Writing Prompts for Poetry About People and Places

Do your students have trouble coming up with topic ideas for their poetry writing? Teach Starter has a solution!

Our team has created a set of 16 poetry writing prompts based on the theme of people and places. Each prompt is designed to inspire students to explore a different person or place, from friendly farmers and sports stars to lazy beaches and busy cities. These carefully designed prompts not only offer topic inspiration but also include three rhyming words to incorporate into the poem, sparking creativity and making the process of writing poetry more approachable for students.

Example Prompt: Write a poem about the beach. Try using words like sun, fun or run.

Some of the topics included in this set of poetry prompts include:

• The Helpful Doctor
• The Racecar Driver
• The Zoo
• The Playground
• The Astronaut
• And many more!

Using These Writing Prompts for Poetry in Your Classroom

These versatile poetry prompts can be used in multiple ways when teaching poetry writing to your students. Here are a few suggestions from our experienced teacher team:

1. Independent Writing Activity – Have the students select a poetry prompt that interests them and ask them to write a poem independently, incorporating the suggested rhyming words. This encourages individual creativity while giving students a clear direction to follow.
2. Collaborative Poetry Writing – Divide the class into small groups and assign each group a different prompt. Students can work together to create a collaborative poem, combining their ideas and building on each other’s suggestions. This activity promotes teamwork and idea-sharing.
3. Poetry Reading or Showcase – Host a poetry reading where students can share their poems with the class. Encourage them to incorporate props or costumes into their presentations, turning them into a multi-sensory experience.

This set of writing prompts for poetry can be adapted to suit students of different ages and skill levels, making it an ideal resource for any teacher looking to introduce poetry writing to their students.

Download These Writing Prompts for Poetry

This resource can be downloaded as a full-color PDF or editable Google Slides file. Use the Download button above to select your preferred file format.

Print the cards on cardstock to increase the durability of the resource. Place the cards together in a large envelope or ziplock bag for safekeeping.

This resource was created by Samantha Rose, a teacher in Florida and a Teach Starter collaborator.

More Poetry Writing Resources for Your Classroom

Teach Starter understands that you want to spend less time planning and more time teaching! Click below to access more great poetry writing resources to make planning your poetry unit a breeze!

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