Poetry Forms

Forms of Poetry

Narrative Poetry

Poetry that Tells a STORY

Narrative poems have characters, plot, setting, conflict, and themes, the same elements found in stories.

​Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,

Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore-

While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,

As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.

"'Tis some visitor," I muttered, "tapping at my chamber door-

Only this and nothing more."

Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December;

And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.

Eagerly I wished the morrow;-vainly I had sought to borrow

From my books surcease of sorrow-sorrow for the lost Lenore-

For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore-

​"The Raven" by Edgar Allen Poe

Sample

Fill in the Blank

Tell one element of narrative poetry...

A three-line poem that

​ usually describes something in nature. It has a 5-7-5 syllable pattern.

​Haiku

Multiple Choice

What could you add to make this 5 syllables?

Moon Shining on __

• July

• September

• August

• May

​Has no regular meter, rhyme, or specific stanza pattern. It still may have moments of meter or rhyme, but it does not occur in a pattern.

​Free Verse

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is true of free verse poetry?

• It must not contain any meter.

• It tells a story but without rhyme.

• It does not follow the normal rules.

• It has only one stanza.

A song-like poem that tells a story. These often deal with adventure, romance, or a story passed down from one generation to the next.

​

​Ballad

​Annabel Lee by Edgar Allen Poe

It was many and many a year ago,

In a kingdom by the sea,

That a maiden there lived whom you may know

By the name of Annabel Lee;

And this maiden she lived with no other thought

Than to love and be loved by me.

...

And this was the reason that, long ago,

In this kingdom by the sea,

A wind blew out of a cloud, chilling

Multiple Choice

A ballad is a kind of...

• Song

• Poem

• Story

• All of the Above

Open Ended

Think of a modern-day ballad and place the title here...

These poems are written to look like their subjects. The lines create a picture.

​

Concrete Poem

Draw

Draw a short verse of poetry. Think of an object. Then, write the words in the shape of the object.

Humorous, rhyming,

​5-line poems with a specific meter and a rhyme scheme of aabba.

​Limerick Poetry

Multiple Choice

Which type of poetry is limited to 3 lines?

• Free Verse

• Lyric

• Haiku

• Limerick

​Thank you for participating!