Examples:

Guidelines:
In its completed form, the acrostic should make a statement about the topic title.  The sentences may start with any part of speech.  Ask for suggestions for additional acrostic subjects.  Don't be afraid to experiment!  Strive for colorful impressions.  Go beyond the ordinary in your choice of words and phrases.
 

Definition:  This poetic form was invest by the poet, Paul West who must have had a sense of humor!  There are many variations of this alphabet poetry starting with the wise selection of topic.  Choose one that has many possibilities such as food, sports, animals, geography or whatever challenges you.  The length of the lines is your choice.   Listen for rhythm and effect.

Examples:

Guidelines:  There is, as you may have guessed, a problem with the letters Q, X, and Z.  Since there are not poetry police, you may use words that have the sounds of Q, X, and Z.  You may also use some appropriate fashion adjectives in place of fashion nouns, such as flashy, bizarre, macho, odd, and outrageous.  Try working with topics such as food, malling, or sports.  I you select a geographic subject, select places or rivers that have strange names.  You may need some cooperative research to satisfy the alphabetic pattern.
 
 

Definition:  A catalog poem is a list of items that deals with articles in a particular group.  A poetic list may define the qualities of a person, a place, an adventure or anything that captures a vivid description for the reader.  Catalog poems may be found in ancient writings, as in Homer's Iliad and the book of Genesis.  This pattern in its most elegant form (as in praise on a tombstone) may also be called a "lapidary."  It is also found in romantic and modern down-to-earth subjects.

Examples:

Guidelines:  Think in terms of subjects which lend themselves to lists of vivid qualities:  A birthday greeting in praise of a friend, a Thanksgiving menu, a winning game, the qualities of a great day, the awesome tools on your grandfather's bench, your sister's coin collection, the things money can't buy.  Keep the sentences short and sweet.  Pick a punchy title for the list.  Look up the word lapidary.  Why is it connected to a positive expression?
 

Definition:  An unrhymed form of poetry invented by Adelaid Crapsey whose topics were delicate and sad!  The original cinquain (pronounced sin-cane) had a set number of five lines and syllabic patter of two, four, six, eight, and two on respective lines.  As this form developed and was use din school, there are transformation in topics and patterns brought about by students themselves.

Examples:

Guidelines:  Brainstorm topics that are unusual for cinquain as a mood piece.  Think of art, music, science, history, famous women, distinguished athletes.  One is formed by a rigid pattern of cinquain to find exactly the right term without a wasteful word to spare!
 
 

Definition:  This humorous biographic form was named after it's creator, Edmund Clerihew Bentley, who wrote the first Clerihew poem about himself.  It's a quatrain (four lines) based on someone's name and is designed to give a clue about the personality of the person in the poem.  They rhyme scheme is a, a, b, b.  Finding thyme words for names can be a problem, therefore the write may use the first or the last name in order to compose a rhyme.

Examples:

Guidelines:  This is a fun exercise using names -but remember - people feel keenly about their family names so it is not appropriate to use the name of someone you know.  You may make fun of your own name as much as you please.  Try using make believe names, the names of celebrities or any you have heard that you think are peculiar and have rhyming possibilities.  A great one for the strange name category is the surname, Kadickle!  What is a surname?  What's a given name?  Just for fun, can you think of names with great rhyming possibilities?  (Kadickle rhymes with pickle!)
 
 

Definition:  A couplet is made up of two people, two things, two of everything.  And so in verse, a couplet is name up of two lines that rhyme, usually in iambic pentameter.  (Listen to the rhyme and your ears will help you understand.)  A complete idea may be expressed in a couplet or a long poem may be made up of many couplets.  These poems may be humorous or serious.

Examples:

Guidelines:  The challenge of writing a couplet is being able to express a complete though in two lines of rhyme.  Brainstorm rhyme words that have many creative possibilities.   Make a list so you can see some of the pairs that will make a quick statement on a subject.  Fit the pairs into a complete couplet statement, checking and adjusting for the correct rhythm and syllable beats.  Compile the couplets that lend themselves to illustrations.  Think:  pack, track, back; or troupe, soup, group;  or fire, tire, wire, higher;  or letter, better, sweater.  Display these punchy couplets!  Remember they must make sense.
 

Definition:  Diamante is the Italian word for diamond.  This poetic form, created by the great poet Iris Tiedt, takes the form of a diamond when it's completed.  There are two patterns to choose from - both of which must be viewed visually to appreciate.  Pattern 1 develops one topic.  Pattern 2 starts out with one theme and in the middle begins to move toward the opposite theme.

Construction: 
 

Guidelines:  Discuss the two pattern of diamante poetry.  First line the "positive" subjects that would work well to expand, such as getting stronger, a goo mark, swimming, winning a contest, a new bike, a wish fulfilled or learning a skill.  Add to the variety of those positive items.  Try an upbeat diamante based on the list.  Now list opposite subjects for a different diamond pattern.  Strong to weak, dark to light, hungry to well fed, frightened to courageous, friendless to being befriended.
 
 

Definition:  The haiku is a Japanese verse in three lines.  Line one has 5 syllables, line two has 7 syllables, and line three has 5 syllables.  The 17 syllables are a compressed for which is a composition in praise of nature.  Many original books of haiku verse in Japanese are illustrated gracefully in pen and ink sketches which capture the essence of a simple moment in nature.  Haiku is a mood piece in which there is no rhyme and there are no metaphors or similes!  There is a rhythmic difference between Japanese and English, therefore much is lost in the translation. 

Examples:

Guidelines:  Practice the skill of syllabication, as a class, by tapping out syllables against the desk or by clapping.  Say the words out loud in unison to help three rhythmic exercise.  Read aloud to check syllabication and appreciate the variations. 
 

Definition:  Edward Lear (1812-1888) wielded a masterful hand with this form and was given credit for popularizing it.  Limericks make fun of everything and everybody.  The lilt of a limerick is captivating and helps the listener catch on.  This form is a five line poem, written in anapestic rhythm (a metrical foot composed of two short syllables followed by one long one).  Lines 1, 2, and 5 contain three beats which rhyme.  Lines 3 and 4 contain two beats that rhyme.  Rhyming patter is a, a, b, b, a.

Examples:

Guidelines:  Don't be daunted!!  When you hear a limerick, your ears will help your brain understand the irresistible rhythm.  Limericks are often ridiculous.  An important clue to the composition of a limerick is to find rhyming words with many possibilities.  Remember!  You only need a set of two words to complete the composition.  Find rhyming words that can be worked into a humorous sketch.  The last line, which is the summing up, will take some brain power!!  Remember that limericks beg for outrageous cartoons to bring them to life.  Start with face, grace, trace, salami, pastrami.  Do those words suggest a possibility to you?  Try: read, seed, feed, hog, dog;  or afternoon, baboon, cartoon, monsoon.
 

Definition:  The clue to this poetic form is in its title.  A quart of something is a fourth, a quart is four cups, and a quadrangle has four angles.  A quatrain, then, is written in four verses with different rhyme schemes.  It may be written as:  a, a, b, b   or   a, a, a, a   or   a, b, c, b   or   a, b, a, b.  It is a nice arrangement which allows for a compact statement.

Examples:

Guidelines:  Examine all the rhyme scheme variations.  Though all of the examples are lighthearted, there are many quatrains that are serious which will match pattern above.  Look at a quatrain and find its pattern. 
 
 

Definition:  Skeltonic verse was invented by the English poet John Skelton (1460-1529).  It is a form which is incredibly simple and is a long as the poets have more words in their heads.  The lines are short and the end rhymes goes on until the poet strikes another good rhyme word to work with.  It is spontaneous, humorous and goes wildly on its way!  Skeltonic verse is also called "tumbling verse,"  and you can easily see why!

Examples:

Guidelines:  This could be a spectacular project!  It could go on and on and on.  It is a challenge to focus on a subject and find the words that are versatile.  You may change your rhyming words in the middle of your little verse.  Skeltonic verse is between two and five lines long, but yours may be longer.  do try to make some kind of sense relevant to the topic each time.