Poetry Writing Teaching Resources
Explore poetry writing in your elementary ELA classroom with printable worksheets, poem templates, graphic organizers and more resources to teach students how to write a poem and get kids excited about the world of verse!
Created by teachers for teachers like you, the teaching resources in this collection are aligned with both TEKS and Common Core standards, 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 to the ELA 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 6th graders to tackle free verse? Bring out the acrostics for your 3rd grade 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 elementary school grades 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 favorite 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 practice 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 ELA standards. Poetry writing helps kids build their literacy skills, including reading comprehension, vocabulary and grammar. It's key in teaching kids to recognize different literary devices, from metaphor and simile to alliteration and imagery, and giving them a chance to practice using them effectively in their own writing.