‘Twas the night before
Christmas
60 seconds… Make a word
bank of Christmas words!
Objective
Explore the use of rhythm
and rhyme in Christmas
poetry.
‘Twas the night before Christmas
‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
No creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there.
The children were nestled all safe in their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads.
And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap.
Identifying Rhyme and Rhythm
1. Identify the four sets of rhyming words that appear in the
poem by underlining each pair in the same colour.
‘Twas the night before Christmas
‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
No creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there.
The children were nestled all safe in their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads.
And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap.
1.
Syllables help create a rhythm. Words with two or more
syllables contain a dominant or stress syllable. This is the
part of the word whose sound is strongest. Underline the
dominant syllables in the poem – these will be the words,
or parts of words, that have the strongest sounds.
2. When speaking the poem aloud you should bounce from
one stress syllable to another which creates a rhythm!
‘Twas the night before Christmas
• Task: In pairs, use what you have learnt about the rhyme
and rhythm write the next stanza of the poem. Your
stanza should imitate the rhythm and rhyme scheme used
in the original…
Tips!
 Use your Christmas word bank
 Create rhyming couplets at the end of each line
 Use 12 syllables per line to create rhythm
When out on the lawn there arose such a…