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Teaching poetry? Here are 12 consequential poem types to try with your class! Kindly go through the content and get the full details.

There are numerous types of poetry, each with unique characteristics and structures. The interaction of words and rhythm can help children understand and appreciate their surroundings and find new ways to express their feelings and thoughts.

12 Poetry Types

There are so many different kinds of poems, and many of them follow very few rules. All you have to do is choose a style that appeals to you and let your imagination run wild!

Here are 12 types of powerful poetry to try with your class:

1. Haiku

Haiku poems concentrate on a single theme, usually related to nature, weather, animals, or the seasons. The poem is 17 syllables long, divided into three short lines of 5, 7, and 5 syllables that do not rhyme.

Alternatively, the haiku is a three-line Japanese poetic form with five syllables in the first line, seven in the second, and five in the third. The haiku evolved from the hokku, which is the first three lines of a tanka, a longer poem.

In the 17th century, haiku became a distinct form of poetry.

2. Sonnet

Sonnet is a 14-line poem with a variable rhyme scheme that originated in Italy and was brought to England in the 16th century by Sir Thomas Wyatt and Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey.

The sonnet, literally a “little song,” traditionally reflects on a single sentiment, with a clarification or “turn” of thought in the final lines.

3. Acrostic

4. Diamante

There are a few guidelines to follow when writing diamante poems. They have seven lines that all follow the same pattern. The first and last lines contain one word each, the second and sixth lines contain two words each, and the third and fifth lines contain three words each.

Furthermore, lines one, four, and seven require nouns, lines two and six require adjectives, and lines three and five require verbs.

5. Tanka

The tanka is a thirty-one-syllable poem, traditionally written in a single unbroken line. A form of waka, a Japanese song or verse, tanka translates as “short song,” and is better known in its five-line, 5/7/5/7/7 syllable count form.

Tanka poems are similar to Haiku poems, but with more syllables. They usually deal with strong emotions, nature, or seasons. Tanku writing is ideal for lessons on metaphors, similes, and personification.

Read also:

• Fire and Ice
• Beat Poetry Guide: History and Examples of Beat Poetry

6. Ode

Odes are intricately structured poems that express emotion and are primarily used to honor or praise an idea, place, thing, or person.

The tone is frequently formal, providing an opportunity to experiment with rich, descriptive language in your lesson.

7. Ballad

Ballads are typically narrative poems. They’re like light, simple stories that are occasionally set to music. They are frequently sentimental or romantic.

It is a poem in verse form composed of three main stanzas and one concluding stanza known as an envoi, each of which ends with a repeated last line (referred to as the refrain line). The first three stanzas are eight lines long, and the envoi is four lines long.

8. Limerick

Limericks are typically humorous short stories or descriptions. These humorous poems have five lines. The first, second, and fifth lines all rhyme, whereas the third and fourth lines, are shorter and rhyme differently.

These examples from students all over the world will make you laugh and give you ideas for your own limerick lesson!

9. Cinquain

A Cinquain, also known as a quintain or quintet, is a five-line poem or stanza. More information on the Cinquain Form. Cinquains can be found in many European languages, and their origins can be traced back to medieval French poetry.

Cinquain poems have only five lines and adhere to a strict pattern. They have two syllables in the first line, four in the second, six in the third, eight in the fourth, and two in the final.

10. Calligram

Calligrams are also known as shape poems. The poem’s text is organized in such a way that it forms a visual representation of the word itself or represents an aspect of the subject of the poem.

A calligram is a poem in which the calligraphy, letter formation, or font used represents an aspect of the poem’s subject.

Simply put, we can say is a picture painted in words.

11. Kenning

Kenning’s poems are based on Norse and Anglo-Saxon poetry. You take two nouns per line and combine them with hyphens.

Then, as a mild translation or metaphor for something else, use them. The goal is to describe something without revealing what it is.

12. Free Verse

Free verse poetry lacks a consistent structure, patterns, or rhyming and can have lines of any length, ranging from a single word to several lines.