Erin Koerselman

Poetry- Writing Epitaphs with Rhyme

Grade: 6

Standards:
Production and Distribution of Writing:
Writing Standard 4
Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are
appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
Writing Standard 5
With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as
needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach.

Essential Question:
How do I use another poet’s work to help me become a poet?

Objectives:
Write epitaphs with an “aa” rhyme scheme through planning, revising, and editing.

Pre-Assessment:
Wednesday we talked about rhyme. Today we are going to create our own rhymes in poetry in
the form of an epitaph (staying with our Halloween theme). Does anyone know what an epitaph
is? Explain that it is a short text written in memory of a person who has died, especially as an
inscription on a tombstone.

Phase I:
Today we are going to read a book called The Spider and The Fly then write an epitaph for the
fly before we write one for ourselves.
• Read: The Spider and The Fly.
Before we write the fly’s epitaph, let’s read some examples.
• Read some professional and student examples of epitaphs.

Transition to Phase II (Discuss the Process):

Together, we are going to write an epitaph for the fly from the book, The Spider and The Fly.
We are going to use the sentence frame: (write on the board) “Here lies -----, who -----.”
Let’s take a few ideas how we could describe the fly (write ideas on the board) – for example,
“Here lies fly who glimmered with purple and silver wings.”
Not let’s take a few words that rhyme with ---- (write ideas on board)- for example, “sings”
would rhyme with “wings.”
Ask: what strategy can we use if we get stuck thinking of rhyming words? (We can go through
the alphabet to find words.)
Now let’s think how she died (she was flattered and lured by the spider to her death) and write
that using our rhyming word (“sings”) at the end of the line- for example, “Spider flattered her to
death and now she no longer sings.”
Now we are going to write an epitaph for ourselves!
Go over the “Epitaph: Pre-Write Rhyming Sheet” with the class:

On the first line, fill out your name and an activity you like to do. Think about activities you do
and visualize what bizarre/strange thing could happen during this activity.
(Using the doc cam, write your example: “Here lies Mrs. Koerselman who really loved a good
book.”
Now write down words that rhyme with your activity. (Think-aloud going through the alphabet
and write a few ideas for your example on the board- cook, hook, look, nook, took, etc.)
Now envision a bizarre, unusual thing that could happen during this activity, something that
would never happen in real life and which is very silly.
(Write down an example- “She fell deep into it and never got a second look.”)

Phase II (Apply the process):

I am going to hand you a worksheet to write your epitaph. When you are happy with your
epitaph, you will rewrite it on clean white paper. First, write it with pencil, then go over it with
marker. Then you will round out the top corners of the paper to make it look like a gravestone.
Hand out the “Pre-Write Rhyming Sheet.”
Roam the room to check for understanding and scaffold as needed.
Conference with students.

Share:
If there is time or if some have finished earlier than others, ask a few students to share.

Accommodations:
Work with a small group of students who need extra help.
 Examples of Epitaphs
(written by children of similar ages)

Here lies poetry that all children hated.

The last person who taught it, we decapitated.
Greg T.

Here lies my dad who loved the Internet

He got zapped in, now our computer won't reset!
Melissa M.

Here lies Guy who of computers had no fright

Until the day he died from a computer megabyte.
Jarad T.

Here lies Matt who really hated school

He fell asleep in class and drowned in his drool.
Will H.

Here lies Katie who never could rhyme

She died working on an assignment that took a REAL long time.
Katie O.
 Name __________________________

Epitaph
Pre-Write Rhyming Worksheet

Here lies ______________________, who liked ______________________________________.

______________________________________________________________________________

Rhyming words for (your activity or last word in the sentence above) _____________________:

______________________________________________________________________________

Bizarre/silly ways of dying that relate to your activity:

______________________________________________________________________________

My epitaph:

_________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________