Poetry

What different types of poems can you think of?

Nonsense poems Narrative poem Haiku Ballad Sonnet Acrostic Free verse

Limericks are often funny poems with a strong beat. They are five lines long. -Lines 1, 2, and 5 rhyme with one another. -Lines 3 and 4 rhyme with each other. -They have a distinctive rhythm. -They are usually funny. A limerick by Lear: There was an Old Man of Peru Who watched his wife making a stew. But once, by mistake, In a stove she did bake That unfortunate Man of Peru.

A haiku is a Japanese poem, which is only 3 lines long. -Line one has 5 syllables -Line two has 7 syllables -Line three has 5 syllables Read this one from Basho Matsuo, written in the 1600s: An old silent pond... A frog jumps into the pond, splash! Silence again.

Nonsense poems are poems that are funny, absurd and whimsical, foolish, no meaning, nonsense, and generally not making a lot of sense. They are often used to make things sound nice. Lewis Carroll wrote a lot of nonsense poems, this is the beginning of Jabberwocky: ‘Twas brillig, and the slithy toves Did gyre and gimble in the wabe: All mimsy were the borogoves, And the mome raths outgrabe. “Beware the Jabberwock, my son! The jaws that bite, the claws that catch! Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun The frumious Bandersnatch!”

Acrostic This is a typical form of poetry where the first letter of each line form a word itself. The letters are vertically aligned to form a word, which might be the subject of the poem. Crisp and colorful Adorable and crunchy Nice and tasty Delicious and tempting Yummy and best

A sonnet is made up of 14 lines, each being 10 syllables long. There is a specific rhyme scheme and usually a change in what’s happening in the last two lines. Shakespeare wrote a lot of sonnets. A ballad is a type of narrative poem as it tells a story. Ballads are often used in songs because of their rhyme. A ballad is a poetic story, often a love story.

A free verse poem is free from rules. Such poems are without rhythms and rhyme schemes. The poet can give his own shape to a poem how they desire. However, it still allows poets to use alliteration and rhyme, just where they would like to. When starting to write poetry, a free verse poem is a great one to start with. It will give you the chance to think more about the words, rather than the rules.

Rhyme When something is compared to something else using ‘like’ or ‘as’ e.g. my dog is as smelly as socks Alliteration When animals, objects or ideas are given human qualities e.g. the stars danced in the moonlight Simile A comparison where something is said to be something else e.g. the classroom was a zoo Metaphor Words with the same sound or with the same end sound e.g. hat, cat Personification When words begin with the same letter in a line or verse e.g. the salty, sea, shimmered Can you match the poetry term with the correct explanation?

Why not have a go at writing your own poem?

Why not submit your finished masterpiece to Send a Cow’s writing competition. Submit a poem, fable or short story before the 27 th May to win: -A selection of African inspired literature for your school library -Bookmarks for your whole class -A £20 book voucher just for you Send your entries to: Or in the post to: Development Education Send a Cow The Old Estate Yard Newton St Loe Bath, BA2 9BR Remember to add your name, age, class and school