Patterns

Submitted by: Sally Kaufmann  

Recipe Poetry is an eight line poem which states a list of items. These items make "something" which is revealed in the last line. The rhyming pattern is ABCB.

Line one: List two items and describe them.

Line two: List two more items.

Line three: Describe another item.

Line four: Make an action line as you add another part. Rhyme this with the second line.

Line five: Two more parts are added.

Line six: Add another part that's interesting.

Line seven: Try to add the unusual.

Line eight: What have you made? Rhyme it with the sixth line.

I've had some great poetry from this pattern. Unfortunately, I don't have any of my students' poems at home with me, so I am including the sample that came with the book  which was written by Eleanor Orndoff and includes her students' poems.

Bathing suits and swimming pools

Sandals and shorts

Sweat so hot

Children playing sports

Diving and splashing

Getting more "dumber"

"No school. No school."

This makes summer.

Lonely Poetry has two stanzas that tell a short story. The first stanza tells where you are. The second stanza tells what happened. The rhyming pattern is ABCB.

Line one: This phrase tells when.

Line two: These words express being alone or lonely feelings. (Alone at home...all by myself...with no one but me.)

Lines three and four: These lines tell what you did.

Lines five and six: These lines add more information.

Lines seven and eight: These lines tell what happened.

Again, this is the sample provided by the author of these patterns. It's a bit depressing; my students have done some great things (and cheerful things) with this pattern.

The first day of June

Alone at home

I watched soap operas

While I let my dog roam.

I heard a screeching noise,

Then a dog's bark

Now I'm very sad

He's buried in the park.

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