Valentine’s Day Poetry: Add a language arts lesson to your classroom

Kids love Valentine?s Day!  From Valentine?s candy to Valentine?s cards, the holiday is a wonderful opportunity to instill children with lessons about friendship and consideration for others.  Valentine’s Day is also a great excuse to add a language arts lesson to your classroom.  Valentine?s Day rhymes and poems are a fun, funny, creative way to get your students reading and writing. 

This Valentine?s Day, teach your students about poetry and rhyme schemes.  A fun, simple poetry project suitable for young students is the name poem.  Begin by giving each student a cut-out construction paper heart.  Distribute Valentine’s Day pencils, just for fun! Have each student write his or her name vertically down the heart.  Instruct your students to think of one word that describes their unique interests or personality for each letter of their name. 

For example, for a name poem, the name Sara would become: 

Smart
Artistic
Resourceful
Attentive

Teachers can then decorate their classrooms for the holiday using these colorful hearts with personalized Valentine?s Day rhymes.  

More advanced students will be interested to learn about different types of poetry and Valentine?s Day rhymes such as Haikus.  It is important for students to learn that not all types of poems must rhyme.  Haiku?s do not rhyme, but they do have a particular format.  The first line contains five syllables, the second line has seven syllables and the third line completes the poem with five syllables.  One example of a Valentine?s Day Haiku is:

Valentine?s Day Candy Hearts

Sugary and sweet,
Holding your heart in my hand
Thank you for the treat!

Diamante poems are another type of poem that does not rhyme.  Diamante poems contain five lines. The first line is a word that reveals the subject of the poem. The second line contains two adjectives describing the subject. The third line contains three verbs or action words pertaining to the subject. The fourth line has two adjectives describing the subject and the final line is another word for the subject, or a synonym. An example of a Diamante Poem is:

Valentine?s Day Diamante Poem

Candy
Sweet, Chocolate
Tasting, Eating, Sharing
Sugar, hearts
Treats

If your students are interested to learn about Valentine?s Day rhymes, or more specifically, poetry that rhymes, you may wish to visit your local library or book store for more examples of poetry books for children.  You may also want to incorporate this poetry lesson with a more in-depth seminar on the history of Valentine?s Day, how the holiday is celebrated in other countries, and how Valentine?s Day has changed over the years. 

A book titled Valentine Hearts: Holiday Poetry by Lee Bennett Hopkins is a delightful book full of charming and humorous Valentine?s Day rhymes and poem suitable for pre-schools to third graders.

Older children may enjoy the book It?s Valentine?s Day! By author Jack Prelutsky.  This book boasts a collection of 14 Valentine?s Day rhymes celebrating the 14th day of February. Humorous poem titles include “I Made My Dog a Valentine” and “I Love You More Than Applesauce”.

After reading poems and Valentine?s Day themed books, encourage students to work on their own creative writing exercises.  Whether they are writing name poems, haikus, diamante poems or rhyming poems, these poems can be shared and displayed on classroom bulletin boards as a part of Valentine?s Day d?cor. 

On Valentine?s Day, encourage your students to exchange cards, poems or Valentine?s Day rhymes.