Poetry Writing Teaching Resources

Explore poetry writing in your primary English classroom with printable worksheets, poem templates, graphic organisers and more resources to teach students how to write a poem and get kids excited about the world of verse!

Created by primary teachers for primary teachers like you, the teaching resources in this collection are aligned with the Australian Curriculum, each printable and digital resource has undergone a careful review by a member of our expert teaching team.

You'll find editable versions to easily differentiate your instruction for individual students, plus a variety of options to make lesson planning easier this school year so your students can write haiku, acrostics, shape poems and more.

New to teaching students to write poetry or just looking for fresh and engaging ways to teach this portion of the English curriculum? Read on for a primer from our teacher team, including a look at some of the poetry types that kids love most.

Types of Poems for Kids to Help Teach Poetry Writing

With more than 100 different types of poems on bookshelves at your local library, it can be a challenge to pick just which types you should be teaching your students to write. Do you start with a basic rhyming poem? Challenge your year 6 students to tackle free verse? Bring out the acrostics for your year 3 class?

Take a breath! Our teacher team has compiled a list of some of the best poetry types for teaching kids how to write a poem.

1. Rhyming Poems

For many kids, rhyming poems are their very first experience with poetry. Appearing in popular children's books and nursery rhymes, these poems are a classic starting place for teaching kids to write poetry as you explore rhyme schemes and how to carry a rhyming pattern through a piece of writing.

Some rhyming patterns to explore in the primary years include:

• Alternate rhyme
• Rhyming couplets
• Enclosed rhyme

2. Limericks

Speaking of rhyming patterns, limericks are short poems at just 5 lines long, and they follow a predictable AABBA rhyming pattern.

Designed to be funny, this poetry type allows kids to bring out their silly sides as they're writing, which makes limericks a student favourite in any classroom.

3. Haiku

Another type of poetry that follows a predictable format, haiku are always 17 syllables, and they are always broken out in the same way:

• Line one — 5 syllables
• Line two — 7 syllables
• Line three — 5 syllables

First created in Japan, this popular poem type for kids allows young poets to practise their descriptive writing, as well as focusing on syllables.

4. Shape Poems or Concrete Poems

Have you noticed the array of shape poem templates in this teaching resource collection? These simple poems create a visual shape from words that are related to the theme of the poem, and they're another basic but fun poetry type for younger kids.

Teaching your students to write shape or concrete poems is a good way to encourage them to explore the relationship between the form of a poem and its content.

5. Acrostic Poems

Another type of poem with a distinct format, acrostic poems tend to open up kids' creativity. Without the pressure of creating rhymes, kids can write more freely!

Teaching How to Write Poetry

Learning how to write poetry is an exploration in creativity for students, and it can be incredibly freeing for kids as they learn that they can experiment and have fun with language!

Writing poetry can be a powerful tool for self-expression that lets our students learn to express their unique perspectives, building their confidence and self-esteem as they learn to value their own ideas and opinions.

Of course, plenty of learning benefits also tie back to English standards. Poetry writing helps kids build their literacy skills, including reading comprehension, vocabulary and grammar. It's key in teaching kids to recognise different literary devices, from metaphor and simile to alliteration and imagery, and giving them a chance to practise using them effectively in their own writing.