✏️ WritingGrade 2Lesson 21
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Write Simple Rhyming Poems

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Learning Objectives

  • 1Identify rhyming words by listening for their matching ending sounds
  • 2Understand the AABB rhyme scheme — lines 1 and 2 rhyme; lines 3 and 4 rhyme
  • 3Write a simple four-line rhyming poem using a chosen rhyming pair
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Mini Lesson

A rhyme happens when two words end with the same sound. The beginning of the word can be totally different — it is the ending sound that matters. Cat and hat rhyme. Moon and spoon rhyme. Day and play rhyme!

How to Find Rhymes

  • Say the word aloud and listen to the ending sound.
  • bright ends in -ight → night, light, right, sight, fight, tight
  • blue ends in -oo → flew, new, true, clue, dew, shoe
  • tree ends in -ee → free, bee, sea, key, me, we
  • The spelling can look very different — only the sound must match.

The AABB Rhyme Scheme

  • The easiest rhyme scheme for poems is AABB:
  • Lines 1 and 2 rhyme with each other (AA).
  • Lines 3 and 4 rhyme with each other (BB).
  • Example: The stars shine bright, (A)
  • They glow all night. (A)
  • The moon is high, (B)
  • Against the sky. (B)

Tips for Writing a Rhyming Poem

  • Pick your rhyming pair first — then write two lines that use those words at the end.
  • Keep each line about the same length — it sounds better when you read it aloud.
  • Read your poem aloud after each line — does it flow? Does it rhyme?
AABB rhyme scheme diagram with example poemFour poem lines labeled A A B B on the left, with the rhyming end words highlighted — bright and night for AA, high and sky for BB.AABB Rhyme SchemeAThe stars shine brightAThey glow all nightBThe moon is highBAgainst the skyLines 1&2 rhyme (AA). Lines 3&4 rhyme (BB).
An AABB rhyme scheme with a four-line example poem — lines 1 and 2 end with bright/night (AA), lines 3 and 4 end with high/sky (BB).
Three rhyme families with example word groupsThree color-coded rhyme family boxes — the -ay family, the -ight family, and the -oo family — each listing words that share the same ending sound.Rhyme Families-aydayplaysaywaystayray-ightnightlightbrightrightsightflight-ooblueflewnewtrueshoedewSame ending sound = rhyme!
Three rhyme families — -ay (day, play, say...), -ight (night, light, bright...), and -oo (blue, flew, new...) — showing how different spellings can share the same ending sound.
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Ask yourself: "Do lines 1 and 2 end with the same sound? Do lines 3 and 4 end with the same sound? Does it sound like a poem when I read it aloud?"

Vocabulary
Rhyme
When two words end with the same sound — the ending sound matches even if the spelling is differente.g. blue / flew, tree / free
Ending sound
The last sound you hear when you say a word aloud — what you listen for to find rhymese.g. "bright" ends with the -ight sound
Rhyme family
A group of words that all share the same ending sounde.g. The -ight family: night, light, bright, sight
Rhyme scheme
The pattern that shows which lines of a poem rhyme with each other, written using letters like A and Be.g. AABB — lines 1+2 rhyme, lines 3+4 rhyme
Poem
A short piece of writing arranged in lines, often using rhyme and a steady rhythme.g. A four-line AABB poem about stars at night.
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