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Creating a sound poem

Write a poem about an event - a carnival, festival, a party, a school fair, or a parade. Think about the last time you were at a big enjoyable event with lots going on.

What are people saying? You might hear people cheering, laughing or gasping in amazement.
What other sounds might they be making? What other sounds can you hear? Natural sounds like wind or water: or manmade sounds, like music. What about background sounds like cars going past or glasses chinking.

Now you can use some of your ideas and turn them into a poem that tells your reader what it was like at the event by describing the sounds that you heard there.

• Make sure that you use some onomatopoeia in your poem - words that sound like what they are.

• Find some words that make a good rhythm when you put them together. (Can you make up a line that sounds like the beat of a festival band as they pass on a float in the parade?)

• Try to use alliteration: look for words that have similar sounds

• Decide if you want to include some noisy sounds and some quieter ones, for a poem of contrasts, or if you just want a REALLY NOISY poem.

Download our worksheets on writing poems

These links are to PDF documents. You will need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader to read these. This is a free program. However, you should always ask your teacher or parent if you do not have it installed on your computer.

Write a poem about the Tournament (see Kids' Castle) and

Write a Scary Poem with personification.

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