Aug 9, 2013

POETRY FRIDAY: Cinquain Poetry

Thanks to Renee at No Water River for hosting Poetry Friday today!

In fourth grade this past year, my boys learned about cinquain poetry. I hadn’t played with this format in years, so I put it in my “ideas” file to tackle in an upcoming Poetry Friday post. The cinquain is a fun, succinct format that is perfect for kid and adult poets alike, and I am excited to explore it more today—I do love short and sweet poetry, after all!

Basically, a cinquain poem is a five-line poem that spotlights a person, place, or thing. Each line has a prescribed formula and minimal words, which can be helpful for young poets who crave structure in their writing. (As a kid, I loved using outlines for papers and stories, and the whole 5-paragraph essay formula was definitely my friend! I still outline today when writing longer works, but that is a whole other topic that I will post about one day soon...)

The cinquain format also naturally encourages kids to chose their words very carefully, and to *think* of words that really encapsulate their chosen topic. There are several variations of cinquain poetry, but for the purposes of this post I am focusing on the format most commonly found in the elementary curriculum. Here is an example that I came up with, followed by the “recipe” for a cinquain:

summer
hot, sunny
laughing, playing, relaxing
campfires and starry nights
holiday

Line #1: a noun/one-word subject

Line #2: two adjectives that describe your subject

Line #3: three verbs that end in –ing related to your subject

Line #4: a phrase about your subject  

Line #5: another noun that is a synonym for your subject
Here is another fun cinquain (yes, I am aware that I sound like an eight-year-old girl here…☺):
puppy
playful, sweet
loving, cuddling, romping
my best writing buddy
Gracie

 
Have fun trying out this fun format, and Happy Writing!

11 comments:

  1. Hi Becky, Nice to read your cinquain here. I love the cinquain too, although I've never written one in this format. I write mine
    2 4 6 8 2. It's interesting to see this style of cinquain! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I will have to do a "Cinquain Part 2" post sometime! The 2 4 6 8 2 format is the earliest cinquain format--I think the poet's name who developed it was Adelaide Crapsey. It is so interesting to me how poetic forms evolve!

      Delete
  2. Friday
    Long-awaited, cherished
    Sighing, somersaulting, shouting
    Relaxation and rest
    Weekend

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I LOVE this, Helen! Thanks so much for sharing your cinquain!!

      Delete
  3. I was already super tired before seeing the pic of Gracie- but her super comfy pose has really got me yawning now! =)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Great explanation of cinquain! Short and sweet is my motto, too. Like BJ, I'd seen it by syllable, but my daughter learned it in the format you explained. Interesting. =)

    ReplyDelete
  5. I agree, it's a great form for kids! My daughter enjoyed writing cinquains in 5th grade. Here's one of hers:

    Poem
    Easy, fun
    Expressing, writing, thinking
    I love writing poems.
    Story

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much for sharing your daughter's cinquain, Michelle! It is wonderful! = )

      Delete
  6. I happen to be in Colorado. This was fun.

    Gold
    yellow, soft
    fooling, shimmering,rushing
    made miners crazy
    nugget

    ReplyDelete

Thanks so much for visiting my blog!

Due to new COPPA laws, children under the age of 13 are not allowed to leave comments. If you are under 13, please have a parent leave your comment. Thank you! = )