C is creative, C is clever, and C is so very cool too, even more so with the compound word verse for you, and as always, some more!

This post contains Amazon and other affiliate links, that at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission. Thank you for your support. Please see the full disclosure for more information. I only recommend products I definitely would (or have already) use myself

The Compound Word Verse

Lesson Plan: Let’s Get COMPOUND-LY CRAZY!

Grade Level: 3rd – 5th
🏆 Objective: Students will learn about compound words and apply their understanding by writing a Compound Word Verse poem.

• Poetry Connection: Exploring rhyme and rhythm with the Compound Word Verse. Also, It’s a playful way to break apart and recombine words into poetry!
• Learning Connection: ELA Skills: Understanding compound words; Practicing syllable counting & rhyme schemes; Strengthening creative writing & poetry skills; Vocabulary development
  • Bonus: Great for visual learners when paired with illustrations!
• Book Connections:
  • Once There Was a Bull… (Frog) by Rick Walton and Greg Hally: A must-have read, and great for this lesson plan! It splits compound words across lines, making kids actively guess and complete them!
  • If You Were a Compound Word (Word Fun) by Trisha Speed Shaskan and Sara Jean Gray 
  • Thumbtacks, Earwax, Lipstick, Dipstick: What Is a Compound Word? by Brian Cleary and Brian Gable. I love the books by Cleary. Each one is an amazing resource.
  • And because we are on the letter C, check out Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett and Ronald Barrett as well. It has many compound words within if you look, and it is a fun read. Warning: keep snacks handy!

📚 Materials Needed:

• Chart paper or whiteboard
• Markers
• A read-aloud book (see suggestions above!)
• Paper & pencils
• Optional: Colored pencils or crayons for illustrations

🎨 Activity Steps

1. Warm-Up: Compound Word Hunt! (5-10 min)

Start with a quick game:

• Ask: “What do words like doghouse, rainbow, and firefly have in common?”
• Explain: They’re compound words—two (or more) smaller words joining forces to make a brand-new one!
• Play: Call out a word (sun, star, snow, fire), and students race to come up with compound words using it!

2. Read-Aloud & Word Hunt (10 min)

• Pick any book from the list above.
• As you read, have students listen for and call out compound words!

3. Introduce the Compound Word Verse

Margaret Smith’s Compound Word Verse is as below:

• 5 stanzas (each with 3 lines) for 15 lines total
• Last word of each stanza is a compound word that shares a common stem word
• Rhyme scheme: a,a,b
• Meter: 8,8,3

Show an example. Here are just two of 5 stanzas, but you get the idea! For a complete 5 stanza poem, check out my previous post about this form

RAIN
The sky is gray, the air is cool,
I hear the drips in every pool,
of raindrops!

A flash of light, the thunder booms,
We watch from inside all our rooms,
the rainstorm.

~ vidya tiru

✍️ Write the Compound Word Verse

• Have students pick a stem word (snow, sun, star, fire, etc.)
• List five compound words using that stem
• Get rhyming! They write their very own Compound Word Verse
• Bonus: Illustrate their poem! (Because who doesn’t love a good doodle session?)

Showtime & Wrap-Up (5 min)

• Let students share their poems!
• Ask: “Which compound word surprised you the most?”
• Optional: Make a “Compound Poetry Wall” with their illustrated verses!

Extension Activities

• 💡 Scavenger Hunt: Find 10 compound words in books, around the classroom, or at home!
• Discussion:
  • What did you notice about compound words?
  • Was it easier or harder to find rhymes with a shared stem word?
  • Did the rhythm of the poem help you think of new words?
• Reflection:
  • What was your favorite compound word from your poem?
  • How do compound words make language more fun or interesting?
  • Can you think of times you’ve seen or used compound words in real life (signs, books, conversations)?
• Ask:
  • What’s the funniest or weirdest compound word you can think of?
  • Can you invent a brand-new compound word? What does it mean?
  • If you had to write another poem, which stem word would you pick next?
• Bonus: If time permits, or for older grades, you could also discuss the different types of compound words!
  • Closed Compound Words
    • These words are written as a single word (no space or hyphen).
    • Examples: doghouse, basketball, sunflower, notebook, railroad
  • Open Compound Words
    • These words have a space between them but still function as a single unit of meaning.
    • Examples: ice cream, high school, peanut butter, post office, living room
  • Hyphenated Compound Words
    • These words use a hyphen (-) to connect two or more words.
    • Examples: mother-in-law, twenty-one, check-in, merry-go-round, well-being
  • And some compound words can be written either as closed/open/or hyphenated at times (different in different places of the world, or in different contexts/uses)

Additional Reading References

• Poetic Sundays: The Compound Word Verse (with thanks to Shadow Poetry)
• Kennings Or The Many Different Ways To View Things

Chasing Poetic Compounds

Today’s NaPoWriMo prompt asks us to write a poem that obliquely explains why you are a poet and not some other kind of artist – or, if you think of yourself as more of a musician or painter (or school bus driver or scuba diver or expert on medieval Maltese banking) – explain why you are that and not something else! Draw inspiration from Frank O’ Hara’s poem “Why I Am Not a Painter”.

My Attempt (with a posy of poetic compounds!)

Why I Am (Almost) a Poet (and Why Not Yet)
I thought I could be a cool chef,
But I found myself buried in poetry books
Instead of recipes.
I tried painting this and that -like realism and cubism,
but turns out
I’d much rather be dabbling at poetism.
I once thought I could cure every ill,
But what stayed in my heart,
And what I think, for a while, will—
Was and is poetry.

Fancied I was nimble on my feet,
However, for reasons unforeseen,
those feet of mine,
stayed on the couch most often,
Where I tried my hands instead at
The art of poetics.

Tried to carry a tune when I heard tell
That I had a voice that could sell,
But sadly the melody—
It got away from me,
And all that was left were words…

So now, I chase words all day,
Hoping to find a universe in each one.
I write, just to see where the lines take me.
And maybe, just maybe,
I’ll be a poet after all—
Well, a poetlet, at the least.
~ Vidya Tiru @ LadyInReadWrites

And Now, the End of This Post

Dear reader, do share your compound word verse when you write one! Which of the books would you pick first, or have enjoyed? And do answer any of the questions from the Ask section of the extension activities of the lesson plan!

I am linking up to A-Z, Blogchatter, UBC, NaPoWriMo.

And you can find all my A-Z posts (this year and previous years’ as well) here:

A to Z Challenge Posts