R is for Rhyme: A Poetry Alphabet

Author: Judy Young Illustrator: Victor Juhasz

Guide written by Cheryl Grinn

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Try a Synonym

Synonym sounds like cinnamon doesn’t it? Look at those yummy cinnamon doughnuts. Can you think of other words that mean doughnut? Perhaps sinker, or friedcakes? Those words are examples of synonyms. Enjoy reading about synonyms in R is for Rhyme.

Write a synonym for each of the following words.

1. go _____________________________2. answer _________________________3. world ___________________________4. children _________________________5. make ____________________________6. think ____________________________7. right _____________________________8. help _____________________________9. food _____________________________10 run ______________________________

Write two words and have a friend write a synonym for each one. 1.2.

No Rules Poetry Enjoy reading the free verse poem “White Rabbits with Red Wings” in R is for Rhyme.

It’s your turn to write some free verse poetry. NO RULES. Just be creative and have fun. Use your imagination.

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All about Alliteration

Alliteration is when words start with the same sound, such as wily Willie wins. Discover how alliteration is used by poets in Ris for Rhyme.

Complete each line using alliteration.

1. Four funny frogs _____________________________________________2. Wicked witches ________________________________________________3. Goofy green grapes ____________________________________________4. Howling hyenas ______________________________________________5. Two twinkle-toed ______________________________________________6. Looney Larry _________________________________________________7. A beautiful black butterfly ___________________________________8. Silly soap suds _______________________________________________9. Ten teeth tromped _____________________________________________10. Tubby tomatoes ______________________________________________

Write two alliterative sentences of your own. 1._________________________________________________________________2. ________________________________________________________________

Antonyms

Synonyms are words that have the same meaning. Antonyms are words that have opposite meanings. Discover how these word forms are used in poetry in R is for Rhyme.

Replace each underlined word with its antonym.

1. The little boy rode his tricycle. ____________

2. Look below the water to see the sun. ___________

3. The skunk has many enemies. _______________

4. Never brush your teeth after meals. ____________

5. The roof was so low the ladder couldn’t reach it. __________

6. Do you have an answer? ___________________

7. Seven is an even number. _____________

8. A short vowel says its own name. _________________

9. That is way too little ice cream for me to eat. _______________

10. I always get up early each night. __________________

Learn about many different styles of poetry in the book R is for Rhyme.Is there a style you prefer? Use any style you choose to write a poem about the picture below.

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Friendship Cinquain

Cinquains are poems with five lines. Learn about AdelaideCrapsey and the style of cinquains she developed in R is for Rhyme.

Interview a friend using these questions. 1. Name 2. Ask them to give adjectives describing themselves3. Activities they enjoy 4. What makes them a good friend 5. Nickname

Friendship Cinquain

_______________ Name

_______________________ Two adjectives describing the person

_________________________________________ Three action words

_______________________________________________ Four word phrase about friendship

__________________ nickname

FIND ANOTHER WAY TO SAY IT !

One of the challenges in writing poetry is finding the right word to make your poem work. You can find many types of poetry in R is for Rhyme.Notice the way the author makes her poems work.

This assignment will help you learn to say things in different ways.

Write a one-page description of “eating a birthday cake.”You may NOT use the following words: birthday, cake, or fork. Good Luck!

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Working Word Ladders

Lewis Carroll was the inventor of the doublet. You can learn about doublets on the D page of R is for Rhyme. Review the “Rain to Snow” doublet to see how word ladders work.

Solve these word ladders.

dog to cat sick to well

_________ __________ _________ __________ _________ __________

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dry to wet less to more

________ ____________ ________ ____________ ________ ____________ ________ ____________ ________ ____________

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Group Poetry

Rhyming is fun and easy. Some of the first poetry you wrote was probably end rhyme poetry. Read the poem “How Would You Act” on the E page of R is for Rhyme.

1. Arrange students in groups of four. 2. Each student will start their own two-line end rhyme poem. 3. After you’ve finished your two lines, pass your poem to the person on your right. They will add two more lines to your poem. 4. Continue passing the poems until each student has written two lines on all four poems. 5. Share your poems with the group.

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The Nature of Haiku

Haiku is a very old form of Japanese poetry dating back to the1600s. Discover how to write haiku from reading the H page in Ris for Rhyme.

Make a haiku poetry book with illustrations. Put at least six haiku poems and illustrations in your book. Use construction paper for the cover. Remember that haiku poetry is about nature.

Write your haiku here.

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Huh?

Have you ever read a poem and found a word that did not make sense? Did you think the author made a mistake? Poets enjoy playing with words. They even make up words. Read the Z page of R is for Rhyme to understand more about zany words.

Write a poem of your own using a few zany words. They can be either real or made-up. Be creative and have fun!

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When you write a poem, you paint a picture with words. This is called imagery. Look for the imagery found in the many poems in R is for Rhyme.

Practice using imagery. Using the five senses (touch, smell,hearing, sight, taste), describe the below subjects.

A river _______________________________________________

A horse ______________________________________________

Clouds _______________________________________________

A pumpkin ____________________________________________

A sour pickle __________________________________________

Church bells __________________________________________

Write rhyming lines about each of these words. Make sure you check your imagery to help you.

TV Jingles

You know the catchy tunes that you hear on commercials and you can’t get them out of your mind? Those are called jingles. They’re meant to be catchy and to help you remember the product. Learn how to write a jingle on the J page of R is for Rhyme.

Choose a product; for example – ice cream, fruit, toy, etc. Write a jingle about that product. Set your jingle to music and perform it for your class.

Limericks

Limericks are meant to be funny and silly. Enjoy the limerick “The Ballerina” on the L page of R is for Rhyme.

Try writing a limerick using this template. Fill in the blanks.

There once was a __________________ from ______________. Everyday he/she hoped ________________________________.But whenever he/she _________________________________,The _______________________________________________.That silly _______________________ from ________________.

Now write your own limerick. Be creative and have fun.

Tell a Story Using Poetry

Narrative poetry is fun to read and write because it tells a story. You will enjoy reading the narrative poem “Reading Homer” on the N page in R is for Rhyme.

Think of a short story that you would like to tell – perhaps something you have done or a place you had fun. Try writing your story as a narrative poem. It’s not as hard as you think. Just give it a try.

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When you look at a picture poem, you can tell the subject of the poem before you read it. How? The poem is written in the shape of the subject. Turn to the P page of R is for Rhyme and learn all about picture poems.

Use the shapes to try and write a picture poem.

Throughout time, poetry has been a favorite form of expression for people. Many poets enjoy writing in a certain style of poetry. Find a favorite style for each of these poets in R is for Rhyme.

Match the styles listed at the bottom of the page with the poets listed.

1. Stephen Vincent Benét _____________________________2. Lewis Carroll _____________________________________3. Robert Frost ______________________________________4. e.e. cummings _____________________________________5. Matsuo Bash _____________________________________6. Ogden Nash _______________________________________7. William Shakespeare ________________________________8. Dylan Thomas _____________________________________

***************************************************sonnet villanelle free verse ballad

haiku doublet limerick narrative ****************************************************

What’s your favorite poetry style? __________________________

Rap is Fun

Rap poetry can be loads of fun to perform. It can be even more funto write. A rap can be written about any subject. Have fun reading the “Cowboy Rap” in R is for Rhyme.

Work with a partner to write a rap poem. Practice it and be ready to perform it for the class.

____________ Rap

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The Mystery of Similes and Metaphors

In R is for Rhyme you can solve the mystery of similes and metaphors. Poets use both poetic tools to help make their poetry magical.

Put an S in front of each sentence that contains a simile and an M in front of each that contains a metaphor.

1. _________ John’s muscle is as hard as a rock. 2. _________The new snow sparkled like diamonds in the moonlight.3. ________The army of ants attacked a piece of cake. 4. ________Joan’s top banana in the class. 5. ________Sean’s stomach is a bottomless pit. 6. ________Our car was as cold as ice this morning. 7. ________Carol is a clown. 8. ________Cary’s smile is as bright as the sun. 9. ________The horse’s tail was as soft as silk. 10. _______Superman has a body as strong as steel.

Swish, Boom, BangWhen a word sounds like the noise it makes, it is an example of onomatopoeia. R is for Rhyme explains two different types of onomatopoeia.

Write three descriptive sentences using euphonic words.

1. ________________________________________________________________

2. _______________________________________________________________

3. ________________________________________________________________

Write three descriptive sentences using cacophonous words.

1. ________________________________________________________________

2. ________________________________________________________________

3. ________________________________________________________________

Write two descriptive sentences describing this picture.

1. ________________________________________________________________

2. ________________________________________________________________

You have learned that when you write, your piece needs to have a voice. The voice of a poem is determined by the pronoun that is used. Discover how to use voice in poetry in R is for Rhyme.

Decide if each of the following sentences is written in 1st, 2nd, or 3rd person.

1. You are a leaf _________________ 2. He flew around the gardener’s bloom ___________________ 3. I can’t escape the shape of my shadow __________________4. If you were a horse, you’d run of course _________________ 5. When he was little he wiggled his toes __________________ 6. My mother, she was not a fool _________________________ 7. They said the day would be gray ________________________8. If you are a child should you be wild _____________________

Using descriptive language when you write will help to hold your reader’s interest. As you read the poetry in R is for Rhyme you will discover how the author uses great descriptive language in her poetry.

Brainstorming descriptive words will be helpful to you when you write poetry. Write as many descriptive words as you can for each of the following words.

flower tree dog

winter turkey clouds

Dreams of Xanadu

Have you ever visited Xanadu? Maybe you have! Learn about Xanadu in the book R is for Rhyme. Each person has their own vision of Xanadu.

Write a poem about your Xanadu using any poetry style you wish.

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Draw an illustration of your Xanadu.

R is for Rhyme Answer Sheet

Try a Synonym- 1) leave, depart 2) reply, response 3) earth, globe 4) youngster, kids 5) build, construct 6) consider, believe 7) correct, proper 8) assist, aid 9) nourishment, edibles 10) gallop, trot

Different Stroke for Different Folks- 1) ballad 2) doublet 3) narrative4) free verse 5) haiku 6) limerick 7) sonnet 8) villanelle

Find Your Voice- 1) 2nd 2) 3rd 3) 1st 4) 2nd 5) 3rd 6) 1st 7) 3rd

8) 2nd

Working Word Ladders- dog, dot, cot, cat sick, silk, sill, sell, well dry, day, bay, bat, bet, wet less, loss, lose, love, move, more

The Mystery of Similes and Metaphors- 1) S 2) S 3) M 4) M 5) M 6) S 7) M 8) S 9) S 10) S

Antonyms- 1) girl 2) above 3) friends 4) always 5) high 6) question 7) odd 8) long 9) much 10) morning