LEARN NC

K–12 teaching and learning · from the UNC School of Education

Positively poetry

Students will be learning about and writing limericks. Since limericks follow a strict rhyming pattern and word count, the students will work in partners to create their own limericks.

A lesson plan for grades 2–4 English Language Arts and Information Skills

By Maribeth Warren, Pam Purifoy, and Tracy Dagenhart

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Learning outcomes

Students will enjoy composing their own limericks following the appropriate form. They will publish these limericks using a word processing program and share the limericks with the class.

Teacher planning

Time required for lesson

70 minutes

Materials/resources

  • pencil and paper
  • limericks for samples and form

Technology resources

  • Computers with a word processing program such as Microsoft Works or Word for typing finished limericks
  • Printer - to print finished products
  • Multimedia projector or AverKey to introduce and provide examples of limericks
  • Scanner (if you wish to scan pictures to illustrate limericks)

Pre-activities

It would be helpful for students to have editing and basic word processing skills. A mini-lesson on rhyming words would also be beneficial.

Activities

  1. Teacher will begin by checking for prior knowledge of limericks and rhyming words (5 min.). The teacher will then show examples of limericks and discuss the specific forms of limericks using the websites listed below. (10 min.)
  2. After giving the examples of limericks and discussing their specific forms, brainstorm some easy names to rhyme. (5-10 min.)
  3. Have students work in partners to create limericks of their own being careful to follow the specific form. Students will need help making lines 1, 2, and 5 rhyme, making 3 and 4 shorter and creating a funny or surprising line 5.
  4. Students will edit first drafts, correcting all spelling and punctuation. (5-10 min.)
  5. After the limericks have been approved by the teacher, the students will work together to type the limericks using a word processing program on the computer. Students will experiment with font styles and sizes. (20 min.) Students should remember to save work to a disk before printing to allow for any future changes.
  6. The students will then illustrate the limericks which will be scanned onto the computer. After printing the limericks and pictures, the students will share them using an author’s chair format. They will enjoy listening to this funny type of poetry. The students can evaluate the shared limericks by discussing the forms and the surprising fifth lines. (20 min.)!

Assessment

Poems should follow the limerick format: lines 1, 2, and 5 must rhyme while lines 3 & 4 are shorter. The fifth line should be surprising or funny. Poems should be graded on a rubric, but remember these limericks are for enjoyment and self-expression.

Supplemental information

  • a rhyming dictionary (Scholastic) may be helpful or a list of easy to rhyme with names.
  • any poetry book: I Can Write a Poem by Patricia Carratello

Comments

After students chose someone to write a limerick about, I had them brainstorm and list rhyming words to use later. I also had my students ask permission from other students to be able to use the other student’s name in the limericks. I ability grouped my partners to make the process be more successful and go more quickly. If you teach mainly high students, they could write limericks on their on. If you teach lower students, they could be given certain lines (ex. lines 1 & 2) and could make up the other lines.

North Carolina curriculum alignment

English Language Arts (2004)

Grade 3

  • Goal 2: The learner will apply strategies and skills to comprehend text that is read, heard, and viewed.
    • Objective 2.03: Read a variety of texts, including:
      • fiction (short stories, novels, fantasies, fairy tales, fables).
      • nonfiction (biographies, letters, articles, procedures and instructions, charts, maps).
      • poetry (proverbs, riddles, limericks, simple poems).
      • drama (skits, plays).
  • Goal 4: The learner will apply strategies and skills to create oral, written, and visual texts.
    • Objective 4.03: Share written and oral products in a variety of ways (e.g., author's chair, book making, publications, discussions, presentations).
    • Objective 4.07: Compose a variety of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama selections using self-selected topics and forms (e.g., poems, simple narratives, short reports, learning logs, letters, notes, directions, instructions).
    • Objective 4.10: Explore technology as a tool to create a written product.

  • Common Core State Standards

    • English Language Arts (2010)

      • Reading: Literature

        • Grade 2
          • 2.RL.4 Describe how words and phrases (e.g., regular beats, alliteration, rhymes, repeated lines) supply rhythm and meaning in a story, poem, or song.
        • Grade 4
          • 4.RL.5 Explain major differences between poems, drama, and prose, and refer to the structural elements of poems (e.g., verse, rhythm, meter) and drama (e.g., casts of characters, settings, descriptions, dialogue, stage directions) when writing or speaking...

      • Writing

        • Grade 3
          • 3.W.4 With guidance and support from adults, produce writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task and purpose. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1–3 above.)
        • Grade 4
          • 4.W.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1–3 above.)