In this lesson, teachers define and show examples of alliteration. Students use alliteration in their own poetry and illustrate a poem to share.

Writing alliteration is enjoyable for students. They can easily employ this poetic technique in their own poetry. Many students do not realize that they are using alliteration when they recite tongue twisters. Once they have made this connection, the class will be filled with laughter as students try to recite their alliterative phrases they already know or make up ones on their own.

Preparation for the Lesson on Alliteration

1. Know and be able to teach the basics of alliteration.

Alliteration: repetition of a consonant at the beginning of words in poetry or in any writing

Example: The tiny tomatoes from Tom's garden were tasty.

2. Find poetry or song lyrics that have good examples of alliteration. A great book that has a collection of poems with examples of alliteration is They’re Poets and They Know It!: A Collection of 30 Timeless Poems [Scholastic, 2007]. The following poems in the book use alliteration:

• Emily Dickinson, "A Word is Dead" -- Alliteration of S
• Jack Prelutsky, "The Dance of the Thirteen Skeletons" -- Alliteration of C
• Eve Merriam, "Teevee" -- Alliteration of W

3. Design handouts for the students that explain alliteration and offer practice.

Example Items for Alliteration Lesson Handout

Directions: Tell how alliteration is used in the five examples.

• The swimmer’s skin sizzled in the summer sun
• The rain drops plopped in the puddles near the pond
• Randy drug his feet deeply into the sand dunes
• The bells rang loudly on Lemon Street near the lake
• Bella jumped over the junk in Jack’s bedroom

Directions: Write alliterative phrases using the letters C, B and T

Teaching the Lesson on the Poetic Technique of Alliteration

1. Discuss the definition of alliteration.
2. Ask students to recite tongue twisters, such as “Peter Piper Picked a Peck of Pickled Peppers” or “How Much Wood Could a Wood Chuck.” Discuss how these tongue twisters use alliteration.
3. Read three-to-five poems that have great examples of alliteration with enthusiasm to the class. Point out the examples of alliteration in the poems.
4. Give the handout on alliteration to the students. When they have completed the handout, go over the answers. Then share their alliterative phrases.
5. Ask students to write a poem using alliteration in class.
6. Assign students to write a final copy of the poem for homework. Students should illustrate them too.
7. Make an alliteration bulletin board. Have students share their illustrated alliteration poems and give the students prizes for the most interesting or funny ones.

Using alliteration is fun! Get students excited about writing alliterative phrases in their poetry or even in their prose. Not only will they enjoy writing it, they will be able to remember it for a test.

Other relevant articles: Free Verse Poems Lesson & Middle/high School at Suite 101.com