FREE sample OETRY P by Heart Bring poetry alive in the classroom As cro jealous cat s as a snarling dragon 3 Develop children s spoken language and performance skills 3 Build teacher confidence with practical step-by-step lesson ideas 3 Explore a range of poems from around the world through fun activities crinkly old lady www.risingstars-uk.com/poetry FREEPHONE 0800 091 1602
KS1 A Man Said to Me Anon An anonymous nonsense poem with great opportunities to discuss punctuation in context. It also lends itself to some fun group work on speech and intonation. 1 Warm up Ask the children to: Stretch arms and hands up high, then drop the wrists, elbows, and shoulders and then finish with the arms back by the side but relaxed. Repeat a few times. Breathe in once, out once, in twice, out twice and repeat up to five times. Make the breathing like a chugging train. Practise a simple tongue twister: Betty Botter bought some butter but she said, This butter s bitter. How fast can you go and still retain good diction? Say A man said to me in as many different ways as possible, taking the voice on different journeys; a roller coaster, on a straight line, up a hill and spiralling down, along a windy country lane, up a very steep mountain, etc. 2 Tune in Tell the children that the poem A man said to me is a nonsense rhyme. Do they know any other nonsense rhymes and what do they understand by the term nonsense? Focus on punctuation marks and the impact they have on the reading. Check the children s recognition of punctuation marks. Can the children see that the first person, I, always asks the questions and always has the question mark? Explain that you will read the poem (or play recording 1 and then 2). Can they hear how many voices there are in the rhyme? Which recording is the easiest to hear the punctuation marks. Play each recording at least twice. Recording 1 is read by one voice, in monotone and without much attention to punctuation marks, so it makes it quite difficult to pick out the different parts: the narrator, first person, I, and third person, he. Recording 2 is read with differentiated voices and with accentuated intonation to take account of punctuation. Check the children can hear the three parts in this version. Which version do they prefer? Help them to express their ideas and record them on the board or on a poster. Then display the text of the poem and read it with the children. Try to read it like recording 1 and then like recording 2. 3
Poetry by Heart KS1 3 Model and explore Reread the poem slowly, pausing after each line, and ask the children to work in groups of three to say what punctuation marks they think are needed. Together, work through the poem looking out for the punctuation marks and ensuring that the children understand what impact these have on the reading. You may find it helpful to show a version of the poem with no punctuation to help the children. Reread the poem or listen to recording 2 again, and together mark up the three parts using a highlighter tool or similar. Would the children add any other punctuation marks to the poem? Talk about adding an exclamation mark to the speech in the third person, he. Model reading the poem with these in place to demonstrate how this would make the third person lines stronger. Read it together in this way. Read the poem through one last time, with the children joining in all the way through if they can. 4 Rehearse 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., So I thought I would go. Organise the class into groups of three. Explain that different groups will each work on their own performance of the nonsense rhyme, with each person in the group taking a role: narrator, first person and third person. Encourage each group to decide on their own way of interpreting the poem in terms of their performance. Some may decide to add more character to the man and the first person character by role-playing or adding simple props such as a hat for the man. Give each group as much time as possible to rehearse their collaboration timing is critical here for the conversation and impact of the short lines to really work. Move throughout the class to help them with the speed, fluency and intonation of their performances. The children will need to work well together. Give them time to practise this and encourage them to be patient with each other. Bring the children back together and invite each group to rehearse their version. 5 Perform Ask the children to perform each version of the poem in their groups. Consider filming these short performances so that children may evaluate in real time as well as retrospectively. Encourage the rest of the class to be a supportive audience each time. Ask for feedback so the children begin to appreciate others ideas of (constructive) comment. Ask them to consider: one thing they thought was different each time the fluency the use of punctuation to make the performance speech entertaining and effective. The performers can contribute to this to begin to develop skills of self-evaluation. 4
A Man Said to Me Anon 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. 5
LKS2 The Marrog R C Scriven Written in the first person, this is a poem about an alien sitting in an ordinary classroom, invisible to everyone. The poem invites all sorts of questions, which could be explored through drama, music and art. 1 Warm up 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. Warm up by tuning in to descriptive language. The Minister s Cat: This well-known parlour game requires children to come up with descriptive words following the sequence of the alphabet. Gather the children in a circle. Start by setting up a regular clapping rhythm: clap your lap followed by clapping hands together. When the rhythm has started, begin with the sentence The minister s cat is an ADMIRABLE cat followed by four clap sequences. On the fourth, the child on your left says The ministers cat is a(n) B.. cat inserting their own adjective beginning with the letter B, e.g. brainy, beautiful, beastly. Keep moving around the circle until all the children have had a go. Play the game a second time, this time adding a gesture. Model a couple of examples before you start the game, e.g. The minister s cat is a BEAUTIFUL cat : mime looking at yourself admiringly in the mirror. The minister s cat is a CLUMSY cat : mime tripping over. 2 Tune in Briefly talk to the children about whether life could exist in space. What do they think aliens would be like? Imagine if there was an invisible alien in the classroom, what would it think about the things it could see and hear? Display a copy of the poem on the whiteboard and read (or play recording 1) to the class. Briefly discuss whether they think that the Marrog is real or imaginary. Why do they think that? Use hot-seating to explore the Marrog s character: why has it come to Earth? What was life like on Mars? What does it think of life on Earth? 3 Model and explore Distribute cut up lines from the poem. In pairs, ask the children to practise the lines in an alien-sounding voice. How do they think the Marrog would speak a low growl, a high-pitched squeak, robotically, burbling sound? Encourage them to experiment with different ways of speaking their line. Assemble the class. Conduct the class by pointing to each pair in a reading of the poem. This will be a random reading with the lines in a different order to the order of the poem. So, for example, it could go as follows. 6
Make sure cut up lines contain a complete idea, e.g.: I could go right back now if I liked And return in a million light years You may prefer to work with the whole class. 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. Poetry by Heart LKS2 Remind the children to use interesting alien voices use recording 2 as an example. Imagine if the Marrog were to visit from space, what sort of sounds would it be used to hearing? Would they be different to the sounds of the classroom? How could we use instruments and everyday objects to create sounds? Distribute instruments and objects and ask the children to create four sounds for an alien soundscape. When they have made four sounds that they think work well, ask them to put these sounds into a repeating sequence, e.g.: Sound 1 x 3 Sound 3 x 2 Sound 4 x 1 Sound 1 x 2 Gather the class. Review and evaluate the different soundscapes. Which do the class think is the most effective alien soundscape? 4 Rehearse Now put the soundscape and lines of poetry together. Ask the group playing the soundscape to repeat their sequence throughout. Conduct the children by pointing to them when it is their turn to speak. Practise this sequence as an introduction to the poem. You can use the same sequence at the end of the poem. After the introduction, read the poem clearly and expressively. Have just one voice read the poem. This could be you or a confident child. Practise the soundscape and reading several times, refining it with suggestions from the children. 5 Perform Use digital recording software such as Soundcloud to record your soundtrack and poem. Upload your finished poem to the school website or learning platform. 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. 7
The Marog by 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 SMACK The 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. 8
UKS2 ord WAdisa This rap celebrates words and offers some great opportunities to develop vocabulary, work with rhythm, rhyme, and innovation too. 1 Warm up Ask the children to: Shake hands up high, down low then to the left and to the right. Shake them as if throwing the fingers away. Imagine this sentence: Words are foods that cannot be eaten, but still they feed my mind. Imagine each syllable within the words is a candle. Blow each candle out: 15 in total, but have someone say the words so the extinguishing is coordinated. Together, practise saying I wallow in the words of wisdom really clearly, then really clearly and slowly, and then really fast and clearly. Say Adisa aaaaa-deeee-sarrrrrr and repeat as if the voice is being drawn in a continuous line from the mouth to a point you are focusing on in the room. Allow the voice to get louder the further it travels and remember to project the voice but don t shout. 2 Tune in 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. The poem is called Words and is a rap. Do the children know any other raps or rap artists? What do they understand by the term rap? What do they already know about rapping? Take their ideas. In pairs or groups, ask them to mindmap their ideas about words ; what sort of things do they think about and what do they think the rap might include? Either use large sheets of paper to create posters or use an online mindmapping tool such as poppet.com to share ideas simultaneously. Explain that you will read the poem (or play recording 1) and the children should just listen and enjoy. Then play it again and ask them to listen out for any ideas they predicted. Recording 1 is rapped. Check the children have heard that there are three sections to the rap. What s the big message of the rap? (It s actually that writing is important and we can all do it!) 3 Model and explore Listen again to recording 1 and invite the children to join in with it. Then listen and play recording 2. Recording 2 is spoken and is useful for exploring some of the language and meaning within the poem. Play several times and each time invite the children to listen with a purpose. 9
Poetry by Heart UKS2 How many times can they hear the word word or words? What key ideas can they hear? Responses may include: words as nourishment, provocation, clarification, enlightenment, stories, history and writing. Focus on the challenging words in this poem: wallow, wisdom, hypnotize, entwined, plight, legacy, format. Can the children define these words and spell them? If there is time, consider creating a rap tree of words based on the poem; use the branches as the stems to the big ideas and use smaller branches to add associated words. Would the children add any other types of word-associated ideas to the tree from their own mindmapping? You may also talk about the importance of rhythm and rhyme in rap poetry/performance. The rhyme is simple and often contrasts with the complexity of the ideas and meanings. Ask the children to identify rhyming pairs such as mind/find, paragraph/laugh, trance/dance, fight/light/plight, bore/secure/before/ door/core/shore, etc. What do they think the effect of increasing numbers of rhyming words has on the listener to a poem like this? 4 Rehearse 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. This poem could be performed in so many exciting ways but you may like to try this one: split the class into three groups so that each group can work on a section of the rap. Group 1: lines 1 12, which focus on what words are and what effect they can have. Group 2: lines 13 30, which focus on what words can unlock and uses a series of devices such as similes (words used like a key in a lock), metaphors (see the book as a stairway ) and personification (words speak ). Group 3: lines 31 52, which focuses on stories and the importance of writing from the heart. Give each group time to work together to rehearse. It s important that each group raps so that the performance of the poem is a whole, but encourage creativity within this. Do the children think that anything other than their voices is necessary? Are any actions necessary? Will they move or stand still? Does the rhythm invite movement? Give each group as much time as possible to rehearse their group performance. Move throughout the class to help them with their ideas. Bring the children back together to practise performing the whole rap and to coordinate any ideas they have about additional techniques for the performance. 5 Perform Ask the children to perform the poem for others to enjoy; it needs an audience who will undoubtedly join in with the rhythm. If space allows, organise the children so that they are standing in their groups 1 3; consider what each group will do while one of the groups is performing e.g. freeze, stand still looking down/up in a particular position, etc. Ensure that the choral chanting is pacey, well pronounced, projected and, of course, rhythmic. 10
Word by Adisa 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 people If misunderstood could make them fight. Words used like a key in a lock Could expose you to the light. Words speak of different cultures Their success and their plight. Some people say I want to be rich Without money life s a bore, But! Let me say the more you know of life The more you feel secure. Words can help you understand the future And what s gone on before, See the book as a stairway leading you to a door. Once inside keep searching Till you reach the core And if you get lost I ll find your message Washed 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 generation To 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 format Just as long as it comes from the heart. 11
Each Poetry by Heart pack includes: h A Teacher s Book with comprehensive notes on each poem plus a bank of warm-up games and activities, geared to each year group. h A CD-ROM containing audio files of each poem being read aloud in two alternative styles, a bank of sound effects for use in performance plus PDFs of the poems for printing or projection onto the whiteboard. Save 40 when you buy all four packs! Includes permanent whole-school licence! ORDER FORM Please always quote this code when you order 2 PBH4 a b c d Freephone: 0800 091 1602 Freefax: 0800 091 1603 Email: custcare@risingstars-uk.com Order online: www.risingstars-uk.com Post: Rising Stars, PO Box 105, Rochester, Kent ME2 4BE Title School Price Qty Total Poetry by Heart Foundation and Key Stage 1 Pack Includes the Foundation and Key Stage 1 packs 150 SAVE 20! Poetry by Heart Foundation Includes Teacher s Book and CD-ROM with permanent whole-school licence 85 Poetry by Heart Key Stage 1 Includes Teacher s Book and CD-ROM with permanent whole-school licence 85 Poetry by Heart Key Stage 2 Pack Includes the Lower Key Stage 2 and Upper Key Stage 2 packs 150 SAVE 20! Poetry by Heart Lower Key Stage 2 Includes Teacher s Book and CD-ROM with permanent whole-school licence 85 Poetry by Heart Upper Key Stage 2 Includes Teacher s Book and CD-ROM with permanent whole-school licence 85 Postage and Packing 5.95 GRAND TOTAL Your Details NB All orders must include a contact name Title Name Position School Address Postcode Tel Email Fax School order number JOIN US We would love to keep you up to date with education news, share examples of best practice and give you exclusive school offers by email. We will not share your details with anyone and you can unsubscribe at any time. To take part, please provide the email address that goes direct to your inbox, and feel free to supply a non-school email address. Email Important For details of overseas postage and packing charges, please contact our customer services team on 0800 091 1602. Every effort is made to ensure details are correct at time of going to press. Rising Stars reserves the right to change the specification without prior notice.