all you need to teach: poetry ages 5-8

About the Author

Amelia Walker’s poetry has been published

in magazines and journals around the world.

She delivers writing workshops for schools

and community groups and is a member

of the Australian Poetry Centre’s National

Education Committee. Amelia is passionate

about engaging young people with poetry.

Titles in this series:All you need to teach: Poetry Ages 5–8 ISBN 978 1 4202 7906 1

All you need to teach: Poetry Ages 8–10 ISBN 978 1 4202 7907 8

All you need to teach: Poetry Ages 10+ ISBN 978 1 4202 7908 5

Macmillan Wall Charts: Poetry ISBN 978 1 4202 8102 6

AGES5-8

Amelia Walker

Poetry

Po

etr

yDiscover, explore and write po e t r y

Poetry

All the tools a smart teacher needs!

All you need to teach . . . Poetry contains essential information, text models, lesson banks and worksheets to support you and engage your students as they

discover, explore and write poetry.

Teaching Tips — including information on the elements of poetry,

poetry and multiple intelligences, poetry across the curriculum and teaching poetry.

Text Models — examples of both fixed form and free verse poems.

Lesson Banks — mini-lessons that can be easily integrated into English

programs and will complement Drama and Public Speaking programs.

Assessment Rubrics — lists of levelled criteria to help you and your

students assess their poetry writing, poetry reading and poetry performance.

Worksheets — to help students think about poetry and then create their own.

Plus!All you need to teach: Narrative Text Types

All you need to teach: Nonfiction Text Types

All you need to teach: Drama

www.macmillan.com.au

Endorsed by the Australian Poetry Centre

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Poetry

Discover, explore and

write poetry

Ages 5-8

Amelia Walker

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First published in 2010 by

MACMILLAN EDUCATION AUSTRALIA PTY LTD15–19 Claremont Street, South Yarra 3141

Visit our website at www.macmillan.com.au

Associated companies and representatives throughout the world.

Copyright © Amelia Walker/Macmillan Education Australia 2010 All You Need to Teach Poetry Ages 5–8 ISBN 978 1 4202 7906 1

Publisher: Sharon DalgleishManaging editor: Bonnie WilsonEditor: Adriana Martinelli-SciaccaProofreader: Mia SantoromitoDesign: Trish Hayes and Stephen Michael KingIllustrations: Stephen Michael King

Printed in AustraliaPrinted on paper from sustainable forests

Copying of this work by educational institutions or teachers

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Please note

At the time of printing, the website/webpage addresses appearing in this book were correct. Owing to the dynamic nature of the internet, however, we cannot guarantee that all these addresses will remain correct.

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All the teAching tips You need

Teaching Poetry .................................................................................... 5

Poetry and Multiple Intelligences .......................................................... 6

Poetry Across the Curriculum ................................................................ 7

Opportunities for Young Poets ............................................................. 7

The Elements of Poetry ......................................................................... 8

Recommended Texts .......................................................................... 13

Assessment Rubrics ............................................................................. 14

All the text Models You need

What is Poetry? .................................................................................. 18

Structure ............................................................................................. 19

Sound ............................................................................................... 23

Description ......................................................................................... 27

Symbolism .......................................................................................... 31

Narrative ............................................................................................ 33

Character ............................................................................................ 35

Visual Poetry ...................................................................................... 37

All the lesson BAnks You need

What is Poetry? .................................................................................. 40

Structure in Fixed Form ....................................................................... 42

Structure in Free Verse ........................................................................ 44

Sound in Poetry .................................................................................. 46

Description in Poetry .......................................................................... 48

Symbolism in Poetry ........................................................................... 50

Narrative in Poetry .............................................................................. 52

Character in Poetry ............................................................................. 54

Visual Poetry ...................................................................................... 56

Cyber Poetry ...................................................................................... 58

Performing Poetry .............................................................................. 60

All the Worksheets You need ................................................... 62

Co n t e n t sCo n t e n t s

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teaChing

tips

You Need

All the

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tips

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teAching poetrY

This book contains essential information, text models, lesson banks, worksheets and assessment tools to support you and your students as they explore, discover and write poetry. Dip in, take what you need, or adapt to fit your own individual writing classroom.

Ex p lo r i n g po Et ryThrough reading, writing and presenting poetry, students develop creative and critical thinking abilities. This book offers activities that engage multiple literacies to build oral, written and digital communication skills. Reflective processes assist with personal development, promoting social skills, emotional insight, self-awareness, empathy and interpersonal learning. Activities which place poetry within real world contexts increase its relevance by demonstrating its practical applications, both social and vocational. Poetry can be incorporated across the school curriculum as a fun learning method.

Wh at i s po Et ry?The answer to this question varies wildly from one person to another. Some of us may recall writing poetry in our school days and being told that what we had written wasn’t ‘proper’ poetry. Some argue vehemently that poetry ought to rhyme while others say that rhyming ‘doggerel’ is impossible to take seriously. This book takes a more balanced and open approach. Poetry doesn’t have to rhyme, but it can. Rhyme is just one of many devices that can be used in poetry. Students should be encouraged to experiment with as many poetic devices as possible. Poems can be presented as paintings, posters, collages, digital art, movies, audio-recordings, live music, live performance and in many other forms beyond just print. They can masquerade as recipes, text messages and advertising. Some poems might be no longer than a single word or even a single letter, but meaningfully arranged. Other poems might seem trite on the page but gripping when read aloud. They can employ formal, elevated language, everyday speech or even nonsense words. They can be sad or joyous, serious or joking, or sometimes a mix of everything. All styles are equally valid because ‘proper’ poetry is a myth.

If you make it and call it a poem, then it is. If you interpret it and call it a poem, then it is.

Wr it i n g po Et ryContemporary poetry can be understood in terms of 10 key elements: structure, sound, description, language, symbolism, narrative, character, visual elements, cyber elements and performance elements. Each element involves a number of more specific devices. Pages 8 to 12 offer more detailed explanations of the 10 elements and their individual devices. The lesson banks on pages 39 to 61 largely correspond to the elements, with the exception of language, which may be too confusing for students who are still learning the basics of reading, writing and spelling. The text models on pages 17 to 38 and the worksheets on pages 62 to 80 all link to specific elements, devices and exercises within the lesson banks.

ass Essi n g po Et ry Wit h ru b r i csPoetry has always been difficult to assess in a measurable, positive, meaningful and objective way. Rubrics help solve the problem. Rubrics are a list of levelled criteria, skills, concepts or understandings related to a specific task or process. They act as developmental maps on which you can plot the progress of your students, or where students can plot their own progress. Rubrics establish clear expectations for students, and help them to direct themselves and set their own goals. Because there is an entry point for all students, all students can be successful.

In terms of poetry, the benefits of writing are in the process, not the results. Opinions about what makes a ‘good’ poem vary widely. Rather than trying to grade poems themselves, the assessment tools on pages 14 to 16 are rubrics which focus on students’ knowledge of poetic elements and devices, and on how they apply this knowledge to reading, writing and performing poetry.

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The theory of Multiple Intelligences, developed by Dr Howard Gardner, states that people employ several forms of intelligence rather than just one. Commonly recognised forms include verbal-linguistic, logical-mathematical, spatial, bodily-kinaesthetic, musical-rhythmic, interpersonal, intrapersonal and naturalistic. Different people excel in different areas. Poetry involves all areas, which means that all students can engage with poetry, albeit in different ways.

poetrY And Multiple intelligences

Verbal-linguistic These students enjoy reading, writing and playing with language. They engage easily with poetry.

Logical-mathematical These students enjoy the structural elements of poetry, particularly using and creating patterns and forms. They also enjoy making cyber poetry.

Spatial These students enjoy the visual aspects of poetry. This particularly relates to picture poems, poem posters and slide show poems, but also to the stanza groupings, line lengths and general layout of any poem.

Bodily-kinaesthetic These students are attuned to the five senses and can use imagery well. They enjoy taking walks and making notes about what they experience. They also enjoy poetry games involving movement.

Musical-rhythmic These students like the rhythms and sounds of language. They enjoy working with sound elements such as alliteration, onomatopoeia and rhyme. They also enjoy turning poems into songs.

Interpersonal These students enjoy poetry’s communicatory functions. They are good at character-based poems because of their ability to empathise. They also like collaborative exercises.

Intrapersonal These students enjoy the reflective aspects of poetry. They like exploring personal beliefs, emotions and identity.

Naturalistic These students enjoy interacting with the outside world and they notice the small details. They are good at writing about places they’ve seen and they create meaningful descriptions. They enjoy writing in response to excursions.

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While poetry has its roots in the language arts, it can relate to a variety of learning areas, not just English.

A great way for students to communicate their thoughts and feelings to a wide audience is by entering competitions and submitting poems for publication. Winning a prize or seeing their work in print is exciting and encourages students to value poetry and take pride in their writing. It also shows students that poetry writing can extend well beyond the classroom to local and global communities.

Visit these websites for information about poetry competitions and publishing opportunities for lower primary students:

• The Dorothea MacKellar Poetry Awards at www.dorothea.com.au• Ipswich Poetry Feast at www.ipswichpoetryfeast.com.au/competition.htm • Write 4 Fun at www.write4fun.net • Wordbox at www.wordbox4writers.wordpress.com/• The Australian Poetry Centre at www.australianpoetrycentre.org.au

More information on current opportunities and writing programs can be found at your nearest writers’ centre.

poetrY Across the curriculuM

opportunities for Young poets

Verbal-linguistic These students enjoy reading, writing and playing with language. They engage easily with poetry.

Logical-mathematical These students enjoy the structural elements of poetry, particularly using and creating patterns and forms. They also enjoy making cyber poetry.

Spatial These students enjoy the visual aspects of poetry. This particularly relates to picture poems, poem posters and slide show poems, but also to the stanza groupings, line lengths and general layout of any poem.

Bodily-kinaesthetic These students are attuned to the five senses and can use imagery well. They enjoy taking walks and making notes about what they experience. They also enjoy poetry games involving movement.

Musical-rhythmic These students like the rhythms and sounds of language. They enjoy working with sound elements such as alliteration, onomatopoeia and rhyme. They also enjoy turning poems into songs.

Interpersonal These students enjoy poetry’s communicatory functions. They are good at character-based poems because of their ability to empathise. They also like collaborative exercises.

Intrapersonal These students enjoy the reflective aspects of poetry. They like exploring personal beliefs, emotions and identity.

Naturalistic These students enjoy interacting with the outside world and they notice the small details. They are good at writing about places they’ve seen and they create meaningful descriptions. They enjoy writing in response to excursions.

Learning Area Activity

Mathematics • Have students practise counting by writing poems that use a particular number of syllables in every line, for example, counting by twos.

• Help students become familiar with multiplication and subtraction signs by writing equation poems (like the ones on pages 44 to 45).

Science • Have students write poems about topics from Science lessons or to reflect particular rules, for example, poems about how things change according to the seasons (such as the renga in Text Model 17 on page 34).

Languages Other Than English

• Have students choose a word from their second language and write an acrostic poem that explains the word’s meaning in the student’s first language.

History, Society and the Environment

• Have students write poems about the topics the class is studying.

The Creative and Performing Arts

• Have students create art in response to poems or vice versa.• Have students incorporate lines of poetry into pictures, sculptures or any form

of art. • Have students engage in visual poetry activities (like those on pages 56 to 57).• Have students engage in performance activities (like those on pages 60 to 61),

that link poetry and drama.

Physical Education, Health and Personal Development

• Have students play poetry games involving movement.• Have students write poems about making healthy choices, for example, poems

about sport, poems about different body parts, and healthy recipe poems.• Have students write poems exploring feelings, identity, relationships and

decision making. • Encourage students to work collaboratively to build cooperation skills.

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The following pages describe the elements of poetry. Each element involves a number of specific devices. It is important to remember that these categorisations are a rough guide only and there are many areas of overlap. Also, each element functions in partnership with others, for example structure often involves sound. In general, poems involve different elements to varying degrees. The presence or absence of a particular element does not reflect a poem’s quality.

st ru ct u ral ElE m E n tsAll poems have structure, even the ones that deliberately try to avoid it. Structure refers to the way a poem’s content is organised: its overall shape, stanzas, line breaks, alignment, patterns, repetition, and so on.

fixed forMs

The term ‘fixed form’ is misleading because all forms are flexible and open to experimentation. All of the currently popular fixed forms have changed their rules numerous times and some, like haiku, have multiple sets of rules. Clearly, there is never any one ‘right’ way of writing. The rules are there as guidelines only. Often they are there to be broken!

Fixed forms can help students overcome ‘the fear of the blank page’. Since the structure is already provided, students can concentrate on ideas. However, too much focus on rules may make students panic about ‘getting it wrong’. The need to rhyme may make students choose inappropriate words or forget what they really want to say. Remind students that the form should serve them, not the other way around.

This book examines two varieties of fixed form: ABAB rhyme and haiku. ABAB rhyme refers to any poem with alternating end-rhymes. Haiku is a traditional Japanese fixed form, typically offering a brief observation of an environment. Contemporary haiku can use urban or even digital environments. Haiku about people are called senryu.

English language haiku are controversial. Some people believe that a ‘proper’ haiku has three lines and a five–seven–five syllable pattern. Others believe that syllables are irrelevant and

it is more important for a haiku to contain two contrasting images, described in the simplest words possible. In this book, five–seven–five haiku are referred to as ‘syllable-based’ and haiku with contrasting images are referred to as ‘image-based’. Encourage students to try both types to decide what works best for them or for individual poems.

free verse

Like ‘fixed form’, the term ‘free verse’ is misleading. Free verse poems still have structure and include elements such as stanzas, line breaks, patterns and repetition. The difference is that a fixed form poem bases itself upon a structure that is already provided, whereas a free verse poem creates its own structure.

Some students take to free verse easily, but others feel overwhelmed by the blank page. Those who take to free verse easily will enjoy stream-of-consciousness activities where you simply hand them a blank page, perhaps play some interesting music, and ask them to write whatever comes into their heads.

To assist those students who feel overwhelmed, suggest they employ a list structure where each line begins with the same opening such as ‘I remember the time’ or ‘In summer’. Tell them the structure is only there to help them begin and they can discard it whenever they like.

All poems benefit from editing. Once they have written their first drafts, encourage students to experiment with different stanza groupings, line breaks and layouts. Have students reflect upon the way different structures bring out different meanings in poems.

the eleMents of poetrY

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so u n d ElE m E n tsThe sounds of words can give poems a musical feel, especially when read aloud. Most people are familiar with rhyme, but rhyme is just one of the many sound devices available to poets.

AlliterAtion

Alliteration means using words that begin with the same first letter. It may be as few as two words within a poem, which creates a subtle effect, or it might be done in an over-the-top way so that nearly every word in the entire poem is alliterative.

onoMAtopoeiA

Onomatopoeia refers to words that sound like their meanings, for example bang, crunch, whoosh. They are great to say aloud. On the page they offer very direct aural images, helping readers to imagine sounds. Students do not always have to use existing onomatopoeic words, but can invent their own.

rhYMe

Rhyme does not have to mean ABAB form or other strict patterns. Students may wish to scatter just one or a few rhyming couplets into a poem, but in random ways to surprise readers. Rhymes do not always have to go at the end of lines, but can also be used within lines or in other unexpected ways to create syncopation within a poem.

rhYthM And sYllABles

The syllables in words work like the drummers in bands; they create rhythms. In traditional poetry the most common rhythm is iambic pentameter: 10 syllables per line, grouped in pairs. Contemporary poetry tends to use irregular patterns that often resemble speech. Don’t worry too much about the technicalities; instead encourage students to notice the number of syllables in words and the effects they create.

dEsc r i pt i v E ElE m E n tsGood poetry helps a reader to experience new places and different worlds in their imagination. This requires effective use of description. A poem that includes descriptions of unusual or generally unnoticed aspects of particular scenes, or familiar things described in unfamiliar ways, sounds fresh rather than dull or clichéd. For example, in a beach scene, people expect descriptions of the sun, the sand and the water. Descriptions of the view from the underside of a jetty or the smell of surfboard wax are unexpected and instantly more engaging to the reader.

five-sensorY iMAgerY

A common mistake some beginner writers make is to only describe what can be seen. In order to really grab a reader’s attention, it is important to evoke all five senses: touch, taste, smell, sound and sight.

siMile

A simile describes something by comparing it to something else. The most common language structures of similes are like, for example ‘the moon was like a banana’, and as, for example ‘the moon was as slender as a banana’. Simile often goes hand in hand with metaphor, but understanding metaphor requires abstract thinking, which most students may not develop until they are older.

hYperBole

Hyperbole means exaggerating to ridiculous extents. Readers know not to take what is written literally, but understand the implied meaning. For example, ‘He was so tall he swatted satellites instead of flies!’ is understood to mean that the person is very tall. Overuse of hyperbole creates an absurd effect, which is good if the poem is supposed to be absurd, but problematic if it is supposed to be serious. Used sparingly, hyperbole can be effective within serious as well as silly poems.

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lan g uag E ElE m E n tsThe same thing can often be said in many ways. For this reason, poetry involves choices about vocabulary. It also involves word games and even coining new words. The Ages 5–8 book does not contain a lesson bank on language elements because in the early years of primary school, students are still grasping the fundamentals of reading, writing and spelling. At this age you can still prompt students to consider language in small ways, for example point to a word and ask if there is an equivalent word (synonym) that might sound better.

sym bo li c ElE m E n ts A symbol is something that represents something else, so in fact, all language is symbolic. In poetry, symbolism generally operates through particular images or themes, for example birds taking flight = freedom.

sYMBolisM, interpretAtion, culture And contexts

Different people interpret the same symbols in different ways, depending upon their personal experiences and backgrounds. There is significant variation across cultures, for example some cultures associate the colour white with death, whereas others associate it with weddings. This creates potential difficulties when writing poetry in a multicultural society, but it also creates valuable opportunities. Encourage students to share, discuss, compare and reflect upon the different symbols which exist within their own cultures. The realisation that one thing can be viewed in many ways will promote cultural understanding and respect as well as open-mindedness. The interpretation of symbols is also influenced by the context in which the symbols appear.

nar rat i v E ElE m E n tsNarrative poems tell stories. They can be true or false, funny or sad, realistic or off the wall, and sometimes all of these things. They can be in fixed form or free verse. They can be made up or a retelling of an existing story. The boundaries between narrative poems and short stories are blurry. The simplest way to make the distinction between the two for younger students is to explain that narrative poems are shorter and incorporate many other poetic elements, such as sound.

constructing plots

Regardless of whether a narrative poem is based on an existing story, such as a personal experience, a fairytale or something from a history book, it is important to construct a plot, not just a series of events. It is also important to consider key questions about how the plot is put together: Who are the main characters? Where is the story set? Which events are relevant? Which are not? Why is the story worth telling? What is the most exciting moment? and so on.

BAllAds

A ballad is a traditional form of narrative poem. Ballads generally use ABAB rhyme schemes and can be set to music. Traditional Australian bush ballads often tell stories about heroes, particularly early settlers. Given that the heroes of these traditional ballads tend to be male and Caucasian, encourage students to recognise the inequalities this can create and to redress the balance by writing poems about other sorts of heroes. Keep in mind that to write about the history of Indigenous Australians, you must first seek permission from an Aboriginal elder.

rengA

A renga is a series of linked haiku. The form developed in Japan, originally as a party game. Renga chains are usually written collaboratively by two or more poets who take turns writing the verses. There are many different styles of renga, some of which are very long and have very strict rules. A shorter, simplified version of a renga can be found in Text Model 17 on page 34.

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ch aract E r ElE m E n tsOne of the most common misconceptions about poetry is that it is always autobiographical and based on real life. Many readers assume that if a poet writes ‘I’ they mean themselves. In fact, the ‘I’ in poetry is often a fictional character. It can represent many different voices. Encourage students to identify the use of ‘I’ in poetry and to use characters in their own poems. Exploring different points of view will help students to develop empathy.

developing And exploring chArActers

Inventing a character out of thin air is a challenge for many people, adults and children alike. Encourage students to ask themselves questions about the characters they have created. Help them to develop and explore their characters using pictures, role-plays and other fun activities (like the ones on pages 54 to 55).

first And second person chArActer poeMs

First person poems involve an ‘I’ perspective. With first person it is important to consider the vocabulary of your character. Second person poems involve a ‘you’ perspective. The ‘you’ can refer to the character in the poem, for example ‘You have eight hairy legs’, for a poem about a spider. It can also refer to the person reading the poem, for example ‘You’d better watch out for the hairy-legged spider!’ Students may find it helps to imagine they are having a conversation with the ‘you’ in the poem.

third person chArActer poeMs

Third person poems involve an outsider’s perspective, so the characters are referred to as ‘she’, ‘he’, ‘it’, ‘they’ or by their names. There are several variations upon third person, but at lower primary levels, just distinguishing between first, second and third person is a good achievement.

vi s ual ElE m E n tsVisual elements can involve shapes made from words, word sizes, the use of space and sometimes even colour. They can be subtle or dramatic. Even poems which do not use any obvious visual devices still contain a visual element in terms of their minimalism.

picture poeMs

In picture poems, which are also known as concrete or kinetic poems, the arrangement of the words on the page is a key part of the poem’s meaning. The words themselves are often very basic. It is possible to make a picture poem with just one word or even one letter. A simple picture poem presents words in the shape of their subject matter, while a more complex picture poem presents several smaller poems making up one larger picture. There is often no set order for the different sections in picture poems, which means the reader has more choices about how to read the poem.

poeM posters

Putting a poem onto a poster and decorating it is fun. Hanging poem posters around a classroom creates a colourful and creative learning atmosphere and also helps students to feel proud of their achievements. Encourage students to think about how colours and images relate to their poems.©

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cy bE r ElE m E n tsCyber or ‘new media’ poetry refers to any form of poetry which specifically involves computers or other forms of technology. Creating cyber poetry is a great cross-curricular activity because it links poetry and writing with information and communication technology (ICT), often incorporating students’ visual creativity as well. The potential problem with it is the wide variation in students’ levels of computer literacy. Some students may have used computers from a very young age, whereas others may be just beginning to use computers. As a consequence, an activity that is easy for one student may be difficult or frustrating for another. Each student’s level of computer literacy is not a reflection upon their intelligence, level of effort or potential ability, but rather upon their previous experiences.

slideshoW poeMs

Slideshow poems are like the video clips that go with music. They can be created in Microsoft PowerPoint or similar slideshow programs. Making slideshow poems can help students to develop their skills in creating digital presentations.

hYperlink poeMs

Hyperlink poems are similar to websites in that you do not read them straight from beginning to end, but click on links that take you to different pages. Hyperlink poems are read in different ways depending on which links you click on. Creating hyperlink poems gives students a preliminary insight into how websites are planned and designed.

netspeAk poeMs

Netspeak poems incorporate acronyms and symbols from online and SMS communication. It is a good idea to discuss the use of Netspeak and the situations in which it is acceptable, as well as the concept of appropriate language for appropriate contexts.

WordArt poeMs

WordArt poetry is a lot like visual poetry, but created on computers instead of in hard copy. WordArt poetry helps students to learn about formatting options in word processing programs.

pE r f o r m an c E ElE m E n tsAll poems can be performed! Performance poetry can help students to develop confidence and public speaking skills. Have students read poems aloud in pairs, then in smaller groups, then for the whole class and perhaps even for an assembly. This way they can build their confidence gradually. The skills of performance poetry have helpful applications in debating, drama, leadership roles such as Students’ Representative Council (SRC), music performance and also in everyday life.

Performance poetry activities help students to:

• pronounce words clearly

• read at an audible pace and volume

• maintain good posture and eye contact

• use facial expressions and body language

• develop confidence in front of an audience

• develop skills for handling other nervous situations and challenges

• feel a sense of achievement.

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Poetry By other StudentS

Young people often find it easy to connect with the work of writers their own age. Seeing other students’ work in print can also motivate them to submit their own work for publication. The following anthologies and websites include quality writing by primary school students.

Poems by Young Australians, Volumes 1–6, collected by Bradley Trevor Greive

Spring Poetry: An Anthology of Poetry by South Australian Students, published annually as the spring issue of ‘Opinion’, the journal of the South Australian English Teachers’ Association (SAETA)

Kidzpage at www.gardenofsong.com/kidzpage

The Poetry Zone at www.poetryzone.co.uk

Poetry By AuStrAliAn WriterS

Big Blue Mouth by John Malone

Big Book of Verse for Aussie Kids edited by Jim Haynes

Do Not Go Around the Edges by Daisy Utemorrah

My Sister Has a Big Black Beard and Other Quirky Verses by Duncan Ball

Redback Mansion by Lorraine Marwood

Snakes and Ladders: Poems About the Ups and Downs of Life by Robin Klein

Talks with My Skateboard: A Collection of Poems by Libby Hathorn

Untangling Spaghetti: Selected Poems by Steven Herrick

GenerAl Behold the Bold Umbrellaphant and Other Poems by Jack Prelutsky

Fairytale Poems by Clare Bevan

The Frogs Wore Red Suspenders by Jack Prelutsky

Let’s Recycle Granddad and Other Brilliant New Poems chosen by Roger Stevens

Mustard, Custard, Grumble Belly and Gravy by Michael Rosen

New and Collected Poems for Children by Carol Ann Duffy

Read Me Out Loud! A Poem to Rap, Chant, Whisper or Shout for Every Day of the Year chosen by Nick Toczek and Paul Cookson

Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein

Jack Prelutsky at www.jackprelutsky.com

Paul Cookson at www.paulcooksonpoet.co.uk

Shel Silverstein at www.shelsilverstein.com/indexSite.html

recoMMended texts

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Rubric 1

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poe

m

Evok

es t

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e of

the

five

se

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in a

poe

m

Prod

uces

exa

mpl

es o

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mile

Prod

uces

exa

mpl

es o

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perb

ole

Use

s a

sym

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n a

poem

TS

Writ

es e

xam

ples

of

fixed

for

m

poem

s

Writ

es e

xam

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of

free

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se

poem

s

Prod

uces

exa

mpl

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liter

atio

n

Prod

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exa

mpl

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yme

Evok

es o

ne o

r m

ore

of t

he fi

ve

sens

es in

a p

oem

Off

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an e

xam

ple

of a

sym

bol

STR

UC

TUR

E

SOU

ND

DES

CR

IPTI

ON

SYM

BO

LISM

Ass

essm

ent

Tool

St

uden

t na

me:

D

ate:

Tick

the

sta

tem

ents

you

thi

nk a

re c

orre

ct. M

ake

sure

you

hav

e ev

iden

ce.

S =

Stu

dent

T

= T

each

er

All

You

Nee

d to

Tea

ch P

oetr

y A

ges

5–8

© A

mel

ia W

alke

r/M

acm

illan

Edu

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n A

ustr

alia

. ISB

N 9

78 1

420

2 79

06 1

Wri

ting

Poe

try

Ass

essm

ent

Tool

R

eadi

ng P

oetr

y

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All

You

Nee

d to

Tea

ch P

oetr

y A

ges

5–8

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ia W

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acm

illan

Edu

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n A

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15

Rubric 2

TS

Iden

tifies

the

num

ber

of s

ylla

bles

in

wor

ds a

nd li

nes

Iden

tifies

rep

etiti

on in

poe

ms

Iden

tifies

the

use

of

allit

erat

ion,

on

omat

opoe

ia a

nd r

hym

e in

ex

ampl

es o

f pr

oduc

t na

mes

and

ad

vert

isin

g sl

ogan

s

Dis

cuss

es t

he e

ffec

t w

hen

sigh

t,

soun

d, t

ouch

, tas

te a

nd s

mel

l are

ev

oked

in p

oem

s

Com

pare

s th

e ef

fect

s of

sim

ile

and

hype

rbol

e in

poe

ms

Dis

cuss

es a

sym

bol’s

con

text

and

ho

w t

his

affe

cts

its m

eani

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Reco

gnise

s sy

mbo

lism

in p

oem

s

Ack

now

ledg

es a

nd r

espe

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othe

r pe

ople

’s in

terp

reta

tions

of

part

icul

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ymbo

ls

TS

Iden

tifies

whe

ther

a h

aiku

is

sylla

ble-

driv

en o

r im

age-

driv

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Iden

tifies

som

e st

ruct

ural

el

emen

ts o

f a

free

ver

se p

oem

, in

clud

ing

its t

itle,

the

num

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of

lines

and

rhy

me

(whe

re p

rese

nt)

Iden

tifies

ono

mat

opoe

ia in

a

give

n po

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Iden

tifies

rhy

min

g w

ords

with

in

lines

in p

oem

s

Iden

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the

evo

catio

n of

sig

ht,

soun

d, t

ouch

, tas

te a

nd s

mel

l in

poem

s

Iden

tifies

sim

ile in

poe

ms

Iden

tifies

hyp

erbo

le in

poe

ms

Sugg

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pos

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mbo

lic

mea

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s fo

r co

mm

on s

ymbo

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for

exam

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s

TS

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a p

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is

a ha

iku,

a fi

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form

rhy

min

g po

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free

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oem

Iden

tifies

alli

tera

tion

in a

giv

en

poem

Iden

tifies

rhy

min

g w

ords

at

the

ends

of

lines

in p

oem

s

Iden

tifies

vis

ual i

mag

ery

in a

gi

ven

poem

Dis

tingu

ishe

s be

twee

n si

mile

and

hy

perb

ole

in a

giv

en p

oem

Rec

ogni

ses

com

mon

sym

bols

su

ch a

s ro

ad s

igns

, and

exp

lain

s th

eir

mea

ning

s

STR

UC

TUR

E

SOU

ND

DES

CR

IPTI

ON

SYM

BO

LISM

Ass

essm

ent

Tool

St

uden

t na

me:

D

ate:

Tick

the

sta

tem

ents

you

thi

nk a

re c

orre

ct. M

ake

sure

you

hav

e ev

iden

ce.

S =

Stu

dent

T

= T

each

er

All

You

Nee

d to

Tea

ch P

oetr

y A

ges

5–8

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mel

ia W

alke

r/M

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illan

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n A

ustr

alia

. ISB

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2 79

06 1

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Poe

try

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Rubric 3

TS

Use

s ey

e co

ntac

t th

roug

hout

the

en

tire

perf

orm

ance

Use

s fa

cial

exp

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ions

to

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inte

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Use

s bo

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o ad

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tere

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Varie

s vo

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add

inte

rest

Varie

s pa

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o ad

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tere

st

Varie

s to

ne o

f vo

ice

to a

dd in

tere

st

Pays

att

entio

n to

the

asp

ects

tha

t im

prov

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ces

of

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corp

orat

es t

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into

ow

n pe

rfor

man

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TS

Rea

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poe

m a

loud

in f

ront

of

the

who

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lass

Face

s th

e au

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Stan

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ith g

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post

ure

Use

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ntac

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r pa

rt o

f th

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Spea

ks a

t an

aud

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vol

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Spea

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t an

aud

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pac

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Pron

ounc

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cle

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Giv

es p

ositi

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eedb

ack

to o

ther

st

uden

ts

TS

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ls a

dia

gram

with

the

five

key

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emen

ts o

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erfo

rman

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Rea

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poe

m a

loud

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two

or m

ore

peer

s

List

ens

resp

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to

othe

r st

uden

ts w

hen

they

per

form

Ass

essm

ent

Tool

St

uden

t na

me:

D

ate:

Tick

the

sta

tem

ents

you

thi

nk a

re c

orre

ct. M

ake

sure

you

hav

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iden

ce.

S =

Stu

dent

T

= T

each

er

All

You

Nee

d to

Tea

ch P

oetr

y A

ges

5–8

© A

mel

ia W

alke

r/M

acm

illan

Edu

catio

n A

ustr

alia

. ISB

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2 79

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Perf

orm

ing

Poet

ry

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You Need

text

Models

text

Models

All the

All

You

Nee

d to

Tea

ch P

oetr

y A

ges

5–8

© A

mel

ia W

alke

r/M

acm

illan

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ustr

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18All You Need to Teach Poetry Ages 5–8 © Amelia Walker/Macmillan Education Australia. ISBN 978 1 4202 7906 1

Text Model 1 Name Date

Element: What is poetry? Focus: There is no such thing as ‘proper’ poetry Lesson bank: pages 40–41

When it comes to poetry I always get so frightened

that I won’t know the rules and I won’t get it right . . . ened?

It’s not like counting or the alphabet

where there’s just one answer that’s fixed and set.

According to my Uncle Brett,

poetry doesn’t even have to rhyme!

And yes, that makes it a little easier,

but harder too

because how do I know if I’ve written a poem

or just a bunch of words?

My big sister says poems are about falling in love

and other important things,

things I’m too little to understand.

How can I write about things I don’t understand?

Falling in love is plain yuck.

So instead I just wrote some of my thoughts and feelings

—the ones on this piece of paper.

Then I looked at what I’d done

and realised I’d written a poem.

What Is Poetry?

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Name Date

Element: Structure in fixed form Focus: ABAB rhyme scheme Lesson bank: pages 42–43

Text Model 2

Lenny was a litterbug, always dropping junk. People said, “The silly thug, he smells worse than a skunk”. Some said he wasn’t very smart, some said that he was crazy, some said he didn’t have a heart, the truth is, he was lazy. Lenny finally met his doom because of his messy floor. Trapped inside his own bedroom —he couldn’t open the door!

Lenny the Litterbug

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Name Date

Element: Structure in fixed form Focus: Haiku and senryu Lesson bank: pages 42–43

(3) It’s city peak hour. Cars wait at lights, not moving. Bikes weave around them. (4) City peak hour: bikes weave round motionless cars.

(1) The sky is bright blue, but the air is still icy. Leaves shine with dew drops. (2) Bright blue sky and icy air, leaves shine with dew.

Text Model 3

Haiku and Senryu

(5) Mum is drinking tea and reading the newspaper before she starts work. (6) Sipping tea, turning pages —my Mum before work.

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Name Date

Element: Structure in free verse Focus: Patterns and repetition Lesson bank: pages 44–45

On

e d

ay

I w

ill

catc

h a

ra

inb

ow w

ith

a f

ish

ing

rod

an

d c

ook

it f

or t

ea.

On

e d

ay

I w

ill

sew

a c

ap

e ou

t o

f oce

an

wa

ves.

On

e d

ay

I w

ill

go

surf

ing

aro

un

d t

he

rin

g o

f p

lan

et J

up

iter

.

I’ll b

rin

g h

ome

som

e b

lueb

erry

sp

ace

du

st f

or m

y li

ttle

sis

ter.

Yes.

On

e d

ay

I w

ill.

Text Model 4

One

Day

I W

ill .

. .

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Name Date

Element: Structure in free verse Focus: Line breaks Lesson bank: pages 44–45

(1)I’m not scared of the dark. No. I’m not. Not at all. I’m not trembling. It’s just cold. But I’m fine. I’m tough. Not scared at all.

(2) I’m not scared of the dark. No. I’m not. Not at all. I’m not trembling. It’s just cold. But I’m fine. I’m tough. Not scared at all.


Text Model 5

I’m Not Scared . . .(4) I’m not scared of the dark. No. I’m not. Not at all. I’m not trembling. It’s just cold. But I’m fine. I’m tough. Not scared at all.

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Name Date

Element: Sound Focus: Alliteration Lesson bank: pages 46–47

Angry ants, Bored bandicoots, Crazy cockatoos and Demented dingoes. Echidnas escaping From feral foxes while Goofy galahs giggle at Harry the honeyeater. Insects are interested in Jiggling jellyfish. Kangaroos and koalas Laugh at lazy lizards and Moping magpies. Naughty numbats Ooh and ah over opals.Platypuses and possums play with Quirky quokkas while Rainbow lorikeets run rampant and Sugar gliders struggle to sleep. Truant Tasmanian tigers are Undoubtedly uncommon in Uraidla. Vicious vipers make Wallabies worry over Xylophones and x-rays. Yabbering yabbies go Zig zag zoom!

Text Model 6


Outback Alphabet

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Name Date

Element: Sound Focus: Onomatopoeia Lesson bank: pages 46–47

Bee

p be

ep!

It’s

Mon

day

and

we’

re l

ate

for

scho

ol.

Slam

! I

wav

e go

odby

e to

Mum

.

Cru

nch

crun

ch!

All

the

tree

s ar

e re

d-go

ld.

Toc

k ti

ck!

The

cla

ss i

s w

aiti

ng.

Zzz

zzzz

zzip

! I

take

my

book

s ou

t of

my

bag.

Din

g do

ng!

Not

a s

econ

d to

spa

re.

Text Model 7

Late

for

Scho

ol

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Name Date

Element: Sound Focus: Rhythm and syllables Lesson bank: pages 46–47

SongOnesmall birdin a treesinging softly.Nobody can hear.Nobody has the time.The bird just keeps on singingbecause he likes to sing—songs about nothingand everything— in his treeone birdfree.

Text Model 8

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Name Date

Element: Sound Focus: Alliteration, onomatopoeia and rhyme Lesson bank: pages 46–47

Text Model 9

Poetry in Advertising

A bicycle shop

A pet shopWaterproof sunscreen

An environmentally friendly cleaning product made from kiwi fruit

A breakfast cereal that makes noise when you pour milk on it

Corn

Kapows

The breakfast that goes BOOM!

Basia’s Bicycle Barn

Th

e best deals on two wheels

Kiwi Clean

Go Green! Get Kiwi

Clean!

Splish Sunblock

Always SPLISH

before you SPLASH!

Brett’s PetsFind yourself a friend with feathers, fur, fins or scales!

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Name Date Text Model 10

My C

atM

y c

at S

now

y i

s fl

uffy

lik

e a

wal

king

pom

pom

w

ith

patc

hes

of d

ark

fur

like

shad

ows.

He

r cla

ws

are

as s

harp

as

a ta

nk o

f pi

ranh

as,

and

som

etim

es s

he y

owls l

ike

a de

mon

,bu

t sh

e sm

ells a

s cle

an a

s a

bubb

le b

ath.

Element: Description Focus: Simile Lesson bank: pages 48–49

A pet shop

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Name Date

Element: Description Focus: Five-sensory imagery Lesson bank: pages 48–49

Text Model 11

Lined up, legs aching, on the grey asphalt outside the gate, the line inches forward slower than the hands on a stopped clock and our excitement grows like a balloon—almost ready to burst . . . Finally we reach the front, pay our money. We’re here! Hoorah! It’s better than a hundred birthdays put together. Red toffee apples and yellow cobs of corn, rides with rainbow lights spinning and flashing like fireworks. We ride the pirate ship, feel our stomachs fall away like yoyos, hear ourselves screaming so loud even astronauts can hear it. Next we visit the pigs who snuffle with glee as we pinch our noses. In the produce hall, we sneak free samples of stinky cheese and burning sausage—Yargh! We have to buy ice-creams to cool our tongues. It’s a hot day, so we keep applying sunblock ’til we’re all just as slimy as snails. Even so, we don’t ever want to leave.

The Show

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Name Date

Element: Description Focus: Hyperbole Lesson bank: pages 48–49

My TragedyThere is absolutely nothing in the whole world —and all the other planets too— that is worse than the colour pink.My mother made me wear it once. That’s the meanest thing anybody has ever done in all of history and probably even before it.Worse still, it was a scratchy jumper —so scratchy it rubbed my skin off until I had none left at all! My friends laughed so hard their heads fell right off their necks.Even the dog is embarrassed to be seen with me now.I think I’ll wait a hundred years before I show my face again.

Text Model 12

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Name Date


Text Model 13

Simile TennisThe Moon is as round as a cracker. A cracker is as

dry as the desert.

The desert is as sandy as the beach. The beach is as

fun as a brand new bike.

A brand new bike is as fast as the wind. The wind is as

cold as ice.

Ice is as slippery as a fish. A fish is as

scaly as a snake.

A snake is as frightening as a tiger.

A tiger is as strong as an Olympic weightlifter.

An Olympic weightlifter is as big as a fairytale giant.

A fairytale giant is as grumpy as . . . ME when I first wake up!

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Name Date

Element: Symbolism Focus: What is a symbol? Lesson bank: pages 50–51

Letter HomeDear Mum and Dad,I made it through my first three days on planet Earth. The weather is nice, but the aliens are very strange . . . On Day One I saw a funny bedsheet tied to the top of a pole. It was blue with red and white patterns. I tried to fetch it, fold it up and put it in a linen cupboard . . . They didn’t like that at all! On Day Two I caught a taxi to see the sights. The driver kept stopping and starting. I don’t know why. Maybe it was to do with the coloured circles . . . On Day Three I learned a new game, ‘Stuck in the Mud ’, except there was no mud and nobody really got stuck . . . Now it’s Day Four and I need to pee, badly. I’ve been looking for a door with a picture of a toilet like we have on Planet X, but I can’t find one anywhere. I think I’ll try asking one of the triangle-bottomed people behind this door with a picture of a triangle-bottomed person . . . Yours intergalactically,Zarg

Text Model 14

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Name Date

Element: Symbolism Focus: Same symbol, different context Lesson bank: pages 50–51

(1)

It’s dry. So dry and so dull out here on Grandad’s dusty farm. No rain and nothing to do. I had a big fight with my best friend, Asha. I sent a letter to say sorry, but that can’t always make things better. Ring ring! The phone.“For you,” Grandad says. Asha is on the other end, saying sorry too. We’re best friends again, better than ever. Outside it begins to rain.

Text Model 15

Two Poems That End in Rain

(2)

This is going to be the best summer ever! Asha and I are going to the beach today and tomorrow and the next day and the next . . . We’re going to swim and play cricket. I can’t wait. Ring ring! The phone.Mum answers. Her voice is sad and low. “Asha has a broken leg,” Mum says. Outside it begins to rain.

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Name Date

Element: Narrative Focus: Ballad Lesson bank: pages 52–53

The Ballad of the School ExcursionWe arrived at the museum, all ready to explore the strange and wondrous worlds that were inside. I nearly jumped out of my skin, when greeted at the door by a T-rex with a grin so sharp and wide. Ms Trimble led the way, we followed two by two, with Jane the odd one out, all on her own. We saw weapons, shields, masks, a big wooden canoe, then we heard a terrifying groan . . . “It’s nothing but the wind outside,” a pale Ms Trimble said, but then the groan, it grew into a rumbling. We all turned towards the mummy—perhaps it wasn’t dead! Then even Ms Trimble started trembling. Jane was still the odd one out, she wasn’t scared one bit. I really wish that I could be as brave. She told the mummy, “Don’t be daft”. I thought, “Oh no, that’s it . . .”Then out climbed our driver, Mr Dave!

Text Model 16

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Name Date

Element: Narrative Focus: Renga Lesson bank: pages 52–53

A day at the beach:

tiny grains of sand

and giant waves!

Days grow cooler,

the sun less bright,

but the trees turn golden.

I hate rain,

but I love my red umbrella

and jumping puddles.

Baby birds chirp

while Mum teaches me to ride

my first two-wheeled bike.

Text Model 17

Seasons Renga

tt

tt

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Name Date

Element: Character Focus: Point of view Lesson bank: pages 54–55

(1)I am climbing a tree, a tall pine tree. I am breathing its perfume, gripping its rough branches as I hoist myself higher, ever higher.

(2)You are climbing a tree, a tall pine tree. You are breathing its perfume, gripping its rough branches as you hoist yourself higher, ever higher.

(3)Zoe is climbing a tree, a tall pine tree. She is breathing its perfume, gripping its rough branches as she hoists herself higher, ever higher.

Text Model 18

Climbing

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Element: Character Focus: Character-driven poems Lesson bank: pages 54–55

MariaMaria loves eating toast

with peanut butter and banana on top.

Her best friend, Danuta, says, “Ew! That’s gross!”Her big brother says, “That’s ’cause you’re six

and you don’t know anything yet,”Her pet horse just keeps on chomping his hay.

He’s not a real horse, just imaginary.

Maria isn’t allowed any real pets.

Her biggest fear is that her parents will find out

and tell her she can’t have imaginary pets either,or that her brother will find out and tell Danuta.

The horse is Maria’s biggest secret.

On weekends she draws pictures of animals,all sorts of animals, but especially her horse.

One day, Maria wants to be either a vet or a chef.

Text Model 19

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Element: Visual poetry Focus: Picture poems Lesson bank: pages 56–57

I wish on a

star that one day I will

be so tall I will see over tree tops, and so strong I will beat my big brother in arm wrestles. I wish spinach

tasted good so I could enjoy eating it. I wish I could drive a car

and fly a plane. I wish I had wings of my own! But most of all I wish for

all of my friends to be happy forever.

Text Model 20

Wishes

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Element: Visual poetry Focus: Picture poems Lesson bank: pages 56–57

Text Model 21

Ra

inb

ow

Orange, the

colour of

rockm

elons

, man

goes

and

the

sky

whe

n th

e su

n is

going

dow

nYello

w, the c

olour o

f sunfl

owers

, ban

anas

and

the

stri

pes

on a

buz

zing

bumble

bee

Green, th

e colo

ur of

tall t

rees,

juicy

lim

es a

nd s

our

Gra

nny

Smith

app

les

Indigo, the c

olour

of m

y ol

d, f

aded

, ov

er-w

ashe

d jea

ns

Violet, the

colou

r of

lave

nder

, pl

ums

and

. . .

violets

!Blue, th

e colour

of

sunny

skie

s, sp

arkli

ng s

apph

ires

and

forge

t-me-n

ots

Red, the c

olour of r

ubies

, rasp

berri

es, s

top

signs

and

my

face

whe

n I’m

emb

arra

ssed

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Banks

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What is Poetry?Lesson Bank

Mini Lessons

WhAt is poetrY?

Distribute copies of Worksheet 1. Discuss the question ‘What is poetry?’ and explain that there is no right or wrong answer. You could consider such things as:

• poetry contains words

• poetry can be about feelings

• poetry is a way to entertain ourselves and others

• poetry can sound a bit like music

• poetry can describe things

• poetry can play games with language.

Encourage students to share their opinions and ideas.

Have students write down what other people say poetry is inside the big bubble on the worksheet. Then have students write their own idea of what poetry is inside the smaller bubble.

WhAt cAn poetrY Be ABout?

This is a physical game to help break down the myth that poetry should only deal with a narrow range of topics. Poetry can be about anything.

Have students sit in a circle. Explain that you are going to read a list of topics and they must decide whether they think any of them could be a topic for a poem. If they think the topic could be a topic for a poem, they should stand up. If they think the topic could not be a topic for a poem, they should

remain seated. For each topic, encourage students to discuss their decisions and reasoning, and give equal attention to both sides of the argument. Some topics to use could include:

• flowers• cats• blowflies• the dentist• farts• taking out the garbage• computer games• television shows• nothing.

After the game, explain that all the topics, with the exception perhaps of ‘nothing’, can be topics for poems. (It can be argued that if you wrote a poem about nothing, it would actually still be about something.) How do your students react to this idea? Are they surprised? Excited? Encourage them to discuss their feelings. Hopefully your students will realise they can and should write about their own interests, not just the things other people say poetry ought to be about.

cut-up poeMs

Provide your class with some old magazines and newspapers, scissors, paper and glue. Have students cut out titles and/or lines from the magazines and newspapers and glue them onto paper to make poems. It doesn’t matter if the poems are silly or

resources

V Text Model 1: What is Poetry?V Worksheet 1: What is Poetry? V old magazines and newspapers with headings

students can cut outV scissors and glue

other useful resources

V art supplies for making posters and greeting cards

AreAs of focus

V Poetry mythsV What can poetry be about?V There is no such thing as ‘proper’ poetryV Poetry is not found only in booksV Poems can be thoughts and feelingsV Poetry’s role in the ‘real’ world

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What is Poetry?don’t make sense. Encourage students to experiment and play with words. When everybody has finished, share and discuss the cut-up poems as a class.

What did you like or dislike about the cut-up poems? Did you create some unexpected lines or word combinations that you think are good? What are they?Do you think these are ‘real’ poems or not? Why do you say that?

Where is poetrY?

A common misconception among both adults and children is that poetry belongs only in books. Poetry can be shared and enjoyed through many different media. Discuss this idea and brainstorm a list of possibilities. You could consider such things as:

• live performances

• radio broadcasts

• television

• the internet

• SMS

• clothing

• song lyrics

• posters

• sculptures

• greeting cards.

Have students create pieces of art to show ways that poetry can be enjoyed and shared, other than books. They may choose to make a poster listing all of the brainstormed possibilities, a greeting card with a poem in it, a design for a piece of clothing with poetry on it, a design for a poetry website, or they could come up with an idea of their own. Display the finished artworks in the classroom to remind students that poetry is not just found in books.

‘proper’ poetrY

Distribute copies of Text Model 1. Discuss students' reactions to the poem.

Do you think this text is a ‘proper’ poem or not? Why do you say that? What do you think of the idea that a poem can just be a list of thoughts and feelings?

Have students write a poem in this way. They may select their own topic or they may choose from the following:

• things I thought and felt on my first day at school

• things I think and feel on Saturday mornings

• things I think and feel when I see somebody being mean to somebody else

• things I think and feel when my parents tell me off.

thAt’s not A poeM! role-plAY

Select two students to act out a role-play in front of the class. Using any of the text models from this book, ask one actor to play the role of a character who thinks the text model is a poem, and the other to play a character who thinks it is not a poem. Explain that this need not reflect their real opinions because acting involves exploring other characters’ points of view. The two actors should play out an argument with each supporting his or her opinion with reasons why the text model is or is not a poem. The audience may offer prompts if the actors are stuck, but must raise their hands rather than call out. Once the actors have played their scene, select another two actors and a different text model. Repeat the exercise until everybody has had a turn.

poetrY in the ‘reAl’ World

Poetry is more than just a pastime or a subject at school; it is found nearly everywhere. Poetry plays such an active role in everyday life, we often don’t recognise it. The following are some examples of common sayings which can also be considered poetry because they use rhyme or alliteration (see definitions on page 9):

Right as rainThe bee’s kneesEven stevensSimon saysJump for joy.

Discuss these with students and see if they can think of some examples of their own.

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Structure in Fixed FormLesson Bank

Mini Lessons

identifYing fixed rhYMe scheMes

Fixed rhyme schemes are perhaps the most commonly recognised elements of poetry. Although it is important for students to understand that poetry does not have to rhyme, and that there are many other poetic elements and devices, fixed rhyme schemes remain an important piece within the overall puzzle that is poetry. An easy way to identify and describe the rhyme schemes in poetry is to label each line with a letter of the alphabet. A poem in which the first two lines rhyme and the third and fourth lines rhyme could thus be labelled AABB. A poem with alternating rhyme sounds, as in Text Model 2, could be labelled ABAB.

Find a selection of poems that use different rhyme schemes. Write them on the board and then, as a class, label each rhyme scheme. Encourage students to discuss the process of labelling the poems’ rhyme schemes and to ask questions where necessary. After you have identified two or three different rhyme schemes, have students choose the one they like best and write a poem using that rhyme scheme.

fixed rhYMe scheMes And Mood

Read the poem in Text Model 2 together, then discuss it.

Is the poem’s mood funny or serious? Why do you say that?

Write the poem on the board, then cross out the last word of every second line. Ask students to suggest different, non-rhyming words that have the same meanings, for example ‘silly duffer’ instead of ‘silly thug’ and ‘ponged’ instead of ‘stunk’. Read the poem aloud again.

Is the mood of the poem the same or has it changed? If so, how? Which version of the poem do you prefer? Why?

different tYpes of hAiku

Distribute copies of Text Model 3. It consists of six short poems, each of which can be considered a haiku. Talk about the similarities and differences: (1) is a syllable-based haiku about nature (2) is an image-based haiku about nature (3) is a syllable-based haiku about the city (4) is an image-based haiku about the city (5) is a syllable-based senryu (a haiku about a person) (6) is an image-based senryu.

For a description of the differences between image-based and syllable-based haiku, see page 8.

Have each student write at least two haiku or senryu, one syllable-based and one image-based. Enthusiastic students may choose to write more. There is no set topic. If students are stuck for ideas, have them look out the classroom window for inspiration.

Once all students have completed the exercise, ask for a show of hands to gauge who prefers to

resources

V Text Model 2: Lenny the LitterbugV Text Model 3: Haiku and SenryuV Worksheet 2: Haiku


V Australian Haiku Anthology at www.haikuoz.org/faha/haiku.html

V Children’s Haiku Garden at homepage2.nifty.com/haiku-eg/

AreAs of focus

V Fixed rhyme schemesV ABAB rhyme schemeV Haiku and senryu—both image-based and

syllable-based

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Structure in Fixed Formread syllable-based haiku and who prefers to read image-based haiku. Ask a few volunteers to explain what it is they like about their preferred type of haiku. Then ask for another show of hands to gauge who finds syllable-based haiku easier to write and who finds image-based haiku easier to write. Again, ask volunteers to explain the reasons for their preference.

hAiku And iMAges

Distribute copies of Worksheet 2. Have students write haiku in response to the four images on the worksheet. They may choose whether to write syllable-based or image-based haiku. The main aim is to capture the essence of each image within just two or three lines. Encourage students to search for a small, potentially overlooked detail or to emphasise something they consider unusual in each haiku.

When you come to share the haiku as a class, it is important to stress that different people will respond to the same image in different ways. Part of what makes poetry exciting is that it allows us to share our unique perspectives, and to appreciate those of others.

Have students search for examples of haiku in books or online. Many examples of haiku can be found in the First Australian Haiku Anthology at www.haikuoz.org/faha/haiku.html. Have students print or write a haiku of their choice (taking care to acknowledge the poet) and on the same page, create an illustration or painting based on the haiku. This activity will obviously be easier using image-based haiku. Invite students to share the thoughts behind their artwork. Display the haiku art around the classroom.

the poetic forM gAMe

The idea of this game is to present your class with examples of different poetic forms to see if they can identify them. Designate a different poetic form to each corner of the room with a label or a sign. One corner could be for syllable-based haiku, one for image-based haiku, one for ABAB rhyme and one for AABB rhyme.

Read each example aloud as you write it on the board. Don’t use entire poems for this game; just use four lines. Students have a maximum of one minute to go to the corner they think is correct. If they take too long, or go to the wrong corner, they are out. Each round, the last student to pick a corner is also out. The student or students who stay in the game the longest are the winners.

neWspAper Articles

Ask students to imagine they are journalists working for a newspaper. The editor-in-chief has asked for a story about an argument between two poets, Ms Robertson and Mr Nakamura. Ms Robertson thinks that syllable-based haiku are better, whereas Mr Nakamura thinks that image-based haiku are better. Have each student write an article that presents both sides of the argument.

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Structure in Free VerseLesson Bank

Mini Lessons

sculpting lAnguAge

Give each student a piece of clay. Ask them to close their eyes and play with it. They should not mould it into any deliberate shape yet, instead simply notice how it feels between their fingers.

Is the clay cool or warm? Smooth or lumpy? Moist or dry? Is it easy or difficult to shape?

Explain that the language of poetry is like clay. It can be sculpted into lots of different shapes, some common, others unique. We call these shapes structures.

Now ask students to open their eyes. Have them divide their clay in half and put one piece aside. Give students one minute to sculpt a chair from their piece of clay. Tell them it does not have to be perfect. Once all students have finished, compare the similarities and differences between the sculptures. It should emerge that all of the sculptures are recognisably chairs as they share certain necessary features such as a seat and legs. However, there will be subtle and not-so-subtle differences as well, for example whether or not the chairs have arms, cushions, backs and so on.

With the other piece of clay, have students create a sculpture to represent happiness. It can be anything they like and need not resemble anything realistic. Again, give students only a minute for the task.

Compare the new sculptures. Although there may be a few common themes, there should be wider variation between the happiness sculptures than between the chair sculptures.

Explain that the chair sculptures are like fixed form poems. They belong to a particular category because they share certain set features of structure and function, but this does not mean they are all exactly the same. The happiness sculptures are like free verse poems. They may share some common structural features, but this is only coincidental and in some cases the structures will be completely different. What is important is that they do all still have structures. A poem has a structure in the same way that any lump of clay has a shape. Even clay that has not been sculpted has a shape.

poetrY Words

In order to discuss and understand poetic structure, it is important that students recognise a few basic terms. Discuss what is meant by title, rhyme, poet and stanza. Distribute copies of Worksheet 3 and see whether students can match each term to its definition. If students struggle to grasp the terms, it may be helpful to use some of the text models in this book and point out their various features.

line BreAks

Distribute copies of Text Model 5. Ask a different student to read each ‘I’m Not Scared . . .’ poem

resources

V Text Model 4: One Day I Will . . . V Text Model 5: I’m Not Scared . . .V Worksheet 3: Poetry WordsV modelling clayV a short excerpt from a piece of prose

(about 30 words)

AreAs of focus

V Free verse still has structureV StanzasV Line breaksV PatternsV Repetition

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Structure in Free Verse

aloud. Have students explain the similarities and differences between the four poems. All of the poems are identical in terms of the words used, but the line breaks are in different places.

Does this make a difference to how people read the poems aloud? Did the readers pause in different places or use different emphasis? How did this alter the overall feel of the poem? Did some versions sound better than others? If so, which ones and why?

After the discussion, distribute copies of a short excerpt from a piece of prose. Each student should have the same excerpt. You can use almost anything, but try to make it something students may enjoy. Ask students to add line breaks to the excerpt as if it were a poem. Tell them there are no rules for where they put the line breaks; it’s fine if the lines break in the middle of sentences and it’s also fine if they make the piece sound awkward. Sometimes poets do this on purpose!

When all students have finished, ask volunteers to show the rest of the class where they put their line breaks. Compare the different choices and the way these affect the feel, and perhaps even the meaning, of the words.

repetition

Repetition occurs when a poem features the same word, line or sentence structure more than once. The poem in Text Model 4 shows one way that repetition can be used. It is a list poem because it keeps repeating the words ‘One day I will . . .’ as openings for different sentences. Ask students to write their own list poems. Remind them to use the same opening words for most of the sentences. Students may choose their own opening words or select from one of the following:

• I wish . . .• I remember . . .• In summer . . .• In my dreams . . .• If it weren’t for . . .

pAtterns

Poetry, like Maths, is full of patterns. Here is an example of a poem that masquerades as a series of Maths equations, but uses words instead of numbers. Write it on the board for students to see.

One + one = two

Cat + milk = purrrrrrrr

Cat + dog = trouble

Cat + mouse = . . . cat!

Ask students to create their own short poems using symbols in the form of a Maths equation.

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Sound in PoetryLesson Bank

Mini Lessons

AlphABet poeMs

In an alphabet poem, each line uses words beginning with a particular letter of the alphabet. The first line uses a words, the second line uses b words, and so on. Text Model 6 is an example of this type of poem. Writing alphabet poems is a fun way for students to explore alliteration as well as improving their vocabulary and spelling. Alphabet poems can be composed individually or collaboratively. To create a collaborative poem, assign each student one or two letters. Have them write lines for these letters, then put the lines together in alphabetical order to make the poem. Topics for alphabet poems could include:

• the zoo• the beach• sports day• a shopping centre• outer space• the future.

AlliterAtion

Distribute copies of Worksheet 4 and have students fill in the blank spaces. Explain that the word in the blank space must begin with the same letter as the word in bold. Encourage students to think about unusual combinations, as there is no one ‘correct’ answer. When all students have finished, ask for volunteers to read their responses aloud.

onoMAtopoeiA

Explain that an onomatopoeic word is a word that replicates a sound; the word’s sound is its meaning. Some examples include bang, crash, whoosh and woof. Distribute copies of Worksheet 5. Ask students to look at each picture and write a sound to go with it. Stress that there are many correct answers for each picture; students should write what they think is correct rather than worrying about what other people say. It is fine for students to write more than one sound per picture, for example the cat could miaow, hiss, purr or yowl.

Once students have completed their worksheets, read out the poem in Text Model 7 which demonstrates how onomatopoeia can be used. Have students write their own onomatopoeic poems. They may use the text model as a guide and include onomatopoeia at the beginning of each line, or they may choose to make their poem less structured and more spontaneous.

resources

V Text Model 6: Outback AlphabetV Text Model 7: Late for SchoolV Text Model 8: SongV Text Model 9: Poetry in AdvertisingV Worksheet 4: AlliterationV Worksheet 5: Onomatopoeia

V Worksheet 6: RhymeV Worksheet 7: RhythmV 40 small squares of cardboardV hat or small empty boxV large ball

AreAs of focus

V AlliterationV OnomatopoeiaV RhymeV Rhythm and syllables

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Sound in Poetry

rhYMe

Distribute copies of Worksheet 6 and invite volunteers to read the scattered words. Each one rhymes with another word somewhere on the page. Have students draw circles and lines to link the rhyming words together.

Wild West rhYMing stAnd-off

This game challenges students to come up with rhymes on the spot. Write words that have rhyming partners on small, individual squares of cardboard. For example, you could write milk on a card, because it has a rhyming partner (silk). Avoid difficult words like orange but try to include as many different sounds as possible. You will need at least 40 word cards. Place the cards in a hat or small box so students can draw them out at random.

Divide the class into two teams and ask each team to line up, facing the other team. Stand between the teams at the front, and ask the first student of one team to draw out a card and read the word aloud. This student has 30 seconds to say another word that rhymes with the word on the card. If successful, the other team members shout ‘Yee ha!’ and the student goes to the back of the line. If the student cannot think of a rhyming word, the opposite team shouts ‘This town ain’t big enough for the both of us!’ and that student is eliminated. Either way, the other team then takes a turn. Keep the used cards in a pile and continue playing until all of the members of one team are eliminated. The team with members remaining is the winner. When students get out, they must help to keep time.

sounds Are cAtching!

Have students stand in a circle, ready for a game of catch. Explain that you are going to throw the ball to somebody and say a word. They will need to throw the ball to somebody else and say a different

word, and so on. Every word needs to follow a particular rule. The rule may be that every word needs to begin with a particular letter, in which case the game is teaching alliteration. Alternatively, the rule may be that every word needs to be an example of onomatopoeia, or that every word needs to have the same rhyme sound. If you use the rhyme rule, be sure to choose words with end sounds that are easy to rhyme such as at or ee. When a student says a word that doesn’t follow the rule, or takes more than 30 seconds to say their word, they are eliminated and must sit down. The last person standing is the winner. You can commence a new round by applying a different rule.

sounds in Advertising

Distribute copies of Text Model 9. The imaginary product names and slogans use a mixture of alliteration, onomatopoeia and rhyme. Discuss them and ask students to identify where and how the devices are used. Have students invent their own imaginary product or business and a slogan to go with it using alliteration, onomatopoeia or rhyme, or a combination of the three.

rhYthM And sYllABles

Explain that syllables are the ‘beats’ in words. Ask students to clap the beats in words containing one, two, three and four syllables. Distribute copies of Worksheet 7. Point out the colour key in the bottom right corner of the worksheet. Explain that the balloons containing words with one syllable need to be shaded red, the balloons containing words with two syllables need to be shaded blue, and so on, according to the key. When all students have finished, go through the answers together.

Now that students have an understanding of what syllables are, distribute Text Model 8. Ask students to look at the poem and count the syllables in each line.

What sort of pattern can you see?

The poem begins with just one syllable in the first line, two in the second, and so on. After the seventh line (in which there are seven syllables), the syllable pattern is reversed, so that the last line has just one syllable.

What effect does this create when the poem is read aloud?

Have students write their own poems based on syllable patterns. They may use the same syllable pattern as in the text model or invent a pattern of their own.

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Description in PoetryLesson Bank

Mini Lessons

the five senses

Begin by writing the five senses—sight, smell, sound, taste and touch—on the board. Discuss each one and link it with its body part, that is eyes for sight, nose for smell, ears for sound, mouth for taste and skin for touch. Explain that when we write a poem it is important to include as many sense aspects as possible because this makes the poem feel more real.

Read out the poem in Text Model 11. Ask students to listen for things which evoke different senses. Every time they hear one, they should raise their hand. They need to identify both the section of the poem and the sense it evoked. The poem in Text Model 11 should evoke all of the senses at least once. If students do not identify them all, read the poem a few times. You could also point out specific parts of the poem and ask which sense each part evokes.

Distribute copies of Worksheet 8. Have students choose places to write about. Possible topics could include:

• the pool• a party• a farm• a rainforest• the dump• outer space.

Ask students to close their eyes and imagine they are in their chosen location.

What can you see? What can you hear? What can you smell? What can you taste? What can you touch?

Have students write their ideas in the appropriate spaces on the worksheet. They are now ready to use their ideas in a poem. If students find this challenging, have them use a five line structure with one line for each sense, that is ‘I can see . . .’, ‘I can hear . . .’, and so on. Encourage them to try to write freely without a set structure.

resources

V Text Model 10: My CatV Text Model 11: The ShowV Text Model 12: My TragedyV Text Model 13: Simile TennisV Worksheet 8: Five-Sensory ImageryV Worksheet 9: SimilesV Worksheet 10: Hyperbole


V stopwatchV drawing materials

AreAs of focus

V Five-sensory imageryV SimileV Hyperbole

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Description in PoetrysiMiles

Explain that when you use a simile you describe one thing by comparing it to another thing, for example ‘Your bedroom is like a pigsty’ or ‘That cat is as white as snow’. Similes almost always use either like or as. Distribute copies of Worksheet 9. Explain there are many correct answers for each blank space on the worksheet and their answers are supposed to all be different. When all students have finished, invite volunteers to share their responses.

Do you notice any similarities in your answers? Why do you think that happened?

siMile tennis

Simile tennis is a game based on improv theatre. Have two players stand at the front of the class. The first player must give a simile, such as ‘The Moon is as round as a cracker’. Then, the second player must come up with a simile linked to the first simile. In the given example it would be a simile about a cracker: ‘A cracker is as dry as the desert’. The similes are passed back and forth until one player is unable to come up with a simile within the designated time limit. (You can set this.) Once a winner is declared, a new player may challenge them. If any one round goes too long, make things harder by reducing the time limit. To avoid confusion, instruct students to only use similes of the form as . . . as, for example ‘Her skin was as white as snow’.

Distribute Text Model 13 to show students how a game of simile tennis might progress.

descriBing pets

Pets are great conversation topics. They also make effective topics for descriptive poems. Read students the ‘My Cat’ poem (Text Model 10), then have them write their own poems about their pets. If some students do not have pets of their own, they can write about a friend’s pet or the class pet, or invent a fictional pet such as a dragon or a unicorn. Remind students to include sight, sound, smell and touch imagery. (They can leave out taste because we don’t eat our pets!) Encourage them to connect each image to a simile. They may follow the structure in Text Model 10 or invent their own.

hYperBole

Explain that when you exaggerate something in a ridiculous way you create hyperbole. For example, when someone hears ‘I’m so hungry I could eat

a horse’, the person knows you wouldn’t really eat a horse, and understands that you mean you are very hungry. The poem in Text Model 12 is full of hyperbole. Read it to students and see how many examples they can identify. Distribute copies of Worksheet 10 and ask students to turn the everyday sentences into hyperbole by exaggerating them. There should be a wide variety of responses. Invite volunteers to share theirs.

Art And descriptive Writing

It has been said that a picture is worth a thousand words. This may not always be the case, but visual art can be a great aid to the descriptive writing process. Ask students to draw what they are writing about. Encourage them to use colours and to make their pictures as intricate as they can. Once students have finished, have them look closely at their pictures to identify all of the features they have included. For example, if they have drawn a person, they should note whether the person’s nose is large or small, what colour their eyes are and so on. This will help students to think about the details they may have missed if they had just started writing straightaway. Have students incorporate these features into a piece of descriptive writing.

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Symbolism in PoetryLesson Bank

Mini Lessons

WhAt is A sYMBol?

Explain that a symbol is something that is used to represent something else. Draw some symbols on the board to illustrate this idea, for example a telephone symbol, a pedestrian crossing symbol and a tick. Ask students to think of other examples and draw (or write) these on the board, too. Explain that symbols are used to help us communicate. We also use symbols in art and poetry, but in slightly more subtle ways. For example, a white dove might symbolise peace and a red rose might symbolise love. People recognise what a symbol represents because its meaning is shared within a social group, whether large or small. A symbol is not always easy to understand if you are not part of the group that uses it, or have not had the symbol explained to you.

Demonstrate this with a game. Instruct students to hold up one finger if they have one pet, two if they have two, and so on. If they don’t have any pets they should put their hands on their heads. Without speaking, have students form groups based on the number of pets they have. This shouldn’t take long. Once the groups have been formed, discuss whether symbols made the task easier.

What do you think the task would have been like if you hadn’t been able to use numbers of fingers as symbols?

What would you have thought if you had walked into the room halfway through the task and seen everybody holding different numbers of fingers above their heads? Would you have guessed what was going on?

sAMe sYMBol, different interpretAtion

Distribute copies of Worksheet 11. Ask students to look at each picture and think about what each one symbolises for them. Stress there are no wrong or right answers—every person’s interpretation should be different. Once students have finished, share and discuss responses. Focus the discussion on the possible interpretations of each symbol. For example, the skull and crossbones might symbolise that something is poisonous, but it might also symbolise pirates. The spider web might be a frightening symbol for some people, but for others it might represent persistence because spiders have to keep building their webs again and again. The heart might symbolise love, or it might symbolise the actual organ that pumps blood around the body. Emphasise the fact that no symbol’s meaning is singular or fixed; different people interpret the same symbols in different ways. People’s interpretations are often informed by their cultural backgrounds and/or their personal experiences.

resources

V Text Model 14: Letter HomeV Text Model 15: Two Poems That End in Rain

V Worksheet 11: Symbols

AreAs of focus

V What is a symbol?V Same symbol, different interpretationV Same symbol, different context

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Symbolism in PoetryAn Alien Writes hoMe

Distribute copies of Text Model 14 and read the poem together. It is written in the form of a letter. Zarg, from Planet X, is telling her mum and dad about the strange ways of the ‘aliens’ on Earth. In each stanza of the poem, Zarg refers to a symbol she doesn’t understand. Ask students to guess what each symbol really is. (The ‘funny bedsheet’ is an Australian flag, the ‘coloured circles’ are stop lights, the game ‘Stuck in the Mud’ involves standing in a particular way to indicate you are ‘stuck’ and cannot move, and the ‘triangle-bottomed person’ is a sign for public toilets.)

Take the class for a walk around the school yard. Have them bring pencil and paper. Ask students to imagine they are aliens from other planets who don’t know what symbols represent on Earth. Have students work in groups to find and list as many symbols as they can. These could include:

• the school logo• the symbols on toilet doors• the markings on the basketball court• the symbol on the recycling bin• the symbol on the first aid kit.

How would an alien interpret—or misinterpret—these symbols?

Return to the classroom and have students write their own ‘Letter Home’ poem. These do not have to be as long as the poem in the text model. It is enough to include just one symbol, but students may include more symbols in their poem if they wish.

sAMe sYMBol, different context

Introduce the idea of symbols and contexts by drawing images on the board. Begin with a drawing of a heart.

What does it symbolise?

Now draw a zigzag line down the middle of the heart.

How has the symbolism changed?

Draw a picture of a bird. What does it symbolise?

Now draw a cage around the bird. How has the symbolism changed?

Repeat the drawing and questioning process after drawing a picture of a smiley face, and adding a tongue to it, and after drawing a circle and adding some stars near it to make it a moon. Invite volunteers to share any other ideas for symbols and contexts that they know, and to draw them on the board for the rest of the class to interpret.

Distribute copies of Text Model 15. Look at the two poems together. Both of the poems end with the line, ‘Outside it begins to rain,’ and in both poems the rain acts as a symbol. Discuss how the symbolism of the rain is different in each poem because of the different contexts. In the first poem, the rain represents something happy. There has been a drought, so the rain is much wanted. As well, the rain begins at the same time that two main characters resolve their argument. In the second poem, the rain represents something sad. The two main characters were excited about going to the beach, and rain will spoil their plans. As well, the rain begins at the same time as we learn that one of the characters has just broken her leg. These poems demonstrate how the same symbol can represent different meanings in different contexts.

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Narrative in PoetryLesson Bank

Mini Lessons

ideAs for stories

Give students an assortment of magazines and newspapers. Ask them to each cut out at least one interesting picture that shows two or more people interacting in some way. Invite volunteers to share one of their pictures with the class. As a group, brainstorm possible explanations for what is happening in the pictures. Direct the brainstorming by asking questions. For example, if the people depicted are fishing, you could ask:

How do the people know each other?Do they like each other?How long they have been fishing?Are they fishing for work or for fun? and so on.

Students can build on the brainstormed ideas as starting points for narrative poems.

constructing plots

Explain that a narrative poem tells a story. Most stories share the same basic structure which comes together to form a plot. These parts include an orientation which establishes the setting and introduces the main characters, a complication which includes the most exciting moment of the action, and a resolution which concludes and summarises the story. The story usually builds towards the complication. It’s a bit like a fireworks display; if you use the best firework first, the other

ones won’t seem as good. It’s much more effective to make your fireworks gradually bigger and more spectacular until finally—KAPOW!

Distribute copies of Worksheet 12. Ask students to think about a setting, main characters and a most exciting moment for their narrative poem. Have them record their ideas on the worksheets as well as where their stories begin and end. This scaffold will help students to plan before they start writing their poem.

events versus plots

A plot is more than a sequence of events. As readers, we do not make an emotional investment in a series of events. For example, ‘The king died and then the queen died,’ could lead us to assume that the king and queen were both old, or had a nasty flu. ‘The king died and then the queen died of grief,’ is a story with a plot because the events are connected. As readers we can guess that the queen loved the king very much. There is significant emotional investment.

Distribute copies of Worksheet 13. Explain that the easiest way to turn events into plots is to think of a reason why the event happened. For example, ‘We didn’t go to the park that day because we won free tickets to see our favourite football team play in the finals’. Stress that many different answers are possible. For example, ‘I bought Alex an ice-cream to say thank you for helping me fix my bike’ is a good answer, but so is ‘I bought Alex an ice-cream on our way home because it was her birthday’.

resources

V Text Model 16: The Ballad of the School ExcursionV Text Model 17: Seasons RengaV Worksheet 12: Plot ConstructionV Worksheet 13: Events Versus PlotsV old magazines and newspapers that contain

pictures of people interacting

AreAs of focus

V Constructing plotsV The difference between plot and eventsV BalladV Renga

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Narrative in Poetry

BAllAds

A ballad is a traditional form of narrative poetry. Ballads are designed to be set to music and sung as lyrics. They usually follow an ABAB rhyme scheme. In the past, ballads were mostly about stereotypical ‘heroes’ who had adventures or did brave things. The ballad in Text Model 16 subverts this convention; the ‘hero’ is a young student who is always left on her own when the class is put into pairs, but who turns out to be the only one brave enough to confront the moaning mummy at the museum. The traditional ballad genre is further subverted because instead of a dramatic adventure, the poem is about a fairly ordinary event (a class excursion).

Work as a whole class to compose a collaborative ballad that subverts the ballad genre. Ask students to suggest an everyday setting, a non-typical hero and a way for that hero to somehow save the day. If there is more than one suggestion, have the class vote, then use the most popular option. Invite students to make suggestions for each line of the poem. Again, take votes to decide which suggestions you will use and write the ballad on the board as you go. Aim to give the poem an ABAB rhyme structure, but allow exceptions to this rule if the rhyme makes the poem sound too ridiculous or laboured, or if it gets in the way of the story. You could take the activity a step further by challenging students to turn the ballad into a song and to try to sing it.

seAsons rengA

Writing a renga is a way to involve the entire class in a collaborative writing process. A renga is a series of linked haiku, each one written by a different person. The collaborative nature of renga can help students to build teamwork and cooperation. As is the case for haiku, the rules for writing renga can be controversial.

Explain that the ‘Seasons Renga’ in Text Model 17 is a special version of renga developed just for young people. It is different from traditional versions.

A seasons renga consists of four haiku, one for each season. Have students refer to Text Model 17 as an example. Before students write their own seasons renga, discuss the months and seasons. Ask students to name the seasons and their order. Write the correct order on the board so students can refer to it as they are writing. Brainstorm different features of each season such as weather, colours, hours of daylight, foods that grow, meals people cook, seasonal events and so on. List these ideas on the board.

Give each student a piece of paper. Instruct them to divide their page into four equal sections. Have students draw a small icon in the corner of each section to indicate the season. For example, a flower for spring, a sun for summer, a leaf for autumn and a snowman for winter. Explain that they will all start one seasons renga, and participate in writing three others. Students may start the renga in any season, but they need to write it in the appropriate section of the page so other students see which seasons are left. After writing the first haiku, instruct students to pass their page to the person on their right. Have them write the second haiku for that renga, pass the page on, and so on, until each renga has four haiku. It is up to each student to decide whether to write syllable-based or image-based haiku.

An important point is that renga stand out from other narrative poems because they lack the usual narrative features such as setting and character. For every rule there are exceptions, and this is one of them. However, seasons renga still tell stories; they are about the way natural things change with the passing of time.

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Character in PoetryLesson Bank

Mini Lessons

chArActer collAges

Inventing a character out of the blue can be daunting. One way to help ideas flow is to begin with a non-verbal, art-based approach. Give the class a collection of old magazines that contain lots of pictures of people. Instruct students to each cut out eyes, noses, mouths, face shapes, hairstyles, top halves of bodies and bottom halves of bodies, all from different pictures, as well as pictures of rooms and household objects. Have students glue all the pieces onto cardboard to create a picture of a character standing in a room in their house. Explain that the collages will not look realistic as the pictures are not all the same size. This is a style of art that is supposed to look a little bit wacky.

Have students look closely at their own collage. Ask questions that will help them build a character.

Is the person in the collage old or young? Tall or short? Physically weak or strong? What are they wearing? What sort of expression do they have on their face? Do they have any scars? What sorts of objects and colours do they have in their house? Are they messy or tidy?

As students answer these questions, they will start to discover their characters’ personalities. For example, a character that is physically strong might enjoy playing sport. If the character has a scar, there might be an interesting story about how they got it. The character’s clothing says something about the colours

they like as well as the activities they may be involved in. A character in paint-stained overalls might have a different occupation or different interests than a character in a pink tutu. Ask each student to give their character a name, an age, a favourite snack, a favourite pastime, a deepest darkest secret, a biggest fear, a pet hate, an ambition or dream, plus anything else that comes to mind. Then ask them to write poems about their characters. Have them refer to Text Model 19 as an example.

exploring chArActers through report cArds

Ask students to imagine they are teachers writing end-of-term report cards for their characters. If their characters are older than school age, ask them to imagine what their characters would have been like when they were younger. Use the report card template on Worksheet 14. Remind students the spaces marked ‘Name’ and ‘Year level’ are for their character, not themselves. Ask them to think about which subjects their character likes and dislikes. Stress that these will not necessarily match the students’ own likes and dislikes. Prompt them to consider their character’s possible achievements as well as anything they may struggle with. Remind students their characters’ traits should be different from their personal traits.

resources

V Text Model 18: ClimbingV Text Model 19: MariaV Worksheet 14: Character Report CardsV old magazines that contain lots of pictures of

people

V scissors and glueV sheets of cardboard


V art supplies

AreAs of focus

V Creating charactersV Exploring charactersV Character-driven poemsV Point of view

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Character in Poetry

exploring chArActers through role-plAY

Select two students to perform for the rest of the class. Ask them to pretend to be the characters they have been writing about. Have the class choose a setting where the two characters will meet. In character, the two students must introduce themselves and have a conversation. Each one must respond to the other’s behaviour and to the setting. For example, if the characters are both friendly people, they might forge a friendship, but if they are grumpy they might get into an argument. If the setting is a bus, friendly characters might give up their seats for other passengers, while grumpy characters might complain about how slow and bumpy the ride is. After the first two students have performed their role-play, choose two different students to repeat the exercise as their characters in a new setting. After you have done this a few times, you may like to make the exercise more complex by including more than two characters in each scene.

chArActer-driven poeMs

Text Model 19 is an example of a character-driven poem. In a very short space of time we learn that the main character, Maria, has unusual taste in food, a best friend called Danuta, an imaginary horse, strict parents, a mean older brother and a dream of becoming either a vet or a chef which reveals that her two passions are animals and food. The purpose of a character-driven poem is to introduce a character and make it seem as if we really know them. Have students write their own character-driven poems. Encourage them to include as much information as they can in as little space as possible.

point of vieW

Distribute copies of Text Model 18. Ask students to look at the three poems.

What things are the same in all three poems?What things are different?

Explain that these poems express different points of view. The first poem is written in first person or ‘I’ point of view. The second poem is written in second person or ‘you’ point of view. The third poem is written in third person or ‘he/she’ point of view.

To reinforce the concept of first, second and third person, have students play the ‘Point of view’ game. Explain that you are going to give sentences to express different points of view. Students must decide whether the sentence is in first, second or third person. If they think it is first person they should hop on the spot. If they think it is second person they should do star jumps. If they think it is third person they should lie on the floor and pretend to be swimming. Have students close their eyes during the game to ensure their choice of movement is not influenced by those around them. Repeat the activity until students are consistently choosing the correct option. The movement aspect of the game will keep students engaged.

Read some of the other text models in the book and ask students to identify whether they are in first, second or third person. Have students look again at the three poems in Text Model 18. Ask them whether they like one version better than the others, and the reasons for their preference. Have students write their own sets of first, second and third person poems. Discuss which perspectives they found the easiest and most difficult to write from.

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Visual PoetryLesson Bank

Mini Lessons

siMple picture poeMs

A simple picture poem involves a single piece of linear text (reading straight from beginning to end) arranged in a shape that reflects the poem’s subject matter. Distribute copies of Text Model 20 as an example. The text for a picture poem is often closer to prose than poetry. Explain that in picture poetry there is not as much focus on sound or other poetic devices as in other forms of poetry. When composing a picture poem, it is often easier to begin with a shape that is simple and recognisable, and then write the words. It is best if students can think of a shape on their own, but if they find this challenging, suggest options such as:

• the Moon• the Sun• a cloud• a tree• a balloon• a drop of water• a heart.

Have students write their own picture poems and display these around the classroom.

picture poeMs With Multiple sections

Another way to create a picture poem is to write several small, but not necessarily related mini-poems to form different sections of a bigger picture. This is a non-linear poem because the different sections can be read in a variety of ways or can be

regarded as mini-poems on their own. Use Text Model 21 as an example of this. Each line in the rainbow poem focuses on a particular colour. The lines have been arranged to form the shape and colour order of a rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet.

Allow students to decide whether to write their own rainbow poem using different ways of describing each colour or whether to elaborate upon the idea by adding a cloud or a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Alternatively, they could create a completely different picture. Again, it is best if students come up with their own ideas, but if they find this too challenging, suggest something from the following list of possibilities:

• a poem about the beach with sections for the sky, the water, the sand and seashells

• a poem about a thunderstorm with different sections for the clouds and the lightning

• a poem about a flower with different sections for each petal and for the centre

• a poem about a picnic rug with different sections for all the foods on the rug.

These poems can be created individually or collaboratively with each group member contributing one section of the poem.

poeM posters

Colourful poem posters make wonderful classroom displays. Have students create posters for poems they have written, poems they are studying or poems they like. Encourage students to use the

resources

V Text Model 20: WishesV Text Model 21: RainbowV Worksheet 15: Ideas for Poem PostersV scissors and glueV cardboard for postersV art supplies including coloured pencils, crayons,

paints and collage materials

AreAs of focus

V Picture poemsV Poem posters

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Visual Poetry colours, pictures and other visual elements that reflect the subjects of their poems. Worksheet 15 will help students to consider how this can best be achieved. To create their posters, remind students to consider using:

• coloured words and backgrounds• different colours for different words or letters• different sizes for different words• different fonts or writing styles• pictures they have drawn• pictures cut from magazines• photographs they have taken• collages of pictures, coloured paper, material

scraps and other findings • glitter and beads• leaves, bark, dried flowers and other natural

materials• 3D objects• flaps that can be lifted• backing cardboard cut into different shapes.

picture Book poeMs

Turning their poems into colourful picture books will make students feel like published poets. It will also help them to consider how various images relate to words. Have each student choose a poem of about 10 lines, one line per page. Use a long-handled stapler to staple five folded sheets of A3 paper inside a folded A3 cardboard cover to create each book. Encourage students to choose the colour of the cardboard cover based on the way it relates to the poem.

For ease of completion, have students create each page of their book on a separate A4 sheet first. This will also allow students to use their word processing skills if desired. Remind students to create a title page. The pages can all be glued into the book when they are finished. Each page should include a picture, regardless of whether it is a drawing, painting, collage or photograph. Some students may decide to include pop-ups or flaps that can be lifted. Take students to the library to look at some published picture books for inspiration.

huMAn stAtues

This game is based on improv theatre. Choose three students to be human statues and one to be a sculptor. Read a line from a poem then ask the sculptor to arrange the human statues so they represent it. Explain that the scenes do not have

to represent the line of poetry in direct or concrete ways; it’s alright for them to be a bit abstract. Once the first sculptor has finished, choose a new sculptor and another three statues to represent the next line of poetry, and so on, until the poem is finished.

You can take this activity further by photographing each scene, then putting all the photographs into a computer slideshow presentation accompanied by the text of the poem. The slideshow could be displayed at a parents’ night or shown during a school assembly.

using spAce in poetrY

Ask students to imagine the following scene:

A brother and sister have accidentally broken their mother’s favourite vase while playing cricket in the hallway. Their parents had told them not to do this, but they thought they could get away with it because their parents were outside. Too scared to explain what has happened, they find some glue and try to put the vase back together, but it doesn’t work. Their mother comes inside and catches them. They are expecting her to yell, but instead she stands and stares at them, completely silent . . . How would the brother and sister feel during their mother’s long silence? What would they be thinking or expecting?

Sometimes the absence of sound holds as much or even more impact than sound itself. It focuses our attention, gives us time to think and imagine things, and it can add greater emphasis to the sounds that directly precede and/or break it. It’s the same with words on the page. A space is like a silence. Gaps between words can sometimes carry as much or even more impact than the words themselves.

Ask students to take an existing poem or short prose excerpt and rewrite it, adding spaces between some words. Prompt them to consider whether to use left-side alignment, right-side alignment, centre alignment or perhaps a combination of these. Remind students not to change the words themselves, nor their order, but only their presentation.

What effect did the change of presentation have on the poem?

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Cyber PoetryLesson Bank

Mini Lessons

slideshoW poeMs

Slideshow poems are like the video clips that go with music. They can be created in Microsoft PowerPoint or similar slideshow software. Have students choose poems to use for their slideshow. They can use poems they have written, poems they are studying, or poems they like. Distribute copies of Worksheet 16. Have students use the worksheet to help them plan their first slide. Ensure students have access to additional copies of Worksheet 16 as they will need a separate worksheet for each of their slides, and there should be one slide per line of poetry.

Have students record their choice of background colour, text colour, text size and font, and the accompanying images they will use for each slide on the worksheet, as well as the reasons for their choices. Encourage students not just to use the visual elements they think will look good, but to consider how specific visual elements relate to the meanings in their poems. Explain what is important is not so much how attractive the slides look, but rather, how well their visual elements convey the poem’s meaning.

To create their slideshows students will need to source images. There are several options. They can draw, paint or collage their images by hand and then scan them. They can take digital photographs and insert them. They can draw images using a

computer drawing program. They can use the computer clip art or search for free images on the internet. Have students save their selected images as JPEGs or similar files (not PDFs).

For some students, simply putting their text into blank slides will be a valuable achievement. Other students may be proficient enough to make their slides more complex by adding animations and sound effects. Adapt the activity to accommodate the ICT skills of the students in your class.

Slideshow poems make great displays for open days, assemblies and special events.

hYperlink poeMs

Hyperlink poems are like websites. They have links you can click on that take you to different pages. They can be very complex, but a simplified version can be created in Microsoft Word or similar software, using the following steps:

1 Have students select a poem. They can use a poem they have written, a poem they are studying or a poem they like.

2 Have students type their poem into a word processing document and save it.

3 Have students choose 10 words in the poem they consider to be important or special in some way.

4 Have students think of an image that complements or develops the ideas behind each of the words and the poem as a whole.

5 Have students source their images by scanning in their own artworks, inserting photographs,

resources

V Worksheet 16: Slideshow PlannerV computer access V word processing softwareV slideshow software (eg Microsoft PowerPoint)


V a scanner for scanning student artworks

AreAs of focus

V Slideshow poemsV Hyperlink poemsV Netspeak poemsV WordArt poems

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Cyber Poetrysearching the computer clip art, accessing free images on the internet, or by drawing them in a program such as Microsoft Paint.

6 Have students save their selected images as JPEGs or similar files (not PDFs), ready to be inserted into a word processing document.

7 Have students access their poem document and select the first of their 10 words using the curser. Have them insert a hyperlink by clicking ‘Hyperlink’ from the ‘Insert’ menu. The menu will ask students if they want to use an existing document or create a new one.

8 Have students create a new word document and save it. Have students insert the matching image in this document, as well as another hyperlink back to the original poem.

9 Have students repeat the process for each of their 10 words.

When a reader looks at the poem on a computer screen, they will be able to click on the hyperlinked words, view the pictures, and then return to the poem again.

For some students, adding a hyperlink to just one word in the poem will be a valuable achievement. Other students may be able to add more than 10 hyperlinks, or add additional hyperlinks to their hyperlinked pages. Again, adapt the activity to accommodate the ICT skills of the students in your class.

netspeAk poeMs

Netspeak refers to the expressions, acronyms and symbols used in emails and other forms of online writing. Stress the fact that while these symbols are appropriate for certain contexts, they are inappropriate for others, including most school writing. Netspeak poetry is an exception because it involves a deliberate measure by poets to bend the rules. Common Netspeak expressions include:

BRB Be right backLOL Laughing out loudROFL Rolling on the floor laughingPwned Pronounced ‘owned’, it means to be beaten at something, for example, ‘You just got pwned’ :-) Happy face:-( Sad face

Ask your students to brainstorm other Netspeak expressions. List them on the board. Invite students to invent some new Netspeak expressions that don’t exist yet, but could or should. Add these to the list on the board in a different colour.

Either as a class or individually, have students write poems that incorporate Netspeak expressions.

WordArt poeMs

Most word processing programs offer a range of text fonts, text sizes, styles such as bold or italics, colours and clip art images. They may also offer the option of inserting decorative text called ‘WordArt’. This option is usually found under the ‘Insert’ menu. It offers a range of possible designs and allows for words to be moved, stretched and changed in much the same way as images can be manipulated using clip art.

Have students choose a poem they have written, a poem they have studied or a poem they like and turn it into a WordArt poem. Encourage them to experiment with all the formatting options including different text fonts, sizes, styles and colours, as well as clip art and WordArt. This will help to develop their word processing skills.

Print the WordArt poems and display them around the classroom.

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Performing PoetryLesson Bank

Mini Lessons

the five keY eleMents of good perforMAnce

Distribute copies of Worksheet 17. Explain that the five spaces on the worksheet are for the five key elements of good performance. Have students fill them in. Discuss answers as a class. The correct answers are:

• eyes = eye contact• face = facial expression• mouth = a loud, clear voice• shoulders = posture• hand = movement and body language.

chArActer perforMAnces

This game is based on improv theatre. Write types of characters on small, individual squares of cardboard. Possibilities include vampires, zombies, astronauts, the queen and so on. Invite students to make other suggestions. You will need the same number of characters as students in the class. Place the cards in a hat or small box so students can draw them out at random.

Choose a poem for students to perform in character. It should be something everybody can remember. ‘Mary Had a Little Lamb’ and the alphabet both work well. Before you begin the

game, practise the poem as a whole class to ensure everybody knows it. Explain that everyone will perform the same poem, but in different ways.

List students’ names on the board in the order they will perform so they know when their turn will be. Make another list of all the characters that are in the hat/box so students are aware of the possibilities. Have the first student on the list draw a character out of the hat. Have the student perform the chosen poem as that character without revealing its name. Invite volunteers to guess the character, referring to the list on the board for clues.

When the character’s identity has been revealed, discuss the way the student showed which character they were.

How did their use of voice, facial expression, eye contact, posture and movement help to create an effect?

Have the next student draw a character out of the hat to continue the game.

resources

V Worksheet 17: Poetry PerformanceV Worksheet 18: Overcoming Stage FrightV 40 small squares of cardboardV hat or small empty boxV sock puppets


V art suppliesV drama props

AreAs of focus

V Use of voiceV Use of facial expressionV Use of eye contactV Use of postureV Use of movementV Performing as charactersV Developing confidenceV Overcoming stage fright

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Performing Poetry visuAlising successful perforMAnces

Ask students to close their eyes and imagine watching themselves perform their poems. Prompt them to imagine everything, from walking on stage and announcing the poem, to the audience applause and walking off at the end. This visualisation exercise is an opportunity for students to focus on how they will use their bodies and their voices when they are performing.

Have students draw a comic strip of how they will perform the poem. The comic strip should have a frame for walking onstage, a frame for announcing the poem, a frame for each line of the poem, a frame for the audience applause and a frame for walking offstage. Remind students to draw in any movements or facial expressions they plan to use. Have them mark the frames with expressive elements such as pauses and variations in volume and pitch.

sock puppet perforMAnces

Have students perform their poems using sock puppets! This removes the focus from the students themselves and allows them a sense of distance from the performance—the attention is not on them, but on the puppet. It also makes it easier for students to think about facial expressions and body language because they can watch and criticise their puppets as they perform. Best of all, it is sure to get lots of laughs.

prActising poeMs And offering feedBAck

Performing poems is a frightening thing for many people. Students may become upset if they are criticised too harshly. It is very important to ensure all feedback is constructive. It also helps if students can start by performing in front of a small audience and gradually build up to a larger one.

Organise students into pairs. Have each student perform their poem for their partner. Remind

students to pay close attention to their partner’s performance and to provide a piece of positive feedback at the end. For the next performance, have students work in small groups of five or six. Again, remind students to pay close attention during all performances and to each provide a piece of positive feedback at the end. Students are now ready to perform for the whole class. Encourage active listening and thoughtful applause at the end of each performance.

overcoMing stAge fright

People of all ages suffer from stage fright, but the ability to speak in public is a valuable life skill. Overcoming stage fright offers many advantages, both on a social and professional level. Worksheet 18 lists some of the common negative thoughts that can contribute to stage fright. These are listed under the heading of ‘I can’t’ thoughts. Have students rewrite each ‘I can’t’ thought as an ‘I can’ thought. For example, ‘If I mess up, it will be the end of the world’ might be turned into ‘Messing up isn’t really a big deal. Nobody’s perfect. I can just try again’. There is space at the bottom of the worksheet for students to write their own ‘I can’t’ thought. Have students brainstorm various ‘I can’t’ thoughts. Write them on the board and allow students to choose from the list.

Once students have completed their worksheets, encourage them to share some of their ‘I can’ thoughts. Remind students ‘I can’ thoughts should be positive and confidence-building and should challenge the ‘I can’t’ thoughts. Explain that every time an ‘I can’t’ thought creeps into their minds they should focus on their ‘I can’ thought instead. This approach can be applied in many situations beyond public speaking, for example exams, sporting competitions, dance recitals and so on.

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Name Date Worksheet 1

What is Poetry?

Element: What is poetry? Focus: Poetry myths Lesson bank: pages 40–41

Inside the big bubble, write some of the words other people use to describe poetry.

Inside the little bubble, write some of the words you think best describe poetry.

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Name Date

Writ

e a

haiku

for

eac

h pi

ctur

e.

Element: Structure in fixed form Focus: Haiku Lesson bank: pages 42–43

Worksheet 2H

aiku

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Name Date

Draw lines to link each poetry word with its meaning.

Element: Structure in free verse Focus: Free verse still has structure Lesson bank: pages 44–45

Worksheet 3

Poetry Words

Title

Words that have the same end sound

Any person who writes a poem

A group of lines in a poem

The name of a poem

Rhyme

Poet

Stanza

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Name Date

In the space before each bold word, write a describing word (adjective) beginning with the same letter.

One day I met a camel

with a hump. He said his

name was Samuel and

that he was looking for his best friend,

Bella the

emu.

Element: Sound Focus: Alliteration Lesson bank: pages 46–47

Worksheet 4

Alliteration

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Name Date

Write a sound to match each picture.

Element: Sound Focus: Onomatopoeia Lesson bank: pages 46–47

Worksheet 5

Onomatopoeia

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Name Date

All of these words have lost their rhyming partners! Draw circles and lines to match them up. One pair has been matched as an example.

Element: Sound Focus: Rhyme Lesson bank: pages 46–47

Worksheet 6

Rhyme

cat

mat

billy

silly

bed

red

green

unseen

blue

true

rude

crude

mellow

yellow

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Name Date

Each balloon contains a word. Count the syllables in each word and then shade the balloon according to the colour key.

Element: Sound Focus: Rhythm and syllables Lesson bank: pages 46–47

Worksheet 7

Rhythm

Colour keyone syllable = red

two syllables = blue

three syllables = yellow

four syllables = green

cat wonderful

yum

cricket

rottenunderstanding

spider

terrifying

whale

elephant

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Name Date

Think of a place to write about. Imagine you are there. Fill in the things you can see, hear, smell, taste and touch.

Where am I?

Element: Description Focus: Five-sensory imagery Lesson bank: pages 48–49

Worksheet 8

Five-Sensory Imagery

(hear)

(taste)

(see)

(smell)

(touch)

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Name Date

Fill the blanks to complete the similes.


Worksheet 9

Similes

He was as

as a bear.

The car was like a cheetah.

is as hot

as .

The night is as

as .

is

like .

is

as

as .

It was as smelly as a .

He was tall like a .

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Name Date

Turn each of these sentences into hyperbole by exaggerating them.

Element: Description Focus: Hyperbole Lesson bank: pages 48–49

Worksheet 10

Hyperbole

Sentence Hyperbole

She was very tall.

The house was big.

It was a hot day.

It took a long time.©

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Name Date

What things do you associate with each picture? Write your answers on the lines. It’s okay if they are different from other people’s answers.

Element: Symbolism Focus: Same symbol, different interpretation Lesson bank: pages 50–51

Worksheet 11

Symbols

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Element: Narrative Focus: Constructing plots Lesson bank: pages 52–53

Worksheet 12

Plot Construction

My story takes place in

The main characters in my story are

My story begins when

The most exciting moment in my story is

My story ends when

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Event 1 Event 2Plot—think of a

reason why

The king died. The queen died. The king died and then the queen died of grief.

I bought Alex an ice-cream.

We didn’t go to the park.

Mum was in a bad mood.


Name Date

Turn the events into a plot. The first one has been done as an example.

Element: Narrative Focus: The difference between plot and events Lesson bank: pages 52–53

Worksheet 13

Events Versus Plot

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Invent a character. Now imagine you are a school teacher. Write a report card for your character.

Character’s name Overall grade

Element: Character Focus: Exploring characters Lesson bank: pages 54–55

Worksheet 14

Character Report Cards

Subject Grade Comments

English

Maths

Science

Art

Drama

Music

PE

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Element: Visual poetry Focus: Poem posters Lesson bank: pages 56–57

Worksheet 15

Ideas for Poem Posters

Colours that go with my poem include

because

because

Pictures that go with my poem include

Important words in my poem include

I can draw attention to these by

Poem title

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Element: Cyber poetry Focus: Slideshow poems Lesson bank: pages 58–59

Worksheet 16

Slideshow PlannerSlide NumberPoem title

Text

Text colour

Reasons for your choice

Text size and font

Reasons for your choices

Images

Reasons for your choices

Background colour

Reasons for your choice

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On the picture below, label the different things that help to make a good performance.

Element: Performance Focus: The five key elements of good performance Lesson bank: pages 60–61

Worksheet 17

Poetry Performance

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Name Date

On the left are some common “I can’t” thoughts. Turn them into “I can” thoughts.

There is a space for you to add an extra “I can’t” thought at the bottom of the page.

Element: Performance Focus: Developing confidence Lesson bank: pages 60–61

Worksheet 18

Overcoming Stage Fright

“If I mess up, it will be the end of the world.”

“Other people might think I’m silly.”

“I’ve never done it before.”

“I can’t” thoughts “I can” thoughts

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About the Author

Amelia Walker’s poetry has been published

in magazines and journals around the world.

She delivers writing workshops for schools

and community groups and is a member

of the Australian Poetry Centre’s National

Education Committee. Amelia is passionate

about engaging young people with poetry.

Titles in this series:All you need to teach: Poetry Ages 5–8 ISBN 978 1 4202 7906 1

All you need to teach: Poetry Ages 8–10 ISBN 978 1 4202 7907 8

All you need to teach: Poetry Ages 10+ ISBN 978 1 4202 7908 5

Macmillan Wall Charts: Poetry ISBN 978 1 4202 8102 6

AGES5-8

Amelia Walker

Poetry

Po

etr

y

Discover, explore and write po e t r y

Poetry

All the tools a smart teacher needs!

All you need to teach . . . Poetry contains essential information, text models, lesson banks and worksheets to support you and engage your students as they

discover, explore and write poetry.

Teaching Tips — including information on the elements of poetry,

poetry and multiple intelligences, poetry across the curriculum and teaching poetry.

Text Models — examples of both fixed form and free verse poems.

Lesson Banks — mini-lessons that can be easily integrated into English

programs and will complement Drama and Public Speaking programs.

Assessment Rubrics — lists of levelled criteria to help you and your

students assess their poetry writing, poetry reading and poetry performance.

Worksheets — to help students think about poetry and then create their own.

Plus!All you need to teach: Narrative Text Types

All you need to teach: Nonfiction Text Types

All you need to teach: Drama

www.macmillan.com.au

Endorsed by the Australian Poetry Centre

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all you need to teach: poetry ages 5-8

Documents

poetry isbn

poetry ages

teaching poetry

poetry writing

elements of poetry

poetry performance

authoramelia walkers

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