WEBLINKS for topic areas in examination of poetry in middle school

The traditional cinquain is based on a syllable count.

line 1 - 2 syllables
line 2 - 4 syllables
line 3 - 6 syllables
line 4 - 8 syllables
line 5 - 2 syllables

The modern cinquain is based on a word count of words of a certain type.

line 1 - one word (noun) a title or name of the subject
line 2 - two words (adjectives) describing the title
line 3 - three words (verbs) describing an action related to the title
line 4 - four words describing a feeling about the titlem, a complete sentence
line 5 - one word referring back to the title of the poem

A cinquain is a type of poetry. In many ways it is similar to a Japanese haiku. What makes a cinquain unique?
While a Japanese haiku has a syllable count, consisting of 5 syllables, 7 syllables and 5 syllables, a cinquain goes by the number of words in each line. It was invented by US poet Adelaide Crapsey, born September 9, 1878 in Brooklyn, New York. She enjoyed the Haiku style and adapted it to her own techniques. She named her new construction cinquain, based on the French word for "five".

Some student examples of cinquain

Composing Cinquain Poems: A Quick-Writing Activity

Cinquain: teacher lesson