry is all about allowing students to express themselves, have fun with language, and explore the world around them in a whole new way.
How To Write Poetry Step-By-Step
Poetry isn’t just about fancy words and rhymes; it’s about expressing thoughts, feelings, and stories in a unique way. Whether students are pros at writing or just starting to dip their toes into the world of poetry, these steps will help you guide students through crafting their own poetic masterpieces.
Step 1: Set the Stage
Creating a poetry-friendly environment is essential. Start by introducing poetry through engaging readings and explorations.
- Start with Engaging Poems – Choose captivating poems with vivid imagery and relatable themes.
- Explore Various Poetry Forms – Introduce different forms like haiku, bio, and shape to show versatility.
- Make it Interactive – Encourage students to read aloud, discuss favorite lines, and share interpretations.
- Incorporate Visuals – Use illustrations and multimedia to enhance understanding and immersion.
- Connect Poetry to Real Life – Discuss how poems reflect experiences, emotions, and cultures, making them relevant.
- Encourage Exploration – Create a poetry corner with multiple selections and encourage independent exploration of these poetry books.
- Incorporate Poetry Activities – Engage students in fun poetry activities like writing poems and experimenting with different poetry forms.
Step 2: Understanding the Basics
When explaining what makes a poem to students, keep it simple and relatable.
- Start by introducing rhyme, which is a musical pattern created by words that sound alike at the end of lines. You can relate it to a catchy tune that sticks in your head.
- Then, talk about rhythm, which is the poem’s heartbeat, setting its pace and flow. It’s like the steady beat of a drum guiding us through the poem.
- Lastly, look into imagery, which paints pictures in our minds using descriptive words that appeal to our senses.
Help students visualize the scenes and emotions the words create, making the poem feel alive. By breaking down these elements in an easy-to-understand way, students can appreciate poetry and feel more confident exploring it.
Fun Activities to Understand Poetic Devices
Once students understand the basics of poetry, they can head into the poetic devices, which are a little harder to understand. This is another area that leads itself well to fun, engaging activities that can help students remember the different types of figurative language.
Some Poetic Devices:
- Rhyme – The repetition of similar sounds at the end of words, such as “cat” and “hat.”
- Alliteration – The repetition of initial consonant sounds in neighboring words, like “Sally sells seashells by the seashore.”
- Imagery – Descriptive language that creates vivid pictures in the reader’s mind, such as “The golden sun sank behind the mountains.”
- Simile – A comparison between two unlike things using “like” or “as,” for example, “Brave as a lion.”
- Metaphor – A direct comparison between two unlike things, stating that one thing is another, like “The world is a stage.”
- Personification – Giving human qualities to non-human things, such as “The wind whispered through the trees.”
- Onomatopoeia – Words that imitate the sound they represent, like “buzz” or “clang.”
- Repetition – Repeating words, phrases, or sounds for emphasis, rhythm, or effect, as in “Never, never, never give up.”
Simile Scavenger Hunt
Provide students with a list of similes. Have them search for examples of similes in poems, storybooks, or everyday language. Encourage students to create their own similes based on objects or experiences around them.
List of Similes to Get You Started:
- As busy as a bee.
- As brave as a lion.
- As sly as a fox.
- As light as a feather.
- As slippery as an eel.
- As quiet as a mouse.
- As happy as a clam.
- As stubborn as a mule.
- As quick as a bunny.
- As strong as an ox.
Metaphor Matching Game
Create sets of cards with metaphors on one side and their corresponding meanings on the other. Have students match the metaphor with its intended meaning. Discuss how metaphors create vivid imagery and convey deeper meanings in poetry.
Examples of Metaphors to Teach Kids:
- The world is a stage.
- The classroom is a zoo.
- Her heart is made of gold.
- The city is a jungle.
- My brother is a night owl.
- His words were music to her ears.
- The book was a passport to another world.
- The teacher is a guiding star.
- Her laughter is sunshine.
Alliteration Tongue Twisters
Introduce tongue twisters demonstrating alliteration (e.g., Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers). Challenge kids to create their own tongue twisters using words that start with the same sound. Explore how alliteration adds rhythm and emphasis to poetry.
Poetic Device Picture Puzzles
Provide images or photographs representing poetic devices such as similes, metaphors, and alliterations. Ask students to identify the poetic device illustrated in each picture and explain how it enhances the imagery or meaning. Encourage discussion and collaboration as students work together to decode the poetic devices portrayed in the images.
Poetic Device Detective
Give students quotes from poems that contain examples of similes, metaphors, or alliteration. Challenge them to identify and underline the poetic devices they find. Discuss how each poetic device contributes to the overall impact and effectiveness of the poem.
These engaging activities help students understand and recognize poetic devices and encourage creativity and critical thinking as they explore the rich tapestry of language in poetry.
Step 3: Writing the First Lines
Before students can start their first lines, they have to come up with an idea. Brainstorming ideas is like turning on a faucet of creativity. It allows students to get their ideas from their minds to the paper without pressure.
One brainstorming technique is “free association,” where students jot down any words or phrases that come to mind, no matter how random or unrelated they may seem. Another method involves “mind mapping,” where they start with a central idea and branch out into related concepts, connecting ideas like branches on a tree.
When heading into your poetry unit, ensure you provide exercises that allow them to experiment with different poetic forms and structures like “word association,” where students connect words based on their meanings, sounds, or feelings, allowing unexpected connections to spark new ideas.
Another exercise is “sensory writing,” where they use descriptive language to pump up the senses and paint vivid pictures in the reader’s mind, bringing their writing to life.
Step 4: Crafting the Poem
Guide students through structuring a poem while encouraging creativity and personal expression. Celebrate their unique voices and perspectives as they draft and refine their poems.
How To Teach a Specific Style of Poetry:
1. Brainstorm ideas, vocabulary, and themes related to the chosen style.
2. Write a poem together in that style to demonstrate the process.
3. Encourage students to plan their own poems, considering elements like structure and imagery.
4. Assist students as they draft their poems, providing feedback and support.
5. Showcase their finished poems in the classroom or school environment.
While students are working, ensure you are encouraging their creativity and personal expression. Poetry can be challenging, and many students, like adults, don’t want to think outside the box.
Sharing and Celebrating Poems
Sharing and displaying poetry in the classroom can be super fun and rewarding! One way to do it is by having poetry readings where students take turns sharing their poems out loud. It’s like having a mini poetry concert right in the classroom!
You can also create cool bulletin boards where students can pin up their poems for everyone to see, turning the classroom into a colorful poetry gallery.
Don’t forget about digital platforms like blogs or social media, where students can share their poetry with friends and family, spreading the joy of poetry far and wide.
Plus, working together on projects like poetry anthologies or zines lets students celebrate their creativity as a team, making poetry even more awesome and inclusive for everyone.
If you want an in-person event, consider hosting poetry showcases in the classroom where students can proudly present their poems to peers, teachers, and even special guests like parents or community members.
For families who may not be available during school hours, consider a poetry night where parents and siblings gather to listen to students recite their favorite poems or even share their own creations.
Encourage families to create poetry journals together, where everyone contributes poems, drawings, or reflections, fostering a sense of unity and appreciation for the power of words.
By exploring these different ways to share and display poetry, students showcase their talents and inspire each other to keep creating and expressing themselves in the most awesome ways possible!
Poetry Writing Prompts and Activities
Poetry writing becomes an adventure when sparked by imaginative prompts that can help students find their creativity and inspire expression.
Offer creative writing prompts like:
- Write a poem from the perspective of a raindrop falling from the sky
- Imagine you are a seed carried by the wind. Where would you go?
- Write a poem about your favorite animal using descriptive words to show how it moves, sounds, and feels.
- Imagine you’re a superhero with a special power. Write a poem describing your superhero name, powers, and adventures saving the day.
Interactive activities invite students to learn more about poetry and to think outside the box when writing.
- Try poetry pictionary, where students draw images inspired by words or phrases, then write poems based on their drawings.
- Or take students on a poetry scavenger hunt, where students search for words or phrases in magazines or newspapers and then use them as inspiration for crafting poems.
- Students could even collaborate with activities like pass the poem, where each student adds a line to a collective poem, creating a poem with various voices and perspectives.
Poetry Writing Styles
Deciding which poetry writing styles to teach can be a challenge. At the primary level, they are just jumping into the poetry world, and some poems are a little easier to teach than others.
Some recommended writing styles are:
- Haiku – A Japanese poetry that traditionally consists of three lines with 17 syllables, usually arranged in a 5-7-5 pattern.
- Acrostic – A type of poem where the first letter of each line spells out a word or message when read vertically.
- Shape Poem – In a shape poem, the words are arranged to visually represent the poem’s theme or subject.
- 5 Senses – The poem describes sensory perceptions—sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch.
- Bio Poem – A bio poem is a type of poem that provides a structured format for individuals to express information about themselves or others.
We can nurture our students’ lifelong love for poetry by providing a supportive and stimulating environment.
Resources to Help You Teach Poetry
Free Biography Poetry Activity
Try a biography poem in your classroom with this FREE Biography Poem resource! It includes everything you need to teach bio poems, including brainstorming, drafting, & writing sheets.
Click the image below to grab a copy.
Poetry Writing Unit
Try the Poetry Writing Unit by Proud to be Primary. Easily teach over 20 different poetry vocabulary terms and 13 different types of poetry with this all-in-one resource for teachers! Find helpful planning sheets, practice pages, engaging templates, and posters!
If you like this resource, you’ll love my poetry activity mats and poem of the week.
More Poetry Ideas and Activities
PIN for Later
FREE Poetry Email Series
Sign up for the poetry email series filled with tips to get you started, strategies for success, and tons of FREE poems and poetry writing tutorials you can access right away. Everything you need to have fun and build reading skills with poetry!
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