Creating Different Types of Poetry

Introducing Acrostic & Haiku

Kelly Richardson

Grand Canyon University: TEC 539/ Team Red

July 07, 2011

ACROSTIC

An acrostic poem sometimes called a name poem, uses a word for its

subject. Then each line of the poem begins with a letter from the subject

word. This type of poetry doesn’t have to rhyme (Acrostic Poem, 2011).

Rules to Writing an Acrostic Poem

Your poem can be on any subject and can be written in different ways. The simplest form is to put the letters that spell your subject vertically down the page with each letter being capitalized and on its own line (Acrostic Poetry, 2011).

For example:

A

C

R

O

S

T

I

C

Rules cont’d….

After vertically placing letters on the page, go back to each letter and think of a word, phrase or sentence that begins with the letter and is also describing the subject.

Here we go…

An acrostic poem

Can be

Read vertically

On a page, using

Sentences, words or phrases

That describes its topic

In which each beginning letter is

Capitalized

For Example….

A fun way to begin writing acrostic poems is to describe yourself using your first name!

Check out my example!

Kind

Easy going

Loveable

Loyal

Your friend

HAIKU

A haiku (from the Japanese culture) is a poem that doesn’t rhyme. It paints a mental

image in the reader’s mind. Haiku combines form, content, and language in a

meaningful, yet compact form. Many themes for haikus include nature, feelings, or experiences (Haiku Lesson 19, 2011).

When Writing a Haiku…

The most common form for haiku is three short lines.

First Line: 5 syllables

Second Line: 7 syllables

Third Line: 5 syllables

The challenge…

Getting all of a poem’s meaning in just 17 syllables.

When Writing a Haiku Cont’d…Things to think about…

Pick a topic of interest (it will be your theme)

Decide on your purpose for writing poem

Think about the mood you want to convey

Brainstorm descriptive words on the Haiku skeleton

Remember the 5, 7, 5 syllables in 3 lines rule

Examples of a Haiku

With paper and pen

I experiment haikus

Writing them in class

References

Acrostic Poem. (n.d.). Retrieved July 06, 2011 from http://cuip.uchicago.edu/

Acrostic Poetry. (n.d.) Retrieved July 07, 2011 from http://www.edu.pe.ca

Google Images. (n.d.). Retrieved July 08, 2011 from http://www.google.com/imgres?

Haiku lesson 19. (n.d.). Retrieved July 06, 2011 from

http://volweb.utk.edu/