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Bring poetry alive in the classroom

3Develop children’s spoken language and performance skills

3Build teacher confidence with practical step-by-step lesson ideas

3Explore a range of poems from around the world through fun activitiesjealous cat

crinkly old lady

RYTEOPby Heart

www.risingstars-uk.com/poetry

As cross as a snarling dragon

FREEsamplE

Ask the children to:• Stretcharmsandhandsuphigh,thendropthewrists,elbows,

andshouldersandthenfinishwiththearmsbackbytheside–butrelaxed.Repeatafewtimes.

• Breatheinonce,outonce,intwice,outtwiceandrepeatuptofivetimes.Makethebreathinglikeachuggingtrain.

• Practiseasimpletonguetwister:Betty Botter bought some butterbut she said, ‘This butter’s bitter’.Howfastcanyougoandstillretaingooddiction?

• Say‘Amansaidtome…’inasmanydifferentwaysaspossible,takingthevoiceondifferentjourneys;arollercoaster,onastraightline,upahillandspirallingdown,alongawindy countrylane,upaverysteepmountain,etc.

• Tellthechildrenthatthepoem‘Amansaidtome…’isanonsenserhyme.Dotheyknowanyothernonsenserhymesandwhatdotheyunderstandbytheterm‘nonsense’?

• Focusonpunctuationmarksandtheimpacttheyhaveonthereading.Checkthechildren’srecognitionofpunctuationmarks.Canthechildrenseethatthefirstperson,I,alwaysasksthequestionsandalwayshasthequestionmark?

• Explainthatyouwillreadthepoem(orplayrecording1andthen2).Cantheyhearhowmanyvoicesthereareintherhyme?Whichrecordingistheeasiestto‘hear’thepunctuationmarks.Playeachrecordingatleasttwice.

• Recording1isreadbyonevoice,inmonotoneandwithoutmuchattentiontopunctuationmarks,soitmakesitquitedifficulttopickoutthedifferentparts:thenarrator,firstperson,I,andthirdperson,he.Recording2isreadwithdifferentiatedvoicesandwithaccentuatedintonationtotakeaccountofpunctuation.Checkthechildrencanhearthethreepartsinthisversion.

• Whichversiondotheyprefer?Helpthemtoexpresstheirideasandrecordthemontheboardoronaposter.

• Thendisplaythetextofthepoemandreaditwiththechildren.Trytoreaditlikerecording1andthenlikerecording2.

Warm up1

Tune in2

AnonA Man Said to Me Ananonymousnonsensepoemwithgreatopportunitiestodiscusspunctuationincontext.Italsolendsitselftosomefungroupworkonspeechandintonation.

KS1

3

Perform5

Rehearse4

• Rereadthepoemslowly,pausingaftereachline,andaskthechildrentoworkingroupsofthreetosaywhatpunctuationmarkstheythinkareneeded.Together,workthroughthepoemlookingoutforthepunctuationmarksandensuringthatthechildrenunderstandwhatimpactthesehaveonthereading.Youmayfindithelpfultoshowaversionofthepoemwithnopunctuationtohelpthechildren.

• Rereadthepoemorlistentorecording2again,andtogethermarkupthethreepartsusingahighlightertoolorsimilar.

• Wouldthechildrenaddanyotherpunctuationmarkstothepoem?Talkaboutaddinganexclamationmarktothespeechinthethirdperson,he.Modelreadingthepoemwiththeseinplacetodemonstratehowthiswouldmakethethirdpersonlinesstronger.Readittogetherinthisway.

• Readthepoemthroughonelasttime,withthechildrenjoininginallthewaythroughiftheycan.

• Organisetheclassintogroupsofthree.Explainthatdifferentgroupswilleachworkontheirownperformanceofthenonsenserhyme,witheachpersoninthegrouptakingarole:narrator,firstpersonandthirdperson.

• Encourageeachgrouptodecideontheirownwayofinterpretingthepoemintermsoftheirperformance.Somemaydecidetoaddmorecharactertothemanandthefirstpersoncharacterbyrole-playingoraddingsimplepropssuchasahatfortheman.

• Giveeachgroupasmuchtimeaspossibletorehearsetheircollaboration–timingiscriticalherefortheconversationandimpactoftheshortlinestoreallywork.

• Movethroughouttheclasstohelpthemwiththespeed,fluencyandintonationoftheirperformances.Thechildrenwillneedtoworkwelltogether.Givethemtimetopractisethisandencouragethemtobepatientwitheachother.

• Bringthechildrenbacktogetherandinviteeachgrouptorehearsetheirversion.

• Askthechildrentoperformeachversionofthepoemintheirgroups.

• Considerfilmingtheseshortperformancessothatchildrenmayevaluateinrealtimeaswellasretrospectively.

• Encouragetherestoftheclasstobeasupportiveaudienceeachtime. Askforfeedbacksothechildrenbegintoappreciateothers’

ideasof(constructive)comment.Askthemtoconsider:• onethingtheythoughtwasdifferenteachtime• thefluency• theuseofpunctuationtomaketheperformancespeech

entertainingandeffective.Theperformerscancontributetothistobegintodevelopskills ofself-evaluation.

Poetry by Heart KS1

Model andexplore3

If you want to add challenge, suggest to suitable group(s) that they might consider adding a final line spoken by the narrator, e.g., SoIthoughtIwouldgo.

tips

4

A Man Said to Me

A man said to me,

“Can you sing?”

I said, “Sing?”

He said, “Yes.”

I said, “Who?”

He said, “You.”

I said, “Me?”

He said, “Yes.”

I said, “When?”

He said, “Now.”

I said, “Now?”

He said, “Yes.”

I said, “No?”

He said, “Oh.”

Anon

5

Warmupbytuningintodescriptivelanguage.• TheMinister’sCat:Thiswell-knownparlourgamerequires

childrentocomeupwithdescriptivewordsfollowingthesequenceofthealphabet.Gatherthechildreninacircle.Startbysettinguparegularclappingrhythm:clapyourlapfollowedbyclappinghandstogether.Whentherhythmhasstarted,beginwiththesentence‘Theminister’scatisanADMIRABLEcat’–followedbyfourclapsequences.Onthefourth,thechildonyourleftsays‘Theministerscatisa(n)B……..cat’insertingtheirownadjectivebeginningwiththeletter‘B’,e.g.brainy,beautiful,beastly.Keepmovingaroundthecircleuntilallthechildrenhavehadago.

• Playthegameasecondtime,thistimeaddingagesture.Modelacoupleofexamplesbeforeyoustartthegame,e.g.‘Theminister’scatisaBEAUTIFULcat’:mimelookingatyourselfadmiringlyinthemirror.‘Theminister’scatisaCLUMSYcat’:mimetrippingover.

Warm up1

Tune in2

Model andexplore3

• Brieflytalktothechildrenaboutwhetherlifecouldexistinspace.Whatdotheythinkalienswouldbelike?Imagineiftherewasaninvisiblealienintheclassroom,whatwoulditthinkaboutthethingsitcouldseeandhear?

• Displayacopyofthepoemonthewhiteboardandread(orplayrecording1)totheclass.

• BrieflydiscusswhethertheythinkthattheMarrogisrealorimaginary.Whydotheythinkthat?

• Usehot-seatingtoexploretheMarrog’scharacter:whyhasitcometoEarth?WhatwaslifelikeonMars?WhatdoesitthinkoflifeonEarth?

• Distributecutuplinesfromthepoem.Inpairs,askthechildrentopractisethelinesinanalien-soundingvoice.HowdotheythinktheMarrogwouldspeak–alowgrowl,ahigh-pitchedsqueak,robotically,burblingsound?Encouragethemtoexperimentwithdifferentwaysofspeakingtheirline.

• Assembletheclass.Conducttheclassbypointingtoeachpairinareadingofthepoem.Thiswillbearandomreadingwiththelinesinadifferentordertotheorderofthepoem.So,forexample,itcouldgoasfollows.

R C Scriven The Mar og Writteninthefirstperson,thisis

apoemaboutanaliensittinginanordinaryclassroom,invisibletoeveryone.Thepoeminvitesallsortsofquestions,whichcouldbeexploredthroughdrama,musicandart.

Variation: Clap out a rhythm:The alien from Mars is ANGRY.Replace the verb in the sentence:The alien from from Mars is BAKING.Clap two rhythm sequences between each new sentence to give thinking time and to maintain pace and rhythm.

tips

LKS2

6

Perform5

Rehearse4

I could gobble them all I’m a Marrog, from Mars And I’m breathing green flames from my ears. I could go right back now if I liked – And return in a million light years.

• Remindthechildrentouseinterestingalienvoices–userecording2asanexample.

• ImagineiftheMarrogweretovisitfromspace,whatsortofsoundswoulditbeusedtohearing?Wouldtheybedifferenttothesoundsoftheclassroom?

• Howcouldweuseinstrumentsandeverydayobjectstocreatesounds?Distributeinstrumentsandobjectsandaskthechildrentocreatefoursoundsforanaliensoundscape.Whentheyhavemadefoursoundsthattheythinkworkwell,askthemtoputthesesoundsintoarepeatingsequence,e.g.:

Sound1x3 Sound3x2 Sound4x1 Sound1x2

• Gathertheclass.Reviewandevaluatethedifferentsoundscapes.Whichdotheclassthinkisthemosteffectivealiensoundscape?

• Nowputthesoundscapeandlinesofpoetrytogether.Askthegroupplayingthesoundscapetorepeattheirsequencethroughout.Conductthechildrenbypointingtothemwhenitistheirturntospeak.

• Practisethissequenceasanintroductiontothepoem.Youcanusethesamesequenceattheendofthepoem.

• Aftertheintroduction,readthepoemclearlyandexpressively.Havejustonevoicereadthepoem.Thiscouldbeyouoraconfidentchild.

• Practisethesoundscapeandreadingseveraltimes,refiningitwithsuggestionsfromthechildren.

• UsedigitalrecordingsoftwaresuchasSoundcloudtorecordyoursoundtrackandpoem.Uploadyourfinishedpoemtotheschoolwebsiteorlearningplatform.

Poetry by Heart LKS2LKS2

Make sure cut up lines contain a complete idea, e.g.:IcouldgorightbacknowifIliked–AndreturninamillionlightyearsYou may prefer to work with the whole class.

tips

Variation: Instead of using the same soundscape at the end of the poem, you could have a classroom soundscape to show the contrast between where the Marrog has come from and its new home on Earth.

tips

7

The Marogby R C Scriven

My desk’s at the back of the class And nobody, nobody knows I’m a Marrog from Mars With a body of brass And seventeen fingers and toes.

Wouldn’t they shriek if they knew I’ve three eyes at the back of my head And my hair is bright purple My nose is deep blue And my teeth are half-yellow, half-red.

My five arms are silver, and spiked With knives on them sharper than spears. I could go back right now if I liked – And return in a million light-years.

I could gobble them all For I’m seven foot tall And I’m breathing green flames from my ears.

Wouldn’t they yell if they knew, If they guessed that a Marrog was here? Ha-ha, they haven’t a clue – Or wouldn’t they tremble with fear! “Look, look, a Marrog” They’d all scream – and SMACKThe blackboard would fall and the ceiling would crack And teacher would faint, I suppose. But I grin to myself, sitting right at the back And nobody, nobody knows.

Word

8

Raps are usually spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics with key elements of content, flow (rhythm and rhyme), and delivery. Rapping is distinct from spoken word poetry in that it is performed in time to a beat. Rapping is often associated with, and is a primary ingredient of, hip hop music and reggae. It may combine speech, poetry, prose and singing.

tips

Adisa Word Thisrapcelebrateswords andofferssomegreatopportunitiestodevelopvocabulary,workwithrhythm,rhyme,andinnovationtoo.

Ask the children to:• Shakehandsuphigh,downlowthentotheleftandtotheright.

Shakethemasifthrowingthefingersaway.• Imaginethissentence:Words are foods that cannot be eaten, but

still they feed my mind.Imagineeachsyllablewithinthewordsisacandle.Bloweachcandleout:15intotal,buthavesomeonesaythewordssotheextinguishingiscoordinated.

• Together,practisesayingI wallow in the words of wisdomreallyclearly,thenreallyclearlyandslowly,andthenreallyfastandclearly.

• SayAdisa–aaaaa-deeee-sarrrrrr–andrepeatasifthevoiceisbeingdrawninacontinuouslinefromthemouthtoapointyouarefocusingonintheroom.Allowthevoicetogetlouderthefurtherittravelsandremembertoprojectthevoicebutdon’tshout.

• ThepoemiscalledWordsandisarap.Dothechildrenknowanyotherrapsorrapartists?

• Whatdotheyunderstandbytheterm‘rap’?• Whatdotheyalreadyknowaboutrapping?Taketheirideas.• Inpairsorgroups,askthemtomindmaptheirideasabout

‘words’;whatsortofthingsdotheythinkaboutandwhatdotheythinktherapmightinclude?Eitheruselargesheetsofpapertocreatepostersoruseanonlinemindmappingtoolsuchaspoppet.comtoshareideassimultaneously.

• Explainthatyouwillreadthepoem(orplayrecording1)andthechildrenshouldjustlistenandenjoy.Thenplayitagainandaskthemtolistenoutforanyideastheypredicted.•Recording1israpped.

• Checkthechildrenhaveheardthattherearethreesectionstotherap.What’sthebigmessageoftherap?(It’sactuallythatwritingisimportantandwecanalldoit!)

Warm up1

Tune in2

Model andexplore3

• Listenagaintorecording1andinvitethechildrentojoininwithit.• Thenlistenandplayrecording2.Recording2isspokenandisuseful

forexploringsomeofthelanguageandmeaningwithinthepoem.• Playseveraltimesandeachtimeinvitethechildrentolistenwith

apurpose.

UKS2

9

Perform5

Rehearse4

• Howmanytimescantheyheartheword‘word’or‘words’?• Whatkeyideascantheyhear?Responsesmayinclude:words

asnourishment,provocation,clarification,enlightenment,stories,historyandwriting.

• Focusonthechallengingwordsinthispoem:wallow,wisdom,hypnotize,entwined,plight,legacy,format.Canthechildrendefinethesewordsandspellthem?

• Ifthereistime,considercreatingaraptreeofwordsbasedonthepoem;usethebranchesasthestemstothebigideasandusesmallerbranchestoaddassociatedwords.Wouldthechildrenaddanyothertypesofword-associatedideastothetreefromtheirownmindmapping?

• Youmayalsotalkabouttheimportanceofrhythmandrhymeinrappoetry/performance.Therhymeissimpleandoftencontrastswiththecomplexityoftheideasandmeanings.

• Askthechildrentoidentifyrhymingpairssuchasmind/find,paragraph/laugh,trance/dance,fight/light/plight,bore/secure/before/ door/core/shore,etc.Whatdotheythinktheeffectofincreasingnumbersofrhymingwordshasonthelistenertoapoemlikethis?

• Thispoemcouldbeperformedinsomanyexcitingwaysbutyoumayliketotrythisone:splittheclassintothreegroupssothateachgroupcanworkonasectionoftherap.• Group1:lines 1–12,whichfocusonwhatwordsareand

whateffecttheycanhave.• Group2:lines 13–30,whichfocusonwhatwordscanunlock

andusesaseriesofdevicessuchassimiles(words used like a key in a lock),metaphors(see the book as a stairway …)andpersonification(words speak …).

• Group3:lines 31–52,whichfocusesonstoriesandtheimportanceofwritingfromtheheart.

• Giveeachgrouptimetoworktogethertorehearse.It’simportantthateachgrouprapssothattheperformanceofthepoemisawhole,butencouragecreativitywithinthis.

• Dothechildrenthinkthatanythingotherthantheirvoicesisnecessary?Areanyactionsnecessary?Willtheymoveorstandstill?Doestherhythminvitemovement?

• Giveeachgroupasmuchtimeaspossibletorehearsetheirgroupperformance.

• Movethroughouttheclasstohelpthemwiththeirideas.• Bringthechildrenbacktogethertopractiseperformingthe

wholerapandtocoordinateanyideastheyhaveaboutadditionaltechniquesfortheperformance.

• Askthechildrentoperformthepoemforotherstoenjoy;itneedsanaudiencewhowillundoubtedlyjoininwiththerhythm.

• Ifspaceallows,organisethechildrensothattheyarestandingintheirgroups1–3;considerwhateachgroupwilldowhileoneofthegroupsisperforminge.g.freeze,standstilllookingdown/upinaparticularposition,etc.

• Ensurethatthechoralchantingispacey,wellpronounced,projectedand,ofcourse,rhythmic.

You may wish to sound record each group to test for clarity of pronunciation and projection of voice. Meaning is crucial to this type of message poem so words must be rhythmic but clear.

tips

Poetry by Heart UKS2

10

Words are foods that cannot be eaten, but still they feed my mind, I wallow in the words of wisdom, surprised by what I find.Words together make a sentence; a sentence makes a paragraph, Some words make me angry, some make me laugh.Words are used to hypnotize, put some folks in a trance,Words entwined with rhythm and music makes me want to dance.

Words exchanged between two peopleIf misunderstood could make them fight.Words used like a key in a lockCould expose you to the light.Words speak of different culturesTheir success and their plight.

Some people say I want to be richWithout money life’s a bore,But! Let me say the more you know of lifeThe more you feel secure. Words can help you understand the futureAnd what’s gone on before, See the book as a stairwayleading you to a door.Once inside keep searchingTill you reach the coreAnd if you get lost I’ll find your messageWashed up on the shore.

Inside us all, a story waits to take flight,What I’m really trying to say every one of us can write.Write of wars, hatred and peace that’s yet to come,Write of people understanding the tongue must replace the gun.Write of your great history, and where you’re coming from,Write of nature to which we all belong. Write of living for today, for tomorrow you could be gone,But if you leave words in a book your legacy could carry on.And maybe your words will inspire the next generationTo learn from you and go deeper and then go beyond.So get a pen and some paper sit right down and make a start, No need to worry about the formatJust as long as it comes from the heart.

Word by Adisa

11

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