Lesson 21: Writing poems with rhyming words

✍️ WRITING (40 Lessons) • 🟡 C. Creative Writing

← Back to Level 1

Objective

I can find rhyming words and use them to write short, simple poem lines.

Materials

Mini-lesson — Rhyming words in poems

Many poems use rhyming words to make the lines sound fun and musical.

What are rhyming words?

  • Rhyming words have the same ending sound.
  • They do not need the same letters.
  • Examples: cat / mat, sun / fun, day / play.

Listen for the rhyme:

  • cat — mat (they both say "-at" at the end)
  • rain — train (they both say "-ain" at the end)
  • ball — wall (they both say "-all" at the end)

Short poem lines:

  • Line 1: The cat sat on the mat.
  • Line 2: The sun came out — how bright is that!

Poems can be short. Two lines that rhyme can make a simple poem.

Think: "Do these words sound the same at the end when I say them aloud?"

Picture strip: "A tiny rhyme"

Guided Practice — Rhyme warm-up

Use this routine to warm up with rhyming words before you write poem lines.

  1. Say the words aloud: Try pairs like cat / mat, sun / fun, ball / wall, day / play.
  2. Listen for the ending sound: Touch your ear when the words sound the same at the end.
  3. Trace rhyme words: On the Tracing Pad, choose a word like cat, mat, sun, or fun and trace it neatly on the line.
  4. Say a rhyme pair: After you trace a word, say a pair out loud, like cat / mat or rain / train.
  5. Build a tiny poem aloud: Try two lines, for example:
    "The cat sat on the mat."
    "The sun came out — we liked that."
  6. Now it's your turn to write: Choose your rhyming words and write your poem lines neatly on paper.

You can come back to the Tracing Pad any time you want more practice with rhyme words.

Tracing Pad
Tracing snapshot for print
Tip: Say your rhyme pairs slowly and listen for the ending sound.

Drag & Drop — Choose rhyming words

Pick the word that rhymes with the underlined word.

On the device:
Drag the rhyming word into the box.

On paper:
Choose two finished sentences and write them neatly. Add one new line that also rhymes.

Sentence 1
Rhyme with cat:
The cat sat on the ____.

mat cup pen

Sentence 2
Rhyme with rain:
We took a long ride on the ____.

train sock cup

Sentence 3
Rhyme with ball:
I bounced my ball near the ____.

wall tree book

Sentence 4
Rhyme with star:
We saw one bright star from our ____.

car bed shoe

Sentence 5
Rhyme with play:
We like to run and jump all ____.

day book milk

Quick Check — Rhyming words and poems

Answer each question about rhyming words and simple poems. This is a gentle 10-question check.

What are rhyming words?

Which pair of words rhymes?

Which word rhymes with "rain"?

Which word rhymes with "ball"?

Which pair makes a good rhyme?

Where do rhyming words often go in a poem line?

How can you check if two words rhyme?

What can make a very simple poem?

When you write poem lines, what should still stay the same?

What is a good goal for this lesson?

Assessment (parent/teacher)

Exit ticket (student)

Next time I will…

← Lesson 20 Lesson 22 →