To Rhyme or Not to Rhyme...
It doesn't always have to rhyme,
but there's the repeat of a beat, somewhere
an inner chime that makes you want to
tap your feet or swerve in a curve...
Eve Merriam
I love these beginning lines of Eve Merriam's "Inside a Poem." It's true--a poem doesn't have to rhyme.
When teaching poetry to children, it's usually best not to have them try to write in rhyme (at least at first) because
their rhymes are often forced. Their ideas many times don't flow as freely if they are using all their energy to come
up with a rhyme.
Valerie Worth's poems are excellent examples to use with students to show that they not only do not have to
write poems in rhyme, but also how to write tight, find "just-right" specific description words (encourage them to use
a thesaurus for this), and "see" things in a new way.
Worth, Valerie All the Small Poems
All the Small Poems and Fourteen More
Rhyming...
A poem doesn't always have to rhyme, but I, for one, love to rhyme. Finding the right rhyme can be fun and
satisfying (challenging too!). I use my rhyming dictionary a lot. I never even knew these little gems of books existed
when I was growing up, so be sure and tell your students about them. If a student wants to write in rhyme,
encourage him or her to find a rhyme that adds to the meaning of the poem. Rhyme can add a musical
quality to a piece of poetry. Not only rhyme, but these elements of sound also add rhythm to a poem (or prose for
that matter)--
--alliteration
--onomatopoeia
--repetition
Have students experiment using these sound elements in their writing.
Students might enjoy listening to fun books of rhyming poetry by such authors as Douglas Florian, Jack
Prelutsky, and Shel Silverstein. Hearing or reading poems by these authors might get students writing their own
fun, light-hearted poems in rhyme.
Concrete or Shape Poetry
The poems in my book When a Line Bends...A Shape Begins are written as concrete or shape poems--poems
which are actually in the shape they are describing. Students often enjoy trying shape poetry. Have the students
brainstorm words and ideas to try to come up with their own concrete poems. Have the students decide on a poem
subject, then draw a shape outline of that subject. The words of the poem should fill in the shape or fit around the
edges. Stress that the words should give meaning to the shape and that they do not have to rhyme.
Always encourage "just-right" words for tight writing and also encourage students to keep working on a
poem--to revise until they feel they've found the right words to fit the meaning they are trying to convey.
Using Poetry in All Areas of the Curriculum...
It's good to get students used to hearing good poetry. When they hear good poetry, they are exposed to
beautiful, lyrical language. Also, a poem can say so much in so few words, which makes the subject being written
about often easy to remember. '
Poetry can be used creatively in all areas of the curriculum. Whether you are studying history, math, science,
or whatever it may be, a poem has been written on that topic. Sometimes it might take some time and effort to find
that perfect poem, but it's often worth it. Lee Bennett Hopkins has edited some wonderful poetry anthologies for
particular curriculum areas, such as his 'Hand in Hand: An American History Through Poetry or his newly-released
Spectacular Science a book of poems. Poems from these books can fit into classroom units very nicely.
Journal Writing...
A good way to get students writing, in general, and to get their feelings down on paper is to have them keep
a journal. Writing resource books for kids often recommend this and I know my own children always had journal
writing time in their classrooms from elementary school on up through their high school years. Journal writing can
lead to some wonderful poetry (and prose) written by students.
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