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SHS CREATIVE WRITING MODULE

Quarter 1 – Module 4.2: Spark Creativity in Writing Cinquains

Writing Cinquain

Republic Act 8293, section 176 states that: “No copyright shall subsist in
any work of the Government of the Philippines. However, prior approval of
the government agency or office wherein the work is created shall be
necessary for exploitation of such work for profit. Such agency or office may,
among other things, impose as a condition the payment of royalties.”

Borrowed materials (i.e., songs, stories, poems, pictures, photos, brand

names, trademarks, etc.) included in this book are owned by their respective
copyright holders. Every effort has been exerted to locate and seek
permission to use these materials from their respective copyright owners. The
publisher and authors do not represent nor claim ownership over them.

Regional Director: GILBERT T. SADSAD

Assistant Regional Director: JESSIE L. AMIN

Development Team of the Module

Author: RHENLYN O. RELUYA
Editor: SUZETTE P. BARCENA
Reviewers: JOE-BREN L. CONSUELO and SDO CAMARINES NORTE
(headed by EMMA V. DASCO)
Illustrators: JOHN LEONARD P. CUIZON & KENNETH JOSEPH P. OCAMPO
Layout Artist: CRIZ T. NUYLES

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Introductory Message

For the teacher:

Welcome to the SHS CREATIVE WRITING MODULE!
This module was collaboratively designed, developed and reviewed by
educators from public institutions in Department of Education Region V
(Bicol) to assist you, the teacher in helping the learners meet the standards
set by the K to 12 Curriculum while overcoming their personal, social, and
economic constraints in schooling.
This learning resource hopes to engage the learners into guided and
independent learning activities at their own pace and time. Furthermore, this
also aims to help learners acquire the needed 21st century skills while taking
into consideration their needs and circumstances.
As a teacher, you are expected to orient the learners on how to use
this module. You also need to keep track of the learners' progress while
allowing them to manage their own learning. Furthermore, you are expected
to encourage and assist the learners as they do the tasks included in the
module.

For the learner:

Welcome to the SHS CREATIVE WRITING MODULE!
This module was designed to provide you with fun and meaningful
opportunities for guided and independent learning at your own pace and
time. You will be enabled to process the contents of the learning resource
while being an active learner and at the same time an adventurer. Diego
your learning companion is with you as you embark in this learning journey.
You will transport in the different realms to learn and perform noteworthy
tasks.
If you encounter any difficulty in answering the tasks in this module, do
not hesitate to consult your teacher. Always bear in mind that you are not
alone.
We hope that through this material, you will experience meaningful
learning and gain a deep understanding of the relevant competencies.
More so, use your notebook or a separate sheet of paper in noting significant
details and pieces of information in the different modules and even in
accomplishing the tasks given to you. You can do it!

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 Hey warrior! You are right! You are still in Poetria Wonderland where
things give you so much awe! After getting the first magical seed from the
mystical cave, you have to meet now the giant mushroom near the black
river. This is where you can find the second seed.

To get it from Porto, the giant mushroom that guards the second seed,
you need to water him with the water taken from the black river. It is not
easy to get water from that river without offering something that the spirit
that lives in the black river would love. There’s only one way to get water
from the river and that is for you to write a cinquain poem. The spirit that
inhabits the black river is a poem lover so you need to offer one.

As your loyal guide, Diego will lead you to your next destination! Break
a leg! May the second magical seed be yours!

Before you can directly go to the black river, you have to do this
challenge. Diego will tell you how to do this.

Directions: Of the three words in column B which one is a synonym of the

word in column A. To get clues, read how the words in column A are used
in the sentences below. Write your answers in your notebook.

A B
1. fluttering a.dancing b.flapping c.chirping
2. ornery a.ill-tempered b.cheerful c.compliant
3. cinquain a.drama b.song c.poem
4. licorice a.fruit b.vegetable c.plant
5. canary a.hamster b.bird c.lion

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 1. The three men, as they passed, looked down and saw the little
birds fluttering in the cold, wet grass.
2. I can be very ornery if I don’t get my coffee in the morning, being
mean to everyone that tries to bother me.
3. Crapsey’s cinquain depends on strict structure and intense physical
imagery to communicate a mood or feeling.
4. Regarding stomach ulcers, specifically, there is some evidence...
that specially prepared licorice will speed the healing of stomach
ulcers.
5. The canary has escaped from the cage.

Nice job! Did you enjoy it? Perhaps, you can hear clapping sounds. This
comes from the cheerful unseen creatures in Wonderland which only
means they are happy for you!

You are now near the black river! Porto, the giant mushroom wants you
to have the next task so that you can have the ability to understand the
language of the spirit of the river! You have to follow what Diego will tell
you.

Directions: In your notebook, write a five-line poem. Think of a person,

place, or thing to write your poem about. Each line should be composed
of the following:

Line 1: One word that tells what the poem is about

Line 2: Two words that describe the subject
Line 3: Three words that describe something the subject does
Line 4: Four to six words describing the subject further
Line 5: One or two words that rename what the poem is about (a
synonym)

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Here are some examples:

Dalmatian
Planet
Spotted, happy
Graceful, ringed
Running, barking, jumping
Spinning, whirling, twirling
A wagging tail on the end
Dances with neighbor Jupiter
Fire Dog!
Saturn

Good job! You just earned the power to understand the strange
language of the spirit of the black river! You are now ready to face her!

For you to prepare for your poem offering, read and learn more about
it!

Cinquains
A cinquain is a five-line poem (hence the name) and is a favorite
poetic form for many because they are easy and fun to write and they
don’t require a whole lot of words!” They also reinforce some basic
grammatical parts of speech. is a form of poetry that is very popular
because of its simplicity. It was created by American poet Adelaide
Crapsey about 100 years ago, and is similar to Japanese poetic forms,
such as haiku and tanka.Cinquain poems describe a particular topic. A
cinquain – which, by the way, is pronounced “sin-cane,” not “sin-kwane”.

Cinquains are just five lines long, with only a few words on each line,
making them easy to write. The first and last lines have just two syllables,
while the middle lines have more, so they end up with a diamond-like
shape, similar to the poetic form called the diamante.

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 Cinquains are particularly vivid in their imagery and are meant to
convey a certain mood or emotion.

Because Adelaide Crapsey created the cinquain as a poetic form, the

best example of a cinquain is a poem that she wrote titled "Snow"
(source: http://www.cinquain.org)

Look up…
From bleakening hills
Blows down the light, first breath
Of wintry wind…look up, and scent
The snow!

Stresses per Line

• The first line has one stress, which was usually iambic meter with the first
syllable unstressed and the second stressed.
• Line two has two stresses.
• Line three has three stresses.
• Line four has four stresses.
• Line five has one stress.
Syllables per Line
Following the invention of this form, Crapsey made changes to the form
and included a certain number of syllables per line.

• Line one had two syllables.

• Line two had four syllables.
• Line three had six syllables.
• Line four had eight syllables.
• Line five had two syllables.

Even though iambic feet were typically used in these cinquains, it was not
a requirement of the structure.

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Format for Writing a Cinquain
Line 1: One word (a noun, the subject of the poem)
Line 2: Two words (adjectives that describe the subject in line 1)
Line 3: Three words (-ing action verbs–participles–that relate to the subject
in line 1)
Line 4: Four words (a phrase or sentence that relates feelings about the
subject in line 1)
Line 5: One word (a synonym for the subject in line 1 or a word that sums it
up)

Though they are just five lines long, the best cinquains tell a small story.
Instead of just having descriptive words, they may also have an action
(something happening), a feeling caused by the action, and a conclusion
or ending.

You can learn to write cinquains by following these few simple steps:

1. Decide what you would like to write about.

2. Brainstorm words and phrases that have to do with your idea.
3. Think about what story you want to tell.
4. Write your words and phrases in an order that tells your story; be sure to
count the syllables as you go.

The Rules of a Cinquain

There are actually many different ways to write a cinquain, so I’m just
going to teach you how to write a traditional cinquain, as it was defined
by the poet who invented it. These are the rules:

1. Cinquains are five lines long.

2. They have 2 syllables in the first line, 4 in the second, 6 in the third, 8 in
the fourth line, and just 2 in the last line.
3. Cinquains do not need to rhyme, but you can include rhymes if you
want to.

That’s it. Just three simple rules. If you want to, you can even memorize
the syllable count by remembering this five-digit number: 24682. Repeat
after me: 24682, 24682, and 24682. Now you’ve got it!

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 The spirit living in the black river knew beforehand that you were
coming so she prepared sort of challenges that you need to do. She gave
Diego a shell and wants you to do the following tasks.

Diego will open the big shiny shell for you where all the directions are
kept inside. You have to use now your power to understand the spirit’s
strange language!

Practice Task 1.
Read the following cinquain poems. Identify the subject being described
in each poem. Choose from the options given. Write your answers in your
notebook.

Dessert Racing Truck Keyboard Rodeo

Apple Party Penguin Tree Puppy

1._____________ 2. _____________
Ornery, naughty White, tall
Growling, jumping, chewing Reaching, bending, fluttering
A playful bundle of trouble Leaves and twigs in the wind
Boxer Aspen

3. _____________ 4. _____________
Party black, white Happy, cheerful
Waddling, swimming, leaping Singing, eating, playing
A tuxedo in the cold water My eighth birthday party
Emperor Perfect

5. _____________ 6. _____________
red, delicious Loud, busy
Crunching, chewing, eating Roping, riding, exciting
My favorite snack Dozens of horses in the arena
Apple Stampede

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 7. _____________
Fun, new
Reading, laughing, writing
You have 6 new messages
e-mail
8. _____________
Big, long
Driving, speeding, passing
Tractor trailer on the highway
Semi

9. _____________ 10. _____________

Fast, zip Cold, creamy
Buzzing, rushing, flying Eating, giggling, licking
drivers on the track Cone with three scoops
Nascar Ice cream

Best of luck on your next task!

Practice Task 2.
Use the following tips to brainstorm on blank paper for different ideas.
Then follow the directions to learn how to write a cinquain poem of your
own. Choose each word carefully because the poem has a limited
number of words!

Word Pair Ideas: General topic / specific topic

• bird / parrot (or crow, canary, dove)
• fruit / apple (or pear, banana, watermelon, peach, etc.)
• season / spring (or summer, fall, autumn, winter)
• winter / January (or spring / April, summer / July, autumn / October)
• candy / jawbreaker (or Snickers, jelly beans, licorice)
• storm / tornado (or hurricane, blizzard, squall)
• water / river (or ocean, lake, stream, creek)
• grandparent / Nana (or Grandma, Papa, Pops)

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Do this in your notebook:

Line 1: Name a general topic (choose from the suggestions above for
ideas).One word (a noun, the subject of the poem)
Line 2: Two words (adjectives that describe the subject in line 1)
Line 3: Three words (-ing action verbs–participles–that relate to the subject
in line 1)
Line 4: Six words describing the subject further
(a phrase or sentence that relates feelings about the subject in line 1)
Line 5: One word (a synonym for the subject in line 1 or a word that sums it
up)

Write Your Cinquain

1. Pick out the most descriptive words from your brainstorming and put
your cinquain together.
2. Your cinquain should have 5 lines and the finished poem should only
have 13 words.
3. Begin each line with a capital letter, and remember your commas. Do
not use ending punctuation.
4. When finished, double-check for concreteness!

This is your final task! Spark creativity here so that the lovely spirit will
grant you water from the river. Good luck!

Practice Task 3.
This time you are free to write your own cinquain. Observe the guidelines
that you learned when writing a cinquain. Use this guide to write your
poem. Write your poem in your notebook.

1. A one word title, a noun that tells what your poem is about
2. Two adjectives that describe what you're writing about
3. Three -ing action verbs/participles that describe what your poem is
about
4. Six words describing the subject further (A phrase that tells more about
what you're writing about)
5. A synonym for your title, another noun that tells what your poem is
about

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 Wow! Great! You succeeded! The spirit of the river is pleased to know
that you passed all the challenges she prepared.

The spirit of the river asked Diego to test your mind and power by giving
you this so listen to Diego and give the correct answers.

Let’s test your memory! What does each line in a cinquain contain? Write
your answers in your notebook.

1. Line 1 _________________________________________________________
2. Line 2 _________________________________________________________
3. Line 3 _________________________________________________________
4. Line 4 _________________________________________________________
5. Line 5 _________________________________________________________

This is the last challenge posed by the spirit of the river. If you will
succeed here, you are free to get water from the river anytime you want!

Write a cinquain about your loved one. It could be about your mother or
father or a relative. Write it on a separate sheet of paper. You can also
post and share your poem on social media sites like facebook to
showcase your new learned skill. (See Rubrics)

Congratulations! You are done! You are now receiving the freedom to
get water from the black river!

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 To remember our lesson better, let us synthesize.

A cinquain is a five-line poem.

Cinquain poems describe a particular topic.

The best cinquains tell a story. An easy way to do this is

to start with your subject on the first line, describe it on
the second, put an action on the third line, a feeling on
the fourth line, and a conclusion on the last line.

Porto is happy to find out that you have been successful! He’s ready to
be watered! Porto is now giving you the second magical seed! He wants
you to take care of the seeds so you can go back to normal soon.

Good luck to your next adventure! Two more seeds are waiting for you!

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Vocabulary Builder

1. b
2. a
3. c
4. c
5. b

Warming up. Answers may vary. Use the criteria below for rating.

Criteria Points
Content 3
Creativity 3
Rhythm 2
Neatness 2
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Keeping You in Practice
Practice Task 1
1. puppy
2. tree
3. penguin
4. party
5. apple
6. rodeo
7. keyboard
8. truck
9. racing
10. dessert

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 Practice Task 2 & 3. Answers may vary. Use the rubric below for rating.

Exemplary Accomplished Developing Beginning

(5 points) (3 points) (2 points) 1(point)
The poem is The poem is The poem The poem does
written mostly written missed a few not follow the
Follow according to according to of the guidelines for
Poetry guidelines for guidelines for guidelines for the type of
Directions the type of the type of the type of poem assigned.
poem poem poem
assigned assigned. assigned.
No grammar, 1-3 grammar, 4-5 grammar, More than 5
capitalization, capitalization, capitalization, grammar,
Conventions punctuation, punctuation, punctuation, capitalization,
or spelling or spelling or spelling punctuation, or
errors. errors. errors. spelling errors.
Presentation is Mostly neat Somewhat The poem is
neat and with some neat with messy and
written legibly eraser marks. many eraser difficult to read
Neatness
marks. due to erasures,
cross-outs, and
other markings.
Has very Has many Has some Shows little or
creative ideas creative ideas creative no attempt at
Creativity
and/or and/or ideas and/or creativity.
descriptions. descriptions. descriptions.

Cooling Down

Line 1: One word that tells what the poem is about

Line 2: Two words that describe the subject
Line 3: Three words that describe something the subject does
Line 4: Four to six words describing the subject further
Line 5: One or two words that rename what the poem is about (a
synonym)

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Learning Challenge. Answers may vary. Use the rubric below for rating.

Distinguished (5 Proficient (3 Basic (2 Unsatisfactory

Points) Points) Points) (1 Point)
Poem follows the Poem follows Poem follows Poem does not
cinquain pattern the cinquain the cinquain follow the
correctly pattern with a pattern cinquain
minimum errors incorrectly pattern
Presentation is neat Mostly neat Somewhat The poem is
and written legibly with some neat with messy and
eraser marks. many eraser difficult to read
marks. due to
erasures, cross-
outs, and other
markings.
The topic of the The topic of the The topic of The topic of
poem is vividly poem is clearly the poem is the poem is
described described somewhat not described
described effectively
Poem is extremely Poem is Poem is Poem is dull
creative and attractive and appropriate
appropriate appropriate but
unimaginative

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Online Sources

Brave Writer. (2020). Writing a Cinquain Poem. Retrieved from

https://poetryteatime.com/blog/writing-a-cinquain-poem

Cinquain Examples. Retrieved from

https://examples.yourdictionary.com/cinquain-examples.html

Gardner, T. (2020).Composing Cinquain Poems: A Quick-Writing Activity.

Retrieved from http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom

resources/lesson-plans/composing-cinquain-poems-quick-51.html

Kautzer, K. (2015 April, 6). How to write a cinquain poem. Retrieved from

https://writeshop.com/writing-a-cinquain-poem/

Nesbitt, K. (2020). How to Write a Cinquain Poem. Retrieved from

https://www.poetry4kids.com/lessons/how-to-write-a-cinquain-

poem/

Sample Cinquains. [PDF Document]. Retrieved from

http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/lesson_images/lesson

43/RWT016-1.PDF

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