Rhyme Schemes
📋 What it is
A rhyme scheme labels which lines rhyme, using letters — AABB (couplets) or ABAB (alternating).
🗣️ Coach says
A RHYME SCHEME is a map of which lines rhyme, written with letters: give each new end-sound a letter, and repeat the letter when it rhymes. AABB means line 1 rhymes with 2, and 3 with 4 (couplets); ABAB means every OTHER line rhymes. Knowing the scheme helps you plan a verse.
🧠 Memory hook
Rhyme scheme = letters for matching line-endings. AABB = couplets · ABAB = alternating.
😂 Giggle
Why did the verse tell the story?
Because verses carry the details while the chorus carries the feeling!
😲 Whoa!
You can hear a rhyme scheme change: switching from AABB to ABAB makes a verse feel less "sing-songy" and more grown-up, with the same words.
✅ Quick check: In the rhyme scheme AABB, which lines rhyme?
Say your answer out loud first — then reveal.
Lines 1 and 2 rhyme with each other, and lines 3 and 4 rhyme with each other (two couplets).
Matching letters mark matching end-sounds; AABB pairs 1-2 and 3-4.
🧪 Try it! (2 minutes)
Take any 4 lines you know and label their end-sounds with letters — what scheme is it?