Cinquains, Haikus, and more - oh my!

First graders have been working on poetry lately so I have been reading poems with them from books such as Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich and Big is Big and Little, Little, but my favorite to read with them right now is Dogku by Andrew Clements. I love his novels for kids to start with, but this is such a great way to teach kids about Haiku without confusing them altogether! We talked about rhythm and beats and syllables in haikus before we read it since a haiku has 5 syllables, 7 syllables, 5 syllables. Then, as we read, we checked his haikus for the syllables too so by the end they knew the rhythm and numbers for a haiku. The kids were set loose to write their own. It could be about anything, but of course I suggested books, reading, or the library as possible topics!! See some of the examples they came up with below - not all follow the perfect syllable scheme, but close and they had fun doing it which is the important part!

Earlier this week, with another class, we attempted cinquains. After doing a class example easily, I wanted the students to try it and they wanted to also. This one was not such a success, but we were a little rushed with time also. Next time, we need to have a little more time, but I think this poetry form is also great for first graders! Anyone know a good book for example of cinquains for kids??