Writing Forms of Poetry Worksheets

Step-by-step Forms of Poetry Worksheets

Each of these sheets are two pages. We first walk you through writing a poem in a certain style and then we prompt you through writing your own poem in this format.

Writing Acrostic Poetry - This form of poetry takes the very letters of a word or phrase and prompts you to write sentences that are both themed to the word or phrase and contain the letter(s) you are working with.

Alphabet Poetry - This format uses the letters of the alphabet in order. Great birthday idea for you on this one too. This is a familiar form of poetry. It usually follows somewhere in the sequence of the alphabet. A neat idea is to do this on a students birthday. For example, today is Liz's birthday. You need to write an alphabet poem that starts with the letter "L".

Autobiographical Poetry - Write about yourself and be critical. Autobiographic poems are mostly written in a self-reflection form. Because this form requires a little deeper thinking, it usually takes students a bit longer than usual.

Writing Ballads - Usually written in singing format, they can really make the classroom a fun place. We all know of those power rock and roll ballads. Now it's your chance to rock the house! Let us show you how.

Cinquain Poetry - This is a very standardized format that math oriented people like, for some reason. This format follows a more formatted approach than other forms of poetry. That is good for your students that use their left-brain a bit more. But many creative poets have trouble with this format.

Color Poetry - Express all your senses when using this format. Color poems are very cerebral. They make you think well outside anyone's comfort zone. You need to use all your sense, at least think about using them, in order to write a well drawn out poem.

Diamante Poetry - When I was a kid, the teacher introduced this poem format as the style that is shaped like a "woman's best friend". I remember thinking, "How does she know my dog Cody?" This is a brilliant style of poem writing, pun intend. These seven line poems are always fun because of the shape that is created.

Epitaph Poetry - Take a sad art and give it a little bit of life. Epitaphs can be a bit morbid, due to the nature of being. They can be written a refreshing and playful manner that make people that don't know the subject say, "Hey, I wish I got to meet her/him!"

Explorer Poetry - Yes, this is part of the core curriculum. That caught us by surprise too. This is a neat poetry form that was only brought to my attention when the core standards cited it. As an English minor, I must have missed this one.

Writing Haiku - A traditionally short format. Originating from Japan. Students like the simplicity of Haikus. They are short, but well written Haikus take a great deal of time to compose.

I Wish Poetry - Everything in this one starts with "I wish..." This format always seemed very repetitive to me. It's good to do an activity like this when students are a bit down on themselves.

Lie Poetry - These are awesome! I love to read what the kids come up with. Lie poems are always fun to read. I would rather read one of these poems than winning a billion dollars in a lottery or winning a free all expenses trip around the world. Wouldn't you?

Limericks - Often very funny. Many kids have fun with these. Limericks are always fun to write and read. Students will have a great deal of trouble writing them at first. After two or three tries, it comes much easier.

Monster Poems - Write about that monster under your bed or in your closet. Limericks are always fun to write and read. Students will have a great deal of trouble writing them at first. After two or three tries, it comes much easier.

Rhyming Poetry - It's Rhyme time! Fun by the ton! Rhymes can be difficult to write, so spend a good amount of time brainstorming.

Shape (Or Concrete) Poems - Just knowing they need to create a shape, kids go the extra mile for this style of poetry. This is coolest form of poetry, as per my classes. They do go the extra mile to fit the shape. Just goes to show you what motivation can do for students.

Third Eye Poems - These poems are so fun, but hard for students to get a handle on quickly. Kids have trouble understanding the motivation of this poem format, at first. Once they grasp the concept though, it does spark a great bit of creativity.

What Are the Different Types of Poetry?

Poetry is a string of words woven together, stirring a myriad of sentiments in whoever reads them. It won't be an understatement if we say that poetry is one of the most magical gifts literature has given us. The poetic world has been around for hundreds of thousands of years, used as a means to express ideas, thoughts, and feelings. It is also incredibly diverse, where you'll come across various poetic forms. So, if you want to learn more about types of poetry and how to recognize them, keep on reading.

Elements of Poetry

Before we dive into discussing a different variety of poetry, let's discuss a few essential elements of poetry that will help you understand poetry better:

Stanza

Stanza is the foundation of a poem. It is a few lines related to the same subject grouped together. It can further be subdivided depending on the number of lines in it.

Monostich - a stanza with one line.
Couplet - a stanza with two lines.
Tercet - a stanza with three lines.
Quatrain - a stanza with four lines.
Cinquain - a stanza with five lines.
Sestet - a stanza with six lines.
Septet - a stanza with seven lines.
Octave - a stanza with eight lines.
Heteromeric - a stanza where every line has a different length.

Meter

Meter in a poem determines the length of the line. The stressed syllable pattern is typically long-sounding, whereas the unstressed syllable pattern is short-sounding.

Rhyme Scheme

Rhyme is a scheme where rhyming words come at the end of each verse.

Types of poetry

Without any further ado, the following are the types of poetry.

Blank Verse

In blank verse, the poet writes the poetry with a precise meter, typically an iambic pentameter, sans any rhyming. Iambic pentameter means that each line has five iambs - two pairs of syllables.

Free Verse

Free verse follows a free pattern with no set rhyme scheme, meter, or musical form. It has become a popular style of contemporary poetry as the lack of a concrete structure gives freedom to poets. It can have as many rhyming words, lines, and stanzas as you want. However, the freedom makes this poetic form tricky as well.

Epic

Epic poems are detailed pieces with length narration. It usually consists of historic and adventures tales. A poet usually adopts a formal style for an epic poem, narrating it through a third-person or omniscient perspective, featuring a hero and a muse set in a past era.

Haiku

A haiku, or hokku, is a short poem. It has ancient Japanese roots but nowadays has become popular all over the globe. It is tercet, a three-line poem, following a five-seven-five structure. The first and third line consists of five syllables, and the second line has seven syllables. Common themes in haiku poetry are nature, seasons, kigo (a word of phrase signaling a season), and kireji (a cutting word). This ancient art is relatively simple, so we encourage you to try your hand at it.

Sonnet

A sonnet is a poem that contains 14 lines but not necessarily. Rumour has it that it was invented by none other than legendary William Shakespeare. So, did he? No, he didn't. However, he is the one who made this form of poetry famous. In reality, it traces back to the Renaissance era, long before Shakespeare. Anyway, back to the sonnet, it also contains internal rhyming schemes which depend on the sonnet style. A typical Italian sonnet follows ABBA ABBA CDE CDE scheme, and AN English sonnet follows ABAB CDCD EFEF GG.

Limerick

A limerick contains 5 rhyming lines in a single stanza. The central theme of limericks is humor and sarcasm. Some poems are straightforwardly rude even. It follows a rhyming scheme of AABBA, where the length of lines one, two, and five is longer than that of lines three and four. Due to its simplicity, many amateur poets lean towards it.

Ode

An ode is a tribute praising a person, thing, or event. It is a short lyrical and is divided into three sections, including a strophe, antistrophe, and epode. The strophe is two or more repeated lines, the antistrophe offers a thematic significance, and the epode has a distinct length and meter, summarizing the theme of the ode.

Ballad

A ballad is a narrative verse that can be either a poem or a song. It is an emotionally evocative way of telling stories of love and despair. The stanza is a quatrain, where the first and third lines might rhyme or the second and fourth ones, which are more common. The rhyme scheme is of ABCB or ABAB. Ballads can be found in popular music, including folk, country, jazz, pop, and rock.

Elegy

An elegy is a tribute, but unlike an ode, it only praises dead people. It explores the themes of loss, love, redemption, and consolation. Traditionally, an elegy stanza contains four lines with an iambic pentameter and ABAB rhyme scheme. There is a loose structure for writing an elegy, but it is up to the poet how they want to go about it.

Soliloquy

A soliloquy is a one- or two-line monologue where a character expresses their inner thoughts. Soliloquies are not poems; however, they often are designed as one, especially those found in famous Shakespearean plays.

Villanelle

Villanelle is an old poetic form made up of nineteen lines; five of the stanzas are tercet, and the final stanza is laid out as a quatrain. The rhyming scheme is of ABA-ABA-ABA-ABA-ABA-ABAA. The lines are repeated throughout the poem; line one repeats in the sixth, twelfth, and eighteenth, and line three repeats in ninth, fifteenth, and nineteenth.

Science Acrostic Poem Worksheets

Students write acrostic poems that related to Science.

Social Studies Acrostic Poem Worksheets

Here you will find a wide variety of Social Studies and Holiday related Poems.