Pizza Poetry Blog Post #1: Limericks

Teachers: Want to incorporate Pizza Poetry into your classroom, but not sure where to get started? From now until April 7th, we’ll be posting bi-weekly poetry writing prompts here on our blog! Remember, anyone ages 6-18 in Greater New Orleans can submit poetry to be published on a pizza box. And don’t forget: the deadline to submit poetry is April 7th.

Limericks

Limericks are funny humorous that are structured into five lines. The first and second lines rhyme and contain the same number of syllables, as do the third and fourth. The fifth line yields a surprise ending or humorous statement and rhymes with the first two lines. Typically, limericks are written in the past tense. They were made famous by Edward Lear, a famous poet who wrote the “Book of Nonsense” in the 1800s.

Limericks often start with the line “There once was a…” or “There was a…”

Some examples of Limericks:

There once was a wonderful star
Who thought she would go very far
Until she fell down
And looked like a clown
She knew she would never go far.

-Kaitlyn Guenther

There was an Old Person of Chili,
Whose conduct was painful and silly,
He sat on the stairs,
Eating apples and pears,
That imprudent Old Person of Chili.

-From the “Book of Nonsense”

Now, Write Your Own!

The first, second and fifth lines rhyme with each other and have the same number of syllables (typically 8 or 9).
The third and fourth lines rhyme with each other and have the same number of syllables (typically 5 or 6)
Templates are below for those that need it!

Template A
There once was a ______________ from __________________.
All the while s/he hoped _______________________________. So s/he _______________________________. And _________________________________. That ___________________ from ___________________.

Template B
I once met a _________________ from ___________________.
Every day s/he _________________
______________________. But whenever s/he ______________________.
The _________________________________. That strange ___________________ from ___________________.

Email us at pizzapoetry@bigclass.org to let us know how the workshop went, and submit your students’ poems. Are you especially proud of any of the limericks? Let us know and we’ll feature them on this blog! Click here to learn more about the Pizza Poetry Project.