Acrostic Poem Examples and Activities

What is Acrostic Poetry? What are some acrostic poem examples and activities?

Acrostic Poems are created when a word or name is chosen and written vertically, with the poem following each letter in that word or name. They are amazing and eye-catching!

Acrostic poems can serve as an excellent complement to “I Am” and “I Am from” poems, as they can be a great way for students to introduce themselves and their likes and dislikes. Imagine a nook in your classroom or learning space where you can see each student’s name and details about them in each poem. There is so much potential for ownership and building connection.

However, acrostics can be used for a number of tasks and across subjects, they do not have to be personal.

Examples

Let’s take a look at a few themed acrostics. (By the way, writing themed acrostic poems can be wonderful for any season. Use words like “FALL,” “SNOW,” and “FLOWER” for your younger learners!)

We love this acrostic:

Together we accomplished so much.
Having your help has been wonderful.
And I can’t wait to work together again!
No one has as much knowledge as you!
Keeping our connection is important to me.
So let’s work together again soon! Thank you!”

And we can’t get enough of ones like this:

Dogs are the best! They are so fluffy!
Oh how I love them! They can be funny!
Good dogs are not hard to find!
So search for one to call ‘mine!’”

As you can see, you can integrate acrostics in many ways and encourage students to write them with or without rhyme schemes. There is so much flexibility and potential!

Instructional Uses and Strategies

  1. Learning Vocabulary: Acrostics can be a wonderful way to showcase a student’s knowledge about a particular subject. For your next vocabulary list or unit vocabulary, ask students to create acrostics that they can share with their peers. Their acrostic poems will help others understand the term they’re learning! This will be a great critical and creative thinking exercise. Moreover, students may choose vocabulary terms to create acrostics for based on students needs, interests, and preferences, which honors student choice. Make vocabulary fun and creative with acrostics!
  2. Biography Acrostics: A common experience for many students is to learn about famous figures in history. Ask students to create an acrostic using a famous figure’s name so they can share what they’ve learned. This is a great alternative for slideshows, posters, and more traditional assignments.
  3. Goal Setting Acrostics: In order to connect with goal-setting, ask students to create an acrostic using the word “GOAL.” From there, learners can share their plans and desires to achieve this goal. Have students share their goals to build classroom community; they can plan to cheer each other on!

Acrostics are a staple in early elementary poetry education. They are fun, encourage creative thinking and writing, and can be adapted for a wide variety of age ranges and needs. We love ‘em!

We have sample acrostic poems and a template to help you and your learners get started. Remember: poetry requires fun, flexibility, and time!

Encourage your learners to plan, revise, and enjoy the experience of writing poetry!

CCSS Standard
W.3, W.4, W.5

Acrostic Poem Printable Activities (PDFs)