Writing Poetry
Write poetry, exploring patterns of language, rhyme and rhythm, and learning poems by heart for recitation with appropriate intonation
What a learner can do afterwards
- Write a simple poem using rhyming couplets or a repeated pattern
- Recite a poem from memory with expression and appropriate intonation
- Identify rhyme and rhythm patterns in poems read aloud
1 · Read
Choose something to write a poem about. You can note a few words before you start. Poems can repeat words, use rhyme, or do both. Rhyme means matching end sounds. Rhythm is the pattern of beats you hear when you say words aloud. A poem can have rhythm without rhyme.
A rhyming couplet has two lines with rhyming end words. Ben writes: 'The moon is round and bright, / It glows up in the night.' The slash shows where a new line starts. Bright and night rhyme. To make a couplet, write a line, then try a second line with a rhyming end word. Check that it fits your idea too.
To learn your poem by heart, practise one line. Add the next, then try both without looking. Keep adding lines. When you recite from memory, speak clearly. Let your voice match the words: calm for a quiet scene, lively for an exciting one. Pause when you need a breath.
To make a repeated opening, choose words to start each line. Try 'I feel'. You could write: 'I feel sun. / I feel rain. / I feel wind.' Keep the opening words and change what follows. Read your lines aloud. Listen for their rhythm. You can tap softly along with the beats.
A poem can rhyme, repeat a pattern, or both, and reciting it well means using your voice to show how it feels.
The lesson, questions, example poems and flashcards were written for this learning dataset.
These five poetry readings were written for this learning dataset.
More to read
Find words for your poem
Think of a small thing you know well, such as a squeaky swing. What words come to mind? You might note 'up', 'down', 'squeak' and 'wind'. Try saying a line using some of your words. Listen to it. Keep the words that say what you want the reader to imagine.
Keep the same start
Read these lines: 'Under the table. / Under the chair. / Under the blanket.' Each starts with 'Under the'. You can make a poem by keeping those opening words and choosing a new place for each line. Try adding a line of your own. Say the whole poem aloud and listen for the words that return.
Try a rhyming couplet
A rhyming couplet has two lines with matching end sounds. Try: 'My socks are red. / They lie beside my bed.' Red and bed rhyme. The lines also share an idea about the socks. To make your own couplet, write a line and try a rhyming ending for the next. Check that both lines say what you mean.
Hear the rhythm
Say 'Run, run, over the hill' aloud. Listen for beats as you speak. Tap softly along with the beats you hear. That pattern is part of rhythm. Read a poem of your own aloud too. Rhythm is about beats in the words. Rhyme is about matching sounds. A poem does not need rhyme to have rhythm.
Practise a poem to share
Choose a short poem to learn. Practise one line, look away and try saying it. Check the words if you need a reminder. Add another line and try both together. Keep adding lines until you can say the poem from memory. Then think about your voice. Use a calm voice for quiet words or more energy for exciting words. Speak clearly and pause to breathe.
2 · Watch
En anglaisTake it off screen
Where it sits
Learn first
Optional connections
This opens up
Where this leads
Jobs that lean on this skill. Follow one to see everything it is built on.
8 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.