Hello! Today’s free middle school writing lesson focuses on two beautiful poems about the sea. Students will read the poems, answer some questions to help them notice the important points, then follow the instructions to complete a creative writing assignment focused on the rhythms of the sea.

This lesson includes basic instructions for Language Arts teachers of Grades 6 to 8 – how you use these materials is up to you. Let’s get started!

Keep reading, or download the lesson in Word format:

Grade 6 Creative Writing Lesson: Sea Poetry and Rhythm

Here are two poems about the sea. The first was written by American poet Epes Sargent (1813-1880). The second is a Haiku by Japanese poet Yosa Buson (1716-1783) and has been translated from Japanese into English.

As You Read

The poets lived on opposite sides of the earth, and the seas they observed looked quite different. Likewise, the styles of these two poems are very different, but they have an important common point: each poem puts the rhythm of the rising and falling waves into words. Try reading the poems aloud. Do you have a sense of waves coming and going as you read? What might give this impression? Is it the words, the rhythm (meter), or the form? Perhaps it is due to a combination of all three things.

Text: Two Sea Poems

A Life On The Ocean Wave

A life on the ocean wave,

A home on the rolling deep,

Where the scattered waters rave,

And the winds their revels keep!

Like an eagle caged, I pine

On this dull, unchanging shore:

Oh! Give me the flashing brine,

The spray and the tempest’s roar!

Once more on the deck I stand

Of my own swift-gliding craft:

Set sail! Farewell to the land!

The gale follows fair abaft.

We shoot through the sparkling foam

Like an ocean-bird set free;—

Like the ocean-bird, our home

We’ll find far out on the sea.

The land is no longer in view,

The clouds have begun to frown;

But with a stout vessel and crew,

We’ll say, let the storm come down!

And the song of our hearts shall be,

While the winds and the waters rave,

A home on the rolling sea!

A life on the ocean wave!

The Spring Sea Rising

The spring sea rising
and falling, rising
and falling all day.

Questions

1. Which of the two poems do you find best describes the swell of the ocean? Why?
2. What ideas about life do the poems express, within the theme of ‘the ocean’ (if any)?

Sea Poems Assignment

Write your own poem in which the words ‘rise’ and ‘fall’ like ocean waves. Consider what you have observed about the other two poems as you compose your own. When you are finished, read it aloud.

Reading and Writing Lessons for All Ages

Get creative and include this lesson in any English Language Arts class, either in a classroom or homeschool setting. You can also use any one of the Middle School and High School Writing Lessons from Canadian Winter Homeschool Materials as a quick addition to your teaching day, or as an easy lesson for a substitute teacher.

Lessons on our blog are divided into Level One (Grade 6), Level Two (Grade 7) and Level Three (Grade 8) according to difficulty, but teachers should feel free to adjust lessons and use them for any student who might enjoy them!  This lesson can be found in our complete Reading and Writing collection: Sundry Snippets Level One.

If you enjoyed this lesson why not drop by our store at Teachers Pay Teachers or Tes? You will find plenty of other teacher resources, including French lessons, Reading Comprehension questions, Novel Studies, Music Appreciation lessons, Grammar workbooks, and more!

Happy learning!

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