How to Do a Grammar Poem
Grammar poems are a specific type of poetry which use the grammatical make-up of a poem to teach students proper grammar. Grammar poems combine a student's creativity with a grammar lesson, such as subordinate clauses and conjunctions and correct punctuation. A grammar poem typically uses one to two stanzas of five lines each.There is a specific structure to follow when doing a grammar poem.
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Instructions
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Set up the poem by following a pattern of subordinate-subject-verb, according to Hot Chalk. A subordinate word is a transition word, such as 'when', 'since', 'unless' and 'while.' Subordinate words fall into categories such as place, time, cause and condition, adversative and concession.
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Begin your grammar poem with a subordinate word. Each of your first four lines must begin with a subordinate word and must be an incomplete thought or sentence. Start each line with an initial upper-case letter.
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Separate the first four lines of each stanza with a comma. Make your word order like this: Subordinate word, Subject, Verb, for the first four lines in the stanza. When you finish the fifth line in each stanza, use a period for punctuation.
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Complete the first stanza with the fifth and final sentence. This line must be a complete thought but cannot start with a subordinate word.
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Write the second stanza the same as the first, using the word order of Subordinate word, Subject, Verb for the first four lines. Write the last line without a subordinate word at the beginning.
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Keep your poem focused. The two stanzas work together to complete the poem. Even though you use incomplete sentences in the first four lines of each stanza, the last line should sum up the first four lines.
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Review your poem to check for thought consistency, flow and grammar. Notice how the first four lines in each stanza begin with a subordinate word relating to time or causation.
Stanza One
While I sat at the lake,
Before I went to fish,
While waiting for the boat to come,
Because I had a dish,
I took my bait out of the tackle box.
Stanza Two
Unless I was mistaken,
Whomever I went fishing with,
Caused worms to be in the dish,
Now that he did arrive,
We could bait our poles together.
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Tips & Warnings
Use a grammar poem to teach different concepts like prepositional phrases.
Add more than two stanzas for an older group of students or just one stanza for younger students learning grammar.
References
Resources
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