Poetry Book Requirements

Table of Contents
Acrostic Poems ............................................................
Alphabet Alliteration ...................................................
Cinquain........................................................................
Color Poem...................................................................
Concrete Poem.............................................................
Creature Alliteration ....................................................
Five Senses....................................................................
Haiku.............................................................................
Who-What-When-Where-Why..................................
Other Poems I Wrote..................................................
Poems I Like by Other Writers..................................
Self Reflection & Critiques Sheet...............................
Grading Sheet...............................................................















Poetry Unit Requirements
1. You will be writing and reading lots of different types of poems. Your
overall grade will depend on the number of poems you write, the
illustrations, and on their quality. See the grading chart to determine the
number of poems you must write to earn points.

2. Final copies of poems should be word processed on the computer or
handwritten in your neatest writing. If you hand-write your poems, pencil
is preferred since spelling is expected to be perfect on the final copies.

3. Write one to two poems per sheet of paper. Include the name of the type of poem at the top of each page. Do not use the back of the paper.

4. Each poem must include a colored illustration. Illustrations may be hand drawn, a collage or printed from a computer clip art program.

5. You will create your own poetry book cover. You may hand draw this or create it using the computer. Include a title for your poetry collection,
your name, 4th grade, and the year. There must be an illustration, collage or clip art added to the cover.

6. When you finish your poetry book and it is bound together, you will be
asked to share it with several people. Each of these people will write a
few comments about your poems and then sign the critiques page.

7. You will also be asked to write a self-reflection “feelings” paragraph on
the critiques page. Include items such as: Did you have fun writing the
poems? Which poems were your favorites? Did your mind change from
the beginning of the unit to the end? Any other comments or feelings
you have about poetry.

8. The most important part of this project is to have fun with poetry and be creative!




Acrostic Poem
Acrostics are poems that go down and across. The poems don’t have
to rhyme, and they can have as many words as you like. You can
choose any subject you like, even your own name. Highlight or make
the word you chose bold in some way.
Here are some examples:

C runchy, munchy
O h, so sweet
O odles of chocolate and nuts
K ids love them!
I like to eat them hot from the oven
E veryone waits for them to cool.


J umps high
O ver the high jump bar
H ighest on the team
N ever a bad attitude
N ice to everyone
Y es, he’s a great kid!

S occer player extraordinaire
M any animal pets at home
I ntelligent, especially at math
T en years old on May 12th
H e likes to write Acrostic Poems!



Alphabet Alliteration Poem
In alliteration, each important word in the line begins with the same
letter. These poems end up being crazy, nonsense poems. Use your
imagination and alliteration skills to write three words for each
alphabet letter. If you want to, write longer alliteration phrases.
First word: an adjective (word describing a noun)
Second word: a noun (the subject - the person or thing)
Third word: a verb (showing the action that the subject does).
For example:
A wesome ants ache
B ony baboons bake
C razy cats crawl
D izzy dogs drool
E ager egrets eat
F erocious ferrets fake
. etc.
.
Z ippy zebras zoom
… or if you are feeling creative, make them longer and more
interesting!
A rtistic anteaters ate anchovies in the afternoon in autumn
B eastly bears begged for bamboo and bread with butter
C ostly critters cut catnip for crying cats top chew
D esperate dingoes dig for dinosaur bones using dull diggers
.
.
. etc.












Cinquain Poem
“Cinq” means “five” in French. A cinquain is a special kind
of five-line poem with a very strict form.

Line 1 One word – the subject of the poem
This word is a noun.
Line 2 Two words describing the title
These words are adjectives, words that describe the noun
Line 3 Three words expressing action
These are verbs that tell what the noun in line one
does. Separate the verbs with commas.
Line 4 Four words expressing a feeling
This can be a short phrase or a series of words.
Line 5 One word that is another word for the subject
This should be a synonym for the subject

Here are some examples:
Eyes
Large, mysterious
Watching, rolling, blinking
Tell more than words
Vision


Cats
Independent, friendly
Meowing, purring, sleeping
I love my cat
Feline


Motorcycle
Noisy, fast
Racing, climbing, crashing
Fun on two wheels
Dirt bike
Color Poem
Color poems use your imagination and senses to investigate a subject. The focus of the poem is on using similes and metaphors. Similes compare two unlike things using with words “like” or “as.” For example: "The lake is like a whirlpool". Metaphors are like similes without using the word "like" or “as”. They state that one thing is something else. An example of a metaphor is “The lake is a whirlpool.”

Directions:
Use your color swatch to write these lines:
Line 1: ________ (color) is
Line 2: ________ (color) is
Line 3: ________ (color) is
Line 4: ________ (color) is
Line 5: ________ (color) smells like
Line 6: ________ (color) tastes like
Line 7: ________ (color) sounds like
Line 8: ________ (color) looks like
Line 9: ________ (color) feels like
Line 10: ________ (color) makes me
Line 11: ________ (color) is

Example:
Blue is the color of the sky.
Blue is the waves in the ocean crashing against the shore.
Blue is the feeling I get sometimes when I’m sad.
Blue is the icy color of glacial snow.
Blue smells like freshly washed bed sheets.
Blue tastes like blueberry Kool-Aid.
Blue sounds like jets soaring through the clouds.
Blue looks like the clear waters of the Hawaiian waters as I’m snorkeling.
Blue feels like the snow on my face while I’m skiing at Mt. Bachelor.
Blue makes me want to put on my coat, hat and gloves.
Blue is my brother’s favorite color.

Concrete Poem
A concrete poem, or shape poem, is written to represent objects which
they describe. The poem can be written in the shape of the object.
Artwork adds to the visual effect of this type of poem.
Examples:
A
triangle
a mountain when we
go skiing on Mt. Bachelor











BRIGHT, CLEAR, SHINING ORBS
EYE
VERY USEFUL FOR SEEING

Creature Alliteration Poem
This type of poem makes use of alliteration to describe a creature. It is a humorous, whimsical form of poetry. The main words in each line will all begin with the letter you choose to alliterate. Each line of the poem (except line 1) should have at least 4 words alliterating with the letter you chose. Do not repeat alliterating words you have already used. The use of a dictionary is especially helpful in writing this type of poem.
Directions:
Line 1. Name your creature (add –ian to the end of the word)
Line 2. Tell 4 alliterating words about where your creature lives.
Line 3. Tell 4 alliterating words about what your creature eats.
Line 4. Tell 4 alliterating words what your creature likes.
Line 5. Tell 4 alliterating words about something about your creature.
Line 6. Tell 4 alliterating words about something your creature did to you.

Example:
This is a recatarian.
A recatarian lives on really ridiculous rectangular ranches in rural Russia.
A recatarian rudely eats rice, raspberries, radishes, roots, and rhubarb.
A recatarian likes rusty things, Rhode Island, rottweilers, and ravens.
A recatarian wore a rickety pair of roller blades and rafted down the roaring Roseburg River.
My recatarian rolled red roses over the rug in my room and ruined it.

Another example:
This is a principalian.
Principalians live in perfect, purple pyramids on the plains of Peru.
Principalians politely eat pudding pops, and pickled pig feet with pepper
on plates while drinking Pepsi. They also love pepperoni pizza.
Principalians poke peas with pencils, ponder perplexing puzzles, and
perform procedures on penguins.
Principalians pose for pictures while printing poetry, practice perspective
and paint pottery. They persuade people to purchase perfume.
This principalian prescribed a painless pill for me and panicked when I
pretended to perish.






Five Senses Poem
Five senses poems use your senses to study or investigate a subject. The focus of the poem is on using similes. Similes are comparisons between two unlike things using with words “like” or “as.”
Directions:
Line 1. Tell what color an emotion or idea looks like to you.
Line 2. Tell what the emotion or idea tastes like (imagine it has a taste)
Line 3. Tell what the emotion or idea sounds like.
Line 4. Tell what emotion or idea smells like.
Line 5. Tell what the emotion or idea looks like.
Line 6. Tell how the emotion or idea makes you feel.

Examples:
Summer is yellow.
It tastes like lemonade.
It sounds like kids splashing in a lake.
It smells like dandelions.
It looks like boating.
It makes me feel overjoyed.
by Hillary

Rain is clear.
It tastes like water.
It sounds like pounding on your windows.
It smells like fresh pine trees.
It looks like dew drops on plants.
It makes me feel cool.
by Hillary






Haiku Poem
Haiku is a form of ancient Japanese poetry. The poems are often written about things in nature or seasons. They are also written about emotions or feelings about something. Haiku poems are not written as complete sentences. They are more often written as short thoughts and capitalization and punctuation is up to the writer.

Haiku follows this form:
Line 1. 5 syllables
Line 2. 7 syllables
Line 3. 5 syllables

Include images that appeal to the five senses. What colors do you see? What sounds can you hear? What is the taste of the image? What smells do you notice? How does it feel? Since you are very limited in the number of syllables you can use, try not to repeat words and limit the use of unimportant words.

Examples:
Waking up to chirps
Birds singing in the morning
Beautiful bird songs

The evening sun sets
Brilliant colors glimmering
Beautiful sunsets

Yellowstone, geysers
Mud pots, geysers, and camping
Big place for nature



Who-What-When-Where-Why Poem
(W-W-W-W-W Poem)
Who, what, when, where, why poems should be five lines long. The poem should tell a story or give a strong picture of someone or something. Each line should answer on of the “w” questions in the order listed above. When you read the poem, it should sound like two sentences put together.

Examples:
“Politics”
WHO: A famous Senator
WHAT: shook hands and ate lunch
WHEN: last week
WHERE: at a restaurant in town.
WHY: He raised money for his campaign.

“Waiting”
WHO: The old man
WHAT: sat alone
WHEN: on a sunny summer afternoon
WHERE: on his front porch.
WHY: He was enjoying the breeze and drinking ice tea.

“Getting Ready”
WHO: I
WHAT: prepare for the race by running five miles
WHEN: every morning before school
WHERE: around the neighborhood.
WHY: You should always be prepared.





SELF REFLECTION AND CRITIQUES

Self Reflection
On a separate sheet of paper, write a few thoughts explaining your feelings about writing poetry. Which poems did you enjoy most? Did your feelings about poetry change as you completed this unit?

Other Critiques
Now share your poetry book with several important adults in your life (parents, relatives, previous teachers, family friends, etc). Ask these people to write a few comments about your creativity and efforts then have them sign their name.