How Do You Write a Ballad?

When it comes to storytelling through poetry, ballads are an obvious choice. But how do you write a ballad? Here’s what you need to know when it comes to teaching your students about writing this famous form of poetry:

• Purpose – The purpose of a ballad is to tell a story.
• Structure – Ballads have several verses of four lines each.
• Rhythm – Ballads have a song-like rhythm that is created by the number of syllables included in each line. 
• Rhyme – Ballads usually follow an ABCB rhyming pattern.

Easily Teach How to Write a Ballad

Writing poetry can be intimidating for beginners, especially due to its abstract and creative nature. That’s why Teach Starter team has created this set of four worksheets to guide your students through the process of planning and writing a ballad on a topic of their choice. By scaffolding each step, the task of writing a ballad becomes less daunting. 

Here’s what you will discover inside this ballad template pack:

1. Ballad Overview – This page explains everything your students need to know about ballads. It also includes an example ballad.
2. Ballad Graphic Organizers – These page supports students in brainstorming topics and vocabulary for their own ballad.
3. Ballad Scaffolding Sheet and Checklist – This page provides a scaffold and checklist to support students in writing a ballad.
4. Ballad Writing Sheet – This page has been included for students to produce a polished final copy of their ballad.

Engaging with this resource will provide your students with the necessary know-how to plan and write an engaging and well-structured ballad.

Download This Ballad Template

This resource downloads as an easy-print PDF or an editable Google Slides file. Use the Download button to access your preferred version of this resource. Please note that you will be prompted to make a copy of the Google Slides file before accessing it.

Brittany Collins, a teacher in Indiana and a Teach Starter collaborator, contributed to this resource.

More Poetry Writing Templates From Teach Starter

Looking to explore more forms of poetry with your students? Click below for more age-appropriate poetry templates to use in your poetry lessons:

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