Practice identifying poetic elements in examples of poems with a poetry sorting activity for fourth grade and fifth grade.
Let’s Learn the Elements of a Poem!
Anyone can write a poem, but it is writing a good poem that makes a poet. A good poem is an organized whole, with several elements working together to present a beautiful and pleasing language composition. Poetry is unique in that it includes rhythm, rhyme, and other sound devices and is structured differently from other texts.
This resource is a matching activity. Students will be given poetry examples to read and analyze. They will then match those poems with poetic element definition cards based on the poetic device or poetic structure highlighted on the card. There are 24 cards, each with a unique, short poem for students to work with. This resource also includes an answer key.
To play
- Lay the poetry element strips out horizontally. Place all of the poem example cards face-up.
- Take turns matching the poetry cards into correct categories based on the poetic element seen in the poem.
Through this matching activity, students will be able to identify poetic elements and poetic structures when given examples of poems to analyze.
Tips for Differentiation + Scaffolding
A team of dedicated, experienced educators created this resource to support your Poetry lessons.
In addition to individual student work time, use this poetic device game to enhance learning through guided reading groups, whole class lessons, or remote learning assignments.
If you have a mixture of above and below-level learners, check out these suggestions for keeping students on track with the concepts:
🆘 Support Struggling Students
- Help students who need help understanding the concepts by completing the activity in a 1:1 setting or with a partner for support.
- Additionally, provide access to previous assignments, poetry posters, and anchor charts for students to recall past lessons.
➕ Challenge Fast Finishers
- Challenge your fast finishers to write poems using different examples of poetic elements.
🧑🏫 Group Lesson (or Other Activity)
- This activity also works well as a whole group activity. Using a document camera or projector, display the poems and analyze them as a group. Have students write their answers on a whiteboard or paper.
Easily Prepare This Resource for Your Students
Use the dropdown icon on the Download button to choose between the PDF or Google Slides version of this resource. An answer key is included with this download.
Print on cardstock for added durability and longevity. Place all pieces in a folder or large envelope for easy access.
This resource was created by Jennifer Hall, a teacher in North Carolina and a Teach Starter Collaborator.
Don’t stop there! We’ve got more activities and resources to add significantly to your National Poetry Month lesson plans!
Investigate poetic elements with an interactive Elements of Poetry teaching slide deck. Use this alliteration poem example and accompanying worksheets to teach your students how to write an alliteration poem.
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Elements of Poetry - Instructional Slide Deck
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Alliteration Poem Poster and Templates
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