A Cat Named Lamont

Worksheet Description

This worksheet is tailored for students to practice writing limericks, which are short, often humorous poems with a distinctive rhythm and rhyme scheme. The page begins with a definition and explanation of a limerick’s structure: a five-line poem with an AABBA rhyme scheme, where the first, second, and fifth lines have eight syllables (with a stress pattern of unstressed-stressed), and the third and fourth lines have five syllables and a different stress pattern. An example of a limerick is provided to illustrate these guidelines, showcasing the whimsical and rhythmic nature typical of this poetic form.

The main activity on the worksheet invites students to complete a limerick starting with the line “There once was a cat named Lamont.” This exercise prompts creativity and attention to metrical feet and rhyme. Students must craft lines that conform to the syllable count and rhyme scheme, ensuring the last words of lines one, two, and five rhyme with each other, as do the last words of lines three and four. This type of structured writing practice helps students develop their understanding of poetic forms, enhances their vocabulary through the search for rhyming words, and encourages playful engagement with language.