Poetry

for the Classroom

Prepared by: Kathy Broeckel, Senior Fellow, U.S. Embassy, 2006

 Getting-to-Know-You Poems

Acrostic or Name Poems

Description: A poem that uses the letters of your name to write words or
sentences that describe you. ** Can also be used to describe other people.

Maria

Mother
Aching feet
Retired
Independent
Active

Karen

Kind and considerate

Always cleaning up after her children
Relaxes by watching T.V.
Eats a lot of junk food
Needs to exercise more

Auto-Biographical Poems

Description: A poem that uses sentence completion to describe yourself.

Example:

Sally
Creative, shy, honest, happy
Wife of John
Mother of Sarah and Jimmy
Resident of New York
Who loves chocolate, swimming and reading
Who admires her mother Mary, friend Jane and daughter Sarah
Who gives love, friendship and time to her favorite charities
Who needs time, money and a new car
Who fears violent crime, snakes and old age
Who feels angry about crimes against women
Who'd like to see the Grand Canyon
Who dreams of retirement
Who aspires to be a good mother, good wife and to lose 15 pounds.
Walker
Template:

First Name
Four words that describe you
________ of ________ (describe a relationship)
________ of ________ (describe another relationship)
Resident of _________________________
Who loves__________________________ (3 things, places or people)
Who admires________________________ (3 people)
Who gives__________________________ (3 things)
Who needs__________________________ (3 things)
Who fears___________________________ (3 things)
Who feels_________ about_____________
Who would like to see _________________ (something or someone)
Who dreams of ______________________
Who aspires ________________________ (3 things)
Last name

** You can change the statements based on your students and context.
For example, for college-age students you might use statements about
what they study, read, eat, do after school, do on the weekend,
like/dislike, etc.
 Grammar Poems

Cinquain Poems

Description: A diamond-shaped poem with 5 lines describing one thing,

person or idea. **These are word Cinquain poems. Cinquain poems can
also be organized by syllable count.

Examples:

War
Sad, destructive
Killing, injuring, destroying
A thing that kills life.
Terminator

River
Clear, wonderful
Slapping, whirling, flowing
The river is cold.
Water

Dove
Active, free
Flying, sitting, cooing
A dove is free.
Bird

Template:

Noun
2 Adjectives
3 Gerunds (verb-ing)
1 complete sentence
Synonym of Noun
Diamante Poems

Descrition: A diamond-shaped poem with 7 lines describing two opposing

things, people or ideas.

Examples:

Winter
Snowy, cold
Skiing, skating, sledding
Mountains, wind, breeze, ocean
Swimming, surfing, scuba diving
Sunny, hot
Summer

Man
Brilliant, perfect
Working, learning, earning
Beer, car, mirror, make-up
Speaking, speaking, speaking
Furious, exhausted
Woman

Man
Stupid, rude
Sleeping, eating
Trousers, underpants, knickers, skirts
Working, sporting
Clever, beautiful
Woman

Template:

Noun A
2 Adjectives describing Noun A
3 Gerunds (verb-ing) describing Noun A
2 nouns related to Noun A; 2 nouns related to Noun B
3 Gerunds (verb-ing) describing Noun B
2 Adjectives describing Noun B
Noun B
 More Grammar Poems

Parts of Speech Poems

Description: A 5-line poem using parts of speech to describe a person, place,

thing or idea.

Example:

A brain
Intelligent and wise
Learn and store
Rapidly
Computer

Template:

Article + Noun
Adjective + Conjunction + Adjective
Verb + Conjunction + Verb
Adverb
Synonym of Noun

Constructivist Poems

Description: A 5-line poem using parts of speech and other grammatical

structures to describe a person, place, thing or idea.

Example:

Life
Confusing but interesting
Going quickly
Like walking along the road
If only it didn't end so soon

Template:

Noun
Adjective + Conjunction + Adjective
Verb + Adverb
Like_______________
If only______________
Preposition Poems

Description: A 3-6 line poem made up of prepositional phrases and a final

main clause about an event or object.

Example:

In the night,
Through the door,
Across the floor,
Under the table,
Into my bag,
The cockroach crawled.

Who, What, When, Where, How, Why Poems

Description: A 6-line poem that answers the questions: who, what, when,
where, how and why about an event or activity.

Example:

Hurricanes 2005

Katrina and Rita

Hurricanes
In September 2005
In the Gulf of Mexico
With strong winds and high seas
Global warming has made Mother Nature wild

Template:

Event

Who? Name a person or thing

What? Say what event was
When? Time, date and/or year
Where? Location or place
How? Tell how the event occurred
Why? Explain why the event occurred

** Questions/answers can be arranged differently to enhance flow of ideas

and information.
 Syllable Poems

Haiku Poems

Description: A traditional Japanese poem made up of 3 lines with a fixed

number of syllables.

Examples:

Yellow, orange, green

Colors of the sunflowers
Painted by Van Gogh

Eric the Red was

A brave Viking explorer
Who founded Greenland

Template:

Line 1: 5 syllables
Line 2: 7 syllables
Line 3: 5 syllables

Lantern Poems

Description: A poem made up of 5 lines with a fixed number of syllables that

makes the shape of a lantern.

Example:

Rose
Lovely
Pink and white
Touch the petals
Smell!

Template:

Line 1: 1 syllable
Line 2: 2 syllables
Line 3: 3 syllables
Line 4: 3 or 4 syllables
Line 5: 1 syllable
 Other Poems

Color Poems

Description: A poem that describes a color using the senses.

Example:

Orange
Orange looks like summer.
Orange sounds like a burst of laughter.
Orange smells like sweet perfume.
Orange tastes like morning.
Orange feels like sticky fingers.
Orange

Senses Poems

Description: A poem that uses the senses to describe a person, place, thing
or idea.

Example:

Hate
Looks like a fire at midnight
Sounds like silence
Smells like rubber
Tastes like a rotten egg
Feels like boiling water
Hate

I Wish Poems

Description: A poem with 5-10 sentences beginning with the words, I wish...

Example:

I wish I was taller.

I wish I could play poker.
I wish my mother would take better care of herself.
I wish I didn't have to study so hard.
I wish my hair was straight.
I wish I would win the lottery.
I wish the world would stop fighting.

** You can change the prompt based on your students and contexts. For
example, you could use "I hope...", "I believe...", "I hate...", etc.