Quatrain Poems

Investigate for yourself, and soon you will be creating your own! Quatrains Investigate for yourself, and soon you will be creating your own! …click on the snowflake in the lower right corner in order to continue along in this activity?

What is a Quatrain? The word “quatrain” is related to some other words you know that have the “quad” prefix which means “????”. Look at the picture for another hint.

What is a Quatrain? How many “quarters” are in 1 dollar? Right! There are Four…just like there are four lines in every Quatrain. So, what is a Quatrain?

What is a Quatrain? 1) Recognize and name several Quatrain Patterns, A Quatrain is a poem that consists of four rhyming lines. There are many patterns you can select from, however. As you continue on with this activity, you will be able to demonstrate your ability to: 1) Recognize and name several Quatrain Patterns, 2) Correctly label Quatrain patterns, and 3) Complete Quatrains of varying patterns in preparation for creating them for your Holiday Notebook.

Quatrain Patterns: Just like visual patterns are pleasing to the eye, auditory patterns in Quatrains can be pleasing to the ear.

Quatrain Patterns: Quatrains follow an identifiable pattern based upon the last word in each line.

Quatrain Patterns: AABC ABAB ABCB AABB Let’s take a look at four of those possible patterns. Click on each pattern for a sample Quatrain by a famous Poet. AABC ABAB ABCB AABB

“The Tyger” By William Blake Tyger! Tyger! burning bright In the forests of the night What immortal hand or eye Could frame thy fearful symmetry? Can you see the pattern?

“The Tyger” By William Blake Tyger! Tyger! burning bright A In the forests of the night A What immortal hand or eye B Could frame thy fearful symmetry? C The first two lines end with the same sounding word so they are both called “A.” The third line ends with a word that doesn’t rhyme so it is called “B.” The last line ends with a word that doesn’t rhyme with A or B so it is given the letter “C.”

“Look Before You Leap” By Auden The sense of danger must not disappear The way is certainly both short and steep How ever gradual it looks from here Look if you like, but you will have to leap Can you see the pattern?

“Look Before You Leap” By Auden The sense of danger must not disappear A The way is certainly both short and steep B How ever gradual it looks from here A Look if you like, but you will have to leap B In this Quatrain, the first and third lines rhyme, so they are both called “A.” The second and fourth lines also rhyme, but not with the first and third, so they are called “B.”

“The Wife of Usher’s Well” Author Unknown There lived a wife at Usher’s well And a wealthy wife was she She had three strong and healthy sons And slept while they were out at sea Can you see the pattern?

“The Wife of Usher’s Well” Author Unknown There lived a wife at Usher’s well A And a wealthy wife was she B She had three strong and healthy sons C And slept while they were out at sea B In this Quatrain, the first line is called “A,” but it doe not rhyme with the any other line in the poem. The second and fourth lines rhyme and are called “B,” and the third line which, again, does not rhyme with any other line is called “C.”

“The Mountain” Donna Brock Can you see the pattern? The mountain frames the sky As a shadow of an eagle flies by With clouds hanging at it’s edge A climber proves his courage on its rocky ledge Can you see the pattern?

“The Mountain” Donna Brock The mountain frames the sky A As a shadow of an eagle flies by A With clouds hanging at it’s edge B A climber proves his courage on its rocky ledge B In this last Quatrain sample, the first two lines rhyme and are given the letter “A.” The third and fourth lines rhyme and are given the letter “B.”

Quatrain Patterns: So, how did you do…can you identify patterns on your own? Continue on and give it a try. Click the snowflake to continue…

Identifying Patterns: In the next section, you will demonstrate your ability to correctly identify the patterns of some sample Quatrains. If you identify them correctly, you may click the snowflake to continue…if you make a mistake, you will be asked to try again. Good luck, watch those ending words!!!!

Pattern Practice Snowman Blues Building a snowman out in the sun Working real hard, but having such fun Seeing him rise right out of the snow Three days later, he’s H2O Click on the snowman that shows the correct pattern ABBA ABCB AABB

That’s not it… Look at the last word in each line and try again!

GREAT JOB!!!! LET’S TRY ANOTHER QUATRAIN!

Pattern Practice Landing on rooftops covered with snow TOO FAT Landing on rooftops covered with snow Don’t care if they’re slanted or flat Start down the chimney with presents for me But this time ol’ Santa is too fat Click on the snowman that shows the correct pattern ABBA ABCB AABB

That’s not it… Look at the last word in each line and try again!

GREAT JOB!!!! LET’S TRY ANOTHER QUATRAIN!

Pattern Practice Tree Once Just a seed dropped in the wood Mostly ignored by all Water and soil and sun, so good Now grows majestic and tall Click on the snowman that shows the correct pattern ABAA ABAB AABB

That’s not it… Look at the last word in each line and try again!

OK, ready to move on? Click on the snowflake to continue:

Test your skills: When you click on the big snowman, you will be taken to a worksheet. Print this worksheet out, fill it in, and turn it in before continuing.

Writing to Specific Patterns: In the last section, you will demonstrate your ability to correctly complete quatrains using a specific pattern. Look at the pattern first, then decide which word should be used to complete the specified pattern. Good luck, watch those ending words!!!!

Finishing Quatrains Pattern = ABAB At the sea I’ll wait on my knees As I watch for scattered shells On the beach I’ll feel the _______ As I listen to the bells Click on the snowman above the word that correctly completes this Quatrain sand smells breeze

That’s not it… Choose a word the correctly fits into the pattern…is it supposed to match another word? Look closely.

GREAT JOB!!!! LET’S TRY TO COMPLETE ANOTHER QUATRAIN!

Finishing Quatrains Pattern = AABB Do we really ever know what we should____? Can I tell any better than you? What we need to do is give our best try Then we can look everyone in the eye. Click on the snowman above the word that correctly completes this Quatrain do lie wear

That’s not it… Choose a word the correctly fits into the pattern…is it supposed to match another word? Look closely.

GREAT JOB!!!! LET’S TRY TO COMPLETE ONE MORE QUATRAIN!

Finishing Quatrains Pattern = ABCA The best way to spread Christmas______ According to the one called Elf As crazy as he must be Is singing loud for all to hear! Click on the snowman above the word that correctly completes this Quatrain cheer time tree

That’s not it… Choose a word the correctly fits into the pattern…is it supposed to match another word? Look closely.

GREAT JOB!!!! NOW, SHOW ME WHAT YOU KNOW! CLICK ON THE SNOWMAN! When you have completed the 2nd worksheet, close the worksheet, click on the slide to return to the show, and click on the snowflake to end this activity.