Acrostic Poetry

You can find the Podcast Edition of this post here:

Acrostic Poetry Podcast Link

Word of the Week:

Acrostic:

A composition of words, usually in the form of a poem, in which letters align for each part of the composition and spell out a word that has meaning to the writing.  Usually this is in the first word of each line the composition, but not always.

History of Acrostic Poems:

Acrostic poems date back to Ancient Times.  The term was first applied to the writings of Sibyl, a Greek Prophetess who wrote her prophecies in the form of acrostics on leaves.  Some of the earliest examples are found within the Hebrew Bible.  During the Alexandrine period, acrostics became popular among the Greek and Latin writers and medieval literature often used acrostic poems to spell out secret messages.  Today, Acrostic poems are often found in Children’s literature.

Reading:

Autumn Acrostic Poem: Autumn – My A-muse-ing Life (myamuseinglife.com)

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10 Writing Prompts Around Acrostics:

1. Write a mystery and use an acrostic to create a hidden meaning or word readers can solve to find a clue.
2. Write a variety of acrostic poems using different main words, but similar patterns in the lines.  For example, you could write acrostics about pumpkins, apples, and pears while trying to keep the lines used the same except for the main word.
3. Write a variety of acrostic poems using the same main word, but different patterns in the lines.  For example, you could write several acrostic poems about apples in which each one described the apple differently.  
4. Acrostics can help you practice with different adjectives, verbs, and nouns.  Create lists of adjectives, verbs and nouns that you can use while writing acrostics as well as in other types of writing.
5. Mix up where the main word is spelled out.  Use the middle or end of each line to spell out the word instead of the beginning.
6. Write a short acrostic poem on a topic, and then using that same topic, create a long acrostic poem.
7. Make a list of 5 nouns, 10 verbs, and 15 adjectives on scraps of paper.  Put the scraps of paper into 3 jars, one for nouns, one for verbs, and one for adjectives and shake the jars.  Draw out one noun, 5 verbs and 10 adjectives, then write an acrostic poem using those words.
8. Choose an object from your house and write an Acrostic poem about it. 
9. Write an acrostic poem that doesn’t rhyme, then rewrite the poem so it rhymes.
10. Write a double acrostic poem, in which the beginning and the ending of each line spells out a word.

Printable PDF:

Writing Prompt of the week: Pumpkin Acrostic Telestich

Write an Acrostic Poem about a pumpkin using the last letter of each line to spell out pumpkin.  

Photo from: https://flic.kr/p/au1RBK