Poetry is difficult for some students to write. One fun poetry technique to discuss and to write is alliteration. It adds pizazz to any poem or prose. Once students learn it, they will love playing with words. The following lesson will teach the technique of alliteration, allow students to practice writing alliteration and ask the students to write a fun alliterative poem.
Define Alliteration and Give Examples
Alliteration -- The repetition of consonants at the beginning of words in poetry or any writing.
Examples of Alliteration:
- Bobby broke his bat at Bart's house.
- Sugar makes the sauce sweet.
- The worm wiggled when we touched its wet skin.
- The pots and pans were Peter's prized possessions.
Example Alliterative Poem -- Share the poem and discuss with the students the examples of alliteration. Tell the students that most poetry will only have one or two lines that use this technique.
Sea Surprise
The swimmers swam and searched in the sea
The special sea shells hid beneath the sand
The children screamed and splashed to the land
The dolphin surprised and scared the children in the sea
Alliteration Activity
- Make student handouts with one capital letter per page. The letter should be centered and large.
- Each student should be given a different letter if possible.
- Tell students to write four to six lines that start with the letter. Each line could be one word or more words that start with the letter. These words should form a sentence or tell a simple story. Students can add color and pictures if time permits.
- These can be silly and fun. Have students share them with other students.
Assign Students to Write a Poem that Uses Alliteration
- Tell students to choose a topic that they like.
- Ask students to write a six line poem. The poem should use alliteration, using one letter, like in the example poem. There should be at least six words that start with the same consonant within the poem.
- Students should trade their poem with one other person. Each person should find the examples of alliteration in the other person's poem.
When the students have completed their poems, ask them to read the the poetry aloud to the class. Give candy for the most whimsical or interesting poem. Students should now be ready to find alliteration in published poems.
