English lesson plan · 10th grade (Year 11 in England) · 45 minutes
Working out a rhyme scheme (ABAB, AABB, ABCB…)
Reading Comprehension
CCSS RL.9-10.5CCSS RL.7.5England: GCSE English Literature (poetry)England: KS3 Reading (poetry)
Objective and success criteria
Students will: Working out a rhyme scheme (ABAB, AABB, ABCB…).
- I can answer questions on today's skill on my own, without help.
- I can explain each step and say why it works.
- I can check my answer and spot a mistake.
Before and after
Needs first: Poetry forms: sonnet, haiku, limerick, ballad, free verse…
Leads to: Metre: iambs, trochees, anapests, dactyls and pentameter
Materials: A short text or extract (one copy each), Highlighters, Question cards, Mini whiteboards, A short model text on the board, Printed student sheet (below).
Warm-up · 5 min
- Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Poetry forms: sonnet, haiku, limerick, ballad, free verse…). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
- Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
- Which poetry term matches this description? A three-line poem from Japan, traditionally with 5, 7 and 5 syllables, often about nature. (couplet / elegy / haiku / quatrain) → haikuPrompt: Think about the number of lines, the rhyme pattern, and the purpose (to praise, to mourn, to tell a story, to amuse).
- Which poetic form is this? (/ shows a new line) The bus is late again. / Rain writes its long letters on the glass, / and nobody reads them. (sonnet / elegy / free verse / couplet) → free versePrompt: Count the lines and check whether they rhyme.
- Type the poetry term (in English) that matches this description. A stanza of four lines. → quatrainPrompt: Think about the number of lines, the rhyme pattern, and the purpose (to praise, to mourn, to tell a story, to amuse).
Hook · 5 min
- Read the first lines of a short text aloud and ask what students predict will happen and why.
- Share the objective: Working out a rhyme scheme (ABAB, AABB, ABCB…). Read the success criteria together.
I do: model it · 10 min
- Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
- Example: What is the rhyme scheme of this stanza? A ship sailed out Into the night Its lantern swung A point of light
- Step 1: Look at the last word of each line and match the rhymes.
- Step 2: End words: out, night, swung, light
- Step 3: So the answer is: ABCB
- Answer: ABCB
- Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.
We do: guided practice · 10 min
- Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
- Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.
- What is the rhyme scheme of this stanza? The snow falls soft On roof and tree The world is hushed And still with me (ABAB / ABCB / ABAC / ABBA) → ABCBPrompt: Label the first line's end sound A. Give a new letter to each new end sound.
- Type the rhyme scheme of this stanza using capital letters (for example ABAB). The city wakes at nine With traffic in a line The pigeons claim the square And sunlight warms the air → AABBPrompt: Write down the last word of each line.
You do: independent practice · 10 min
- Students work on the student sheet. Circulate and check the first two answers of every student early.
- Students who finish: write a question of their own for a partner, with the answer.
The 8 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.
Exit ticket · 5 min
- Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.
- Type the rhyme scheme of this stanza using capital letters (for example ABAB). I found a shell today And took it home to stay It whispers of the sea And all it used to be → AABBPrompt: Write down the last word of each line.
- What is the rhyme scheme of this stanza? The kettle starts to sing The morning fills with light I hear the doorbell ring And everything feels right (ABBA / ABCB / ABAB / AABB) → ABABPrompt: Label the first line's end sound A. Give a new letter to each new end sound.
Watch out for
- Answering from memory or opinion instead of evidence in the text.
- Copying a long quote without explaining what it shows.
Support and stretch
Support
- Review first: Poetry forms: sonnet, haiku, limerick, ballad, free verse….
- Use concrete materials: a short text or extract (one copy each).
- Give the first step of each question, or a partly worked example to finish.
- Pair with a confident partner for the guided practice.
Stretch
- Move on to: Metre: iambs, trochees, anapests, dactyls and pentameter.
- Explain a common mistake in writing and how to fix it.
- Write a word problem that uses today's skill, then solve a partner's.
Homework and more practice
Free online practice with hints and printable worksheets for this skill: eurekami.com/english/grade-10.
Free lesson plan from eurekami.com/lesson-plan-builder