Teach kids how to write a cinquain.
Cinquain, pronounced sin-cane, is a non-rhyming five-lined poem.While teachers have sometimes adapted the cinquain to meet certain subject requirements, the basic form of the cinquain follows a pattern of syllables.
Line 1 is the topic of the cinquain, usually a noun. It can be either a two-syllable word or two single syllable word.
Line 2 is four syllables that describe the topic. Adjectives.
Line 3 is six syllables that show action. Action verbs.
Line 4 is eight syllables. This line can be a sentence or words that express feeling.
Line 5, the final line, is two syllables. It can be a synonym for the topic or a word that sums up the cinquain.
Here is an example of a cinquain that follows the syllable pattern:
Pumpkin (2 syllables)
Orange and grinning (4 syllables)
Sitting on the porch steps (6 syllables)
I wish you could stay forever (8 syllables)
Jack-O (2 syllables)
Another way to write a cinquain is by word count. Line 1 has one word (topic), line 2 two words (adjectives), line 3 three words (action verbs), line 4 four words (express feeling), and line 5 has one word that sums up the topic.
Here is an example of a cinquain that follows a word count:
Soda (1 word)
Sweet, cold (2 words)
Fizzing in can (3 words)
I can’t get enough (4 words)
Pop (1 word)
