Quatrain Lesson Plans

Third graders complete a unit on poetry. They read and analyze the poetic elements of limericks, haikus, and quatrains, and compose original poems of each form of poetry.

Students compose poems based upon marine life. In this poetry lesson, students research an ocean-related topic and share the information they gathered with the class. Students are introduced to various types of poetry, such as limericks, cinquains, and quatrains. The students then create an original poem by using the research they gathered.

Students explore China and analyze Chinese Ink Painting as well as incorporating poetry into artwork. With the theme of "Peace" as their foundation, in groups they practice painting bamboo with an original Quatrain poem.

Eighth graders focus on the Shakespearian sonnet as a form and analyze the sonnet in terms of structure, the particular rhyme scheme of the quatrains and the rhyming couplet, the rhythm of iambic pentameter, as well as any figurative language.

Second graders write rhyming poems. In this poetry writing lesson plan, 2nd graders discuss the meaning of the word "funny." They use word tiles to create a rhyming poem which they transpose into their writing journals. They listen to readings from Shel Silverstein's, Where the Sidewalk Ends." They use the tiles to compose a quatrain which they also write in their journals.

Second graders examine several examples of poetry in the six lessons of this unit. The lessons focus on five poetic forms, couplets, quatrains, limericks, Haiku, and free verse.

Students compose couplets, quatrains, and sonnets after learning about Italian and English sonnets. In this sonnets lesson plan, students read sonnets, analyze them, connect them to the Renaissance and present times, and then write their own.

Students become familiar with surrealism through the artwork of Hieronymus Bosch. In this Bosch lesson, students explore symmetry and surrealism. Students create step by drawings on the computer in the style of Hieronymus Bosch. Students write verse with their drawings.

Students read various examples of poetry and create a poetry portfolio. In this poetry writing activity, students work at their own pace to complete a poetry portfolio with examples of the different poetic forms demonstrated.  Students complete a contract with students about their work through this unit. Students type and illustrate each poem.

Students relate ballads and blues stanzas of the Harlem Renaissance to music. In this poetry lesson, exercises and activities help students recognize the iamb, anapest, trochee, and dactyl. The ballad measures activity allows students to actually measure lines of the ballad.