Quatrain Poems
Quatrains
Investigate for yourself, and
soon you will be creating your
own!
…click on the snowflake in the
lower right corner in order to
continue along in this activity?
What is a Quatrain?
The word “quatrain” is
related to some other
words you know that
have the “quad” prefix
which means “????”.
Look at the picture for
another hint.
Quatrain Patterns:
Just like visual
patterns are
pleasing to
the eye,
auditory
patterns in
Quatrains can
be pleasing to
the ear.
Quatrain Patterns:
Quatrains
follow an
identifiable
pattern based
upon the last
word in each
line.
Quatrain Patterns:
Let’s take a
look at four of
those possible
patterns. Click
on each
pattern for a
sample
Quatrain by a
famous Poet.
AABC
ABAB
ABCB
AABB
“The Tyger”
By William Blake
Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
In the forests of the night
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?
Can you see the pattern?
“The Tyger”
By William Blake
Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
A
In the forests of the night
A
What immortal hand or eye
B
Could frame thy fearful symmetry? C
The first two lines end with the same sounding word so
they are both called “A.” The third line ends with a word
that doesn’t rhyme so it is called “B.” The last line ends
with a word that doesn’t rhyme with A or B so it is given
the letter “C.”
“Look Before You Leap”
By Auden
The sense of danger must not disappear
The way is certainly both short and steep
How ever gradual it looks from here
Look if you like, but you will have to leap
Can you see the pattern?
“Look Before You Leap”
By Auden
The sense of danger must not disappear A
The way is certainly both short and steep B
How ever gradual it looks from here
A
Look if you like, but you will have to leap B
In this Quatrain, the first and third lines rhyme, so they
are both called “A.” The second and fourth lines also
rhyme, but not with the first and third, so they are
called “B.”
“The Wife of Usher’s Well”
Author Unknown
There lived a wife at Usher’s well
And a wealthy wife was she
She had three strong and healthy sons
And slept while they were out at sea
Can you see the pattern?
“The Wife of Usher’s Well”
Author Unknown
There lived a wife at Usher’s well
A
And a wealthy wife was she
B
She had three strong and healthy sons C
And slept while they were out at sea
In this Quatrain, the first line is called “A,” but it doe not
rhyme with the any other line in the poem. The second
and fourth lines rhyme and are called “B,” and the third
line which, again, does not rhyme with any other line is
called “C.”
B
“The Mountain”
Donna Brock
The mountain frames the sky
As a shadow of an eagle flies by
With clouds hanging at it’s edge
A climber proves his courage on its rocky ledge
Can you see the pattern?
“The Mountain”
Donna Brock
The mountain frames the sky
A
As a shadow of an eagle flies by
A
With clouds hanging at it’s edge
B
A climber proves his courage on its rocky ledge B
In this last Quatrain sample, the first two lines rhyme
and are given the letter “A.” The third and fourth lines
rhyme and are given the letter “B.”
Quatrain Patterns:
So, how did you
do…can you
identify patterns
on your own?
Continue on and
give it a try. Click
the snowflake to
continue…
Identifying Patterns:
In the next section, you will demonstrate
your ability to correctly identify the patterns
of some sample Quatrains. If you identify
them correctly, you may click the snowflake
to continue…if you make a mistake, you
will be asked to try again.
Good luck, watch those ending words!!!!
Pattern Practice
Snowman Blues
Building a snowman out in the sun
Working real hard, but having such fun
Seeing him rise right out of the snow
Three days later, he’s H2O
Click on the snowman that shows the correct pattern
ABBA
ABCB
AABB
Writing to Specific
Patterns:
In the last section, you will demonstrate
your ability to correctly complete quatrains
using a specific pattern. Look at the
pattern first, then decide which word should
be used to complete the specified pattern.
Good luck, watch those ending words!!!!
Finishing Quatrains
Pattern = ABAB
At the sea I’ll wait on my knees
As I watch for scattered shells
On the beach I’ll feel the _______
As I listen to the bells
Click on the snowman above the word that correctly
completes this Quatrain
sand
smells
breeze
That’s not it…
Choose a word the correctly fits into the
pattern…is it supposed to match
another word? Look closely.
Finishing Quatrains
Pattern = AABB
Do we really ever know what we should____?
Can I tell any better than you?
What we need to do is give our best try
Then we can look everyone in the eye.
Click on the snowman above the word that correctly
completes this Quatrain
do
lie
wear
That’s not it…
Choose a word the correctly fits into the
pattern…is it supposed to match
another word? Look closely.
GREAT JOB!!!!
LET’S TRY TO COMPLETE ONE MORE
QUATRAIN!
That’s not it…
Choose a word the correctly fits into the
pattern…is it supposed to match
another word? Look closely.
GREAT JOB!!!!
NOW, SHOW ME WHAT YOU KNOW!
CLICK ON THE SNOWMAN!
When you have completed the 2nd worksheet,
close the worksheet, click on the slide to return to
the show, and click on the snowflake to end this
activity.