The lesson should begin with an explanation and definition of a rhyme scheme and what it means for a poem to contain one. Explain that a rhyme scheme is defined by the pattern of rhyme at the end of each line in a poem when read. Present a well-known rhyming poem to the students as an example, which must have an identifiable rhyme scheme. A good poem in this case might be "Jack and Jill went up the hill." Use letters to mark the rhyme scheme like so:
Jack and Jill went up the hill A
To fetch a pale of water B
Jack fell down and broke his crown C
And Jill came tumbling after B
Students should notice that each letter corresponds to the rhyme at the end of each line forming an identifiable pattern. In this case the rhyme scheme is ABCB.
Explain the basic idea behind the rhyme scheme of a poem and what it means, as explained in section one. Place a poem of your choice on the wall. Ask students to stand up and label the poem accordingly, using letters, depending on its rhyme scheme. After this is done, tell students to go to their desks where a (pre-prepared) folder should be waiting for them with three different poems inside. Set them the task of labeling each of the poems, as was done on the wall.
Select a number of different poems and hand one out to each student in your class. Ask each of them to identify the rhyme scheme in the poem they were given. Once the students have a concise understanding of rhyme scheme, select a few free-verse poems and challenge the students to read these and to identify any kind of rhyme scheme that might be contained.
Ask each student to find a poem which they think might contain a good or interesting rhyme scheme and to bring it in to class. Tell them to identify the pattern of the first verse in their chosen poems and discuss the results in groups. If the rhyme scheme happens to be ABAB, the student should be instructed to write a poem of his own, following the same rhyme scheme.