Poetry Writing Worksheets

Related ELA Standard: RF.4.4.B-RF.5.4.B

Core Standard
Answer Keys Here

Writing poetry is often a complete mystery to many young writers. The goal of poetry is to help the reader capture the experience you are working to portray. The first goal is to understand what you what the reader to encounter and then you plot the journey to get them there. Poetry is often bathed in the use of imaginary using metaphors and similes. A tip that worked will for me is to always focus on using concrete words rather than abstract words. Students will practice writing various forms of poetry with these worksheets.

Poetry Writing Worksheets:

The "I Am" - Mad Libs that are done in a poem style setting. I always love these.

Acrostic Form - Choose a topic for a poem. The topic should be specific, and at least seven letters long. Although I have seen as little as five letters work, but a great deal of thought has to be done by students.

Pyramid Sormat - A pyramid poem follows a very specific format, and makes the shape of a pyramid on the page.

Write In Sensory Tone - Finish the poem by filling in the blanks with words phrases. Try to use phrases for lines 2 through 5.

Writing a Color - Brainstorm. Write down everything you can think of your color has to do with each of the senses listed.

Part 2 of It - Write your color on every line in the left-hand column. Complete the poem by filling in the blanks. Use your notes all the time.

The Autobiographical Poem - Put some thought into you and pay attention to the parts of speech that are indicated throughout the entire worksheet.

Free Verse - It is an example of free verse, the only kind of poem that has no rules at all. It does not have rhyme or regular meter. Free verse typically relies on imagery, alliteration, etc. to convey meaning.

The "I Used To" - Explore your past with us. Maybe you have learned and moved away from bad habits.

Couplets - A couplet is two lines of poetry that are about the same length, and the last word of each line rhymes. Poems can be made up of multiple couplets.

Write a Shape - A shape poem (also called concrete) is a poem in which the shape of the words on the page create the shape of the thing that the work is about.

On Your Own - Now you try to write a shape poem. Draw the shape of your subject in the space at the bottom of the page. Brainstorm what you would like to say about your subject.

Tanka - Tanka is a form of poetry that is almost 1200 years old. It is like haiku in that there is a strict format for how many syllables can be on each line. But Tanka poems are characterized by metaphorical language like simile, metaphor and personification.

Writing Limericks - A limerick is a poem that is five-lines long. It also has a specific rhyme and meter. The rhyme scheme is AABBA, and the first, second and fifth lines have three feet each with the following stressed (S) and unstressed (U) syllables: USUUSUUS.

The Cinquain - A cinquain is a poem that is five lines long, and has the following syllable pattern: 2, 4, 6, 8, 2.

Writing Poems with Alliteration - Alliteration is the intentional repetition of consonant sounds in words that appear close to each other.

You Decide - Decide on the technique you would like to use and then get to work on writing.

The Step of Writing Poetry

Here are the steps for writing high quality and well thought out poetry that will attract an audience:


Find Inspiration

The very first step to writing a poem is to find inspiration. Poems without any inspirations are not as full of feelings as they should be. Look around and find out what you want to write about. It could be your personal experience or a cause that you feel for. You can also write a poem to someone.


Choose The Type

Once you are done with the main theme of your poem, it is time to decide what type it will be. Poems have no limits. You can write any sort of poetry that you like. You also have the choice to choose between rhyming poetry and non-rhyming poetry. Prose poetry is also an option. The type of poem completely depends on the poet.


Be Descriptive

Poetry is always descriptive. It brings awareness to small details. Make sure that you have a good observation of whatever it is that you are writing about. Poems open a completely new perspective on some topics. Write descriptively. Descriptions evoke the feelings in the readers. Without descriptions, your poem will not be able to make a mark on the readers.


Create Rhyming Words

If you have decided your poetry to be rhyming, then you must give yourself enough time to come up with good rhyming words. Think of the words that are related to your topic and they rhyme. You can look for rhyming words in some book or the internet as well. It will provide you with plenty of options.


Recite The Lines

It is important to recite the lines while writing them. This is because it will let you know how your poem sounds. You can then go back and make any amendments to the lines.


Decide When You Are Finished

Poetry has no limits. It is completely dependent on the writer. It is your decision to make when you want to end your poem. You should decide how long you want your poem to be. Make sure that the last stanza is impactful.