Type of mini-lesson:​ ABC Poem 

● An ABC poem is a poem where the first letter of each line is the subsequent 
letter of the alphabet. The first line starts with A. The second line begins with B, 
and this continues for the rest of the poem. Each line focuses on building upon 
the central topic of the poem, creating a specific mood, feeling, or picture in the 
reader’s mind. There are various types of ABC (or Alphabet) poems. Some use all 
26 letters, while others only use 5-6 of the letters in alphabetical order.  
Grade level:​ 2nd  
Approximate length of time:​ 15-20 minutes of instruction, plus 15-20 minutes for writing 
Utah Common Core: 
● Writing Standard 4​: With guidance and support from adults, produce writing in 
which the development and organization are appropriate to task and purpose. 
● Writing Standard 5​: With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and 
strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, and editing. 
Materials:​ 1 ABC Poem worksheet for each student, 1 pencil per student, examples of 
ABC poems 
Essential Question/s: 
● How do you write an ABC poem? 
● How many lines does an ABC poem have? 
Personal Objectives: 
● Students will understand how to write an ABC poem.  
● Students will be able to write an ABC poem using a template. 
Accomodations:  
● Display instructions on board for students who may need more guidance. 
● Allow students who have trouble reading/writing to say their poem verbally and 
have it written down by a classroom aid or teacher. 
● Use microphone for students who have trouble hearing. 
__________________________________________________________________________________________________ 
 
Pre-Assessment:  
1. “Remember last week when we talked about rhyming poems? Well today we are 
going to talk about another kind of poem called ABC poems.” 
2. “What do you think an ABC poem is?” 
3. Think-pair-share 
Introduce the lesson (5 min): 
1. “ABC poems are ​poems where the first letter of each line is the next letter of the 
alphabet. They can be short, and have 3-5 lines, or they can be long and have 26 
lines by using all the letters in the alphabet.” 
2. Show/read examples. 
 3. Pause and point to show how the first letter of each line starts with the next 
letter of the alphabet.  
Discuss the process (10 min): 
1. “You are going to be writing your own ABC poems and I am going to help you know 
how to do that.” 
2. “First we are going to do an example together.” 
3. “Before you start writing your poem, you need to think of a topic or something you 
want to write about. For example, you could write about your pet dog, or summer 
time, or school, or recess. Anything you want. So start thinking about something 
you want to write about.” 
4. “The first word in your poem is going to start with an “A”. Why do you think the first 
line in your poem needs to be a word that starts with the letter “A”?” 
5. Call on some students to answer. 
a. Answer: “Because “A” is the first letter in the alphabet! Good job.” 
6. Use template to model how to write an ABC poem. 
7. “To start this poem, I need to think about something I want to write about.” 
8. “I like fruit, animals, and reading. I think I am going to write about fruit because it is 
something I like.” 
9. “How do you think I should start my poem about fruit?” 
10. Take suggestions.  
11. While writing the poem, pause to show the thought process that goes along with 
writing the poem and thinking of words that start with a specific letter. 
12. Write a few lines to show the students how to use the template and how to write 
an ABC poem. 
“Apples and  
Bananas and 
Cherries are 
Delicious! I like 
Eating 
Fruits like 
Grapes and  
Honeydew melons…” 
13. “When you write your own ABC poem, you don’t have to go all the way to the letter 
Z, you can do as many lines as you want, but write ​at least 6 lines.​” 
 
Apply the process (3 min): 
1. “So what are you going to do?” 
a. Answer: “write an ABC poem” 
2. “Do you need go all the way to “Z”?” 
 a. Answer: “No” 
3. “How many lines do you need to write?” 
a. Answer: at least 6 
 
Independent writing/Conferencing (15-20 min): 
1. Release students to go back to their desks. 
2. Pass out ABC poem templates and allow them to begin their work. 
3. Walk around the room and help students who may need extra help.  
 
Share (5 min): 
Give students an opportunity to share their work; one line, the whole poem, or even a 
word.  
 
 
 
   
A​ Friend 
By Marilyn H. White 
 
Accepts you as you are 
Believes in you 
Calls you just to say Hi 
Doesn't give up on you. 
 
Envisions the whole of you even the unfinished parts. 
Forgives your mistakes 
Gives unconditionally 
Helps you 
Invites you over 
Just be with you 
Keeps you close at Heart 
Loves you for who you are 
Makes a difference in your life 
Never Judges 
Offers Support 
Picks you up 
Quiets your fears 
Raises your spirits. 
 
Says nice things about you 
Tells you the truth when you need to hear it 
Understands You 
Values You. 
 
Walks beside you 
Explains things you don't understand 
Yells when you won't listen and 
Zaps you back to reality.   
Yummy Fruits 
By Madelaine Miller 
 
Apples and  
Bananas and 
Cherries are 
Delicious. I like  
Eating 
Fruits like 
Grapes and 
Honeydew melons. 
 
I especially like 
Juicy fruits like 
Kiwis.  
 
Lemons and limes  
Make me pucker. 
 
Nectarines and  
Oranges are both divine. 
 
Pineapples are 
Quite ugly and 
Rough on the outside, but they are 
So sweet and 
Tasty on the inside! 
   
 ABC Poem 
Name:_______________________________ Date:_______________________ 
Write an ABC poem using the template below.  
You don’t have to go all the way to Z, you can stop at any letter, but ​write at least 6 lines​.  
 
A__________________________________________________________________ 
B__________________________________________________________________ 
C__________________________________________________________________ 
D__________________________________________________________________ 
E__________________________________________________________________ 
F__________________________________________________________________ 
G__________________________________________________________________ 
H__________________________________________________________________ 
I__________________________________________________________________ 
J__________________________________________________________________ 
K__________________________________________________________________ 
L__________________________________________________________________ 
M__________________________________________________________________ 
N__________________________________________________________________ 
O__________________________________________________________________ 
P__________________________________________________________________ 
Q__________________________________________________________________ 
R__________________________________________________________________ 
S__________________________________________________________________ 
T__________________________________________________________________ 
U__________________________________________________________________ 
V__________________________________________________________________ 
W__________________________________________________________________ 
X__________________________________________________________________ 
Y__________________________________________________________________ 
Z__________________________________________________________________