Level: Intermediate (grades 3-6)

Objectives

• Write a clerihew poem
• Create and understand a rhyming pattern
• Identify and use interesting adjectives in writing

Introduce the Poetry
The clerihew poetry form was developed by Edmund Clerihew Bentley (1875-1956), a popular English novelist. These fun, whimsical poems are four lines long. The first and second lines rhyme with each other, and the third and fourth lines rhyme with each other (a-a-b-b). The first line usually names a well-known character, and the second line ends with a word that rhymes with the character's name. A clerihew should be funny but also appropriate and good-natured.

Teach the Poetry

Examples

• Write examples of clerihew poetry on the board or overhead projector, or hand out a copy of the samples page.

My little schnauzer's name is Sparky;
Let me tell you, he is quite barky!
While his talking is quite persistent,
His loving nature is quite consistent.

There was a smart spider named Charlotte
Whose spinning made her a starlet.
An awesome pig named Wilbur she saved
Through her friendship, which was quite brave.

One of my fourth grade teachers, Miss Dunn,
Loved to teach, run, and simply have fun.
She taught us to live by the Golden Rule, 
So no one at school was ever a fool.

• Have students identify the character in each poem (Sparky, Charlotte, Miss Dunn). Then have them identify the rhyming words in the second line of each poem (barky, starlet, fun). Have them proceed by identifying the rhyming words in the third and fourth lines. Explain that the rhyming couplets (pairs of lines) make up the a-a-b-b rhyming pattern.

Model Writing a Clerihew

• The first step in writing a clerihew is to choose an interesting character to write about. Encourage students to brainstorm possible topics about which to write. Subjects might include: a favorite teacher, a political figure, a well-known person, a friend, a pet, a coach, or a relative.
• Choose a character from the list on the board that all students are familiar with and write his or her name on the board or overhead projector.
• Work with students to brainstorm a list of rhyming words and phrases that describe the character. Remind students that clerihews aren't serious; they can be funny, witty, and whimsical.
• As a class, experiment with combining and rearranging the descriptive words and phrases to fit the a-a-b-b rhyming pattern. Remind students that while it is important for the pairs of lines to rhyme in a clerihew poem, it is also important to describe the character in a fun and whimsical way.

Word Work: Adjectives

• Have a student volunteer provide the definition for adjective (describes a person, place, or thing).
• Have students name the adjectives in the Sparky clerihew and tell what each adjective describes (little/schnauzer, barky/Sparky, persistent/talking, loving/nature, consistent/nature).
• Engage students in a discussion about how adjectives can make character descriptions more fun and interesting. For example, on the board or overhead, write: There was a man who walked a mile. Then write: There was a crooked man, who walked a crooked mile. Discuss how the addition of the adjective crooked makes the sentence more interesting. Encourage students to suggest other adjectives that might be used to describe the man and the mile. Write their suggestions on the board. Encourage fun and whimsical responses.

Write the Poetry

• Have students work individually or in pairs to select a character to write about. Allow them to use additional resources, such as a dictionary, thesaurus, or the Internet to help them develop a personal list of rhyming words or phrases that describe their character.
• After reviewing the structure of a clerihew poem with students, have them use the words and phrases they developed to write a clerihew poem of their own.
• Explain that punctuation should follow the rules of conventional sentence writing. Sentences and proper nouns should begin with a capital letter. Each line begins with a capital letter unless the poet chooses not to because it is part of a longer sentence. Explain that the most important element of style is consistency.
• As students write, encourage them to find words and phrases that communicate and fit the basic pattern of lines and rhyme. Encourage students to revise their work in order to improve understanding and flow by adding, deleting, consolidating, and rearranging text as necessary.

Use the Worksheets for Practice

• Have students compose a clerihew poem using the scaffolded worksheets. There are three choices of worksheets and a samples page:

Worksheet 1 for students who need additional support
Worksheet 2 for students who have a basic understanding of clerihew poetry
Worksheet 3 for students who have a solid understanding of clerihew poetry
Samples for examples of clerihew poetry

Extend the Activity

• Celebrate the writing process by having students read their poetry aloud with fluency, rhythm, and expression.
• Assign a class topic such as family members (brothers, sisters, parents, pets, aunts, uncles, grandparents, and so on). Have students choose a favorite family member to write a fun and whimsical clerihew poem about. Have students illustrate their poems and then publish the finished pieces in a class book called "It's All About Family."
• Have students share their writing with as many different audiences as possible. Poetry may be published through classroom or school-wide displays, a poetry book, a school newsletter or website, an online poetry contest, or any other creative form of communication.