Explore rhythm and rhyme with limericks.

Although no one is sure of the limerick's origin, many credit Edward Lear with popularizing this A humorous poetic form. Your students will have fun writing limericks - especially when they've learned tricks of the trade used by top-notch limerick writers such as X. J. Kennedy.

ACTIVITY

GRADES 4-8

PURPOSE

To heighten students' awareness of rhythm and rhyme through limericks.

MATERIALS

copies of the X.J. Kennedy limericks on page 32

TIME NEEDED

1 hour

What Makes a Limerick Tick

1 Have students read the Kennedy poems aloud to reinforce how the limerick relies, in part, on rhyme and a bouncy rhythm for its humor. Tell students they will write their own limericks later, but first you want to talk more about what makes a limerick a limerick.

2 Ask students to point out end words that rhyme, then explain that a limerick's rhyme scheme follows a five-line, A-A-B-B-A pattern.

3 Have students read the poems aloud again, this time listening for words or syllables that receive extra emphasis. Limericks generally have three accented syllables in long lines and two in short lines.

4 Discuss the concept of metrical feet. Typically, a limerick is made up of 13 anapestic feet, two unaccented syllables followed by an accented one. A line might begin with an iambic foot, an unaccented syllable followed by an accented one. Point out the metrical feet in the Kennedy poems, then have students brainstorm a list of phrases that are structurally similar. You may also want to tell them that rules are not cast in stone - it's common for poets to take creative liberties.

5 When students begin drafting their limericks, remind them that even though limericks are considered nonsense verse, they do make sense. Also, encourage them to start poems with something more imaginative than "There was a ..."

6 As they write, be sure students read their work aloud to ensure that they are capturing the sound and spirit of the form.

Muttered centipede Slither McGrew, "What on earth can I possibly do? Here I'm late for a date And foot seventy-eight Has chewing gum stuck on its shoe!"

- X. J. Kennedy

On a day when the ocean was sharky Archaeologist Arthur McLarky For a quick dip dived in, But along came a fin - All they found was his shovel and car key.

- X. J. Kennedy

In the poet's words...

"The tremendous fun of writing in rhyme is reeling in whatever it is you've caught and being surprised by it. If you're lucky, you just keep landing one line after another. When things go swimmingly, a sleek idea will come thrashing up to surface right there and then, while you write."

Paul B. Janeczko, a former teacher, is a poet living in Hebron, Maine. He is the editor of numerous poetry anthologies, including Poetry from A to Z: A Guide for Young Writers (Simon & Schuster, 1994). He also works as a visiting poet in schools.