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A POEM A TERM

Writing Poems
& 
The National Literacy Strategy

a guide for teachers:  Year Five

by Roger Stevens

""Poetry should be approached with a sense of fun, 
excitement and discovery."
- Roger Stevens

KEY STAGE TWO

Year Five, Term One

1. Writing Metaphors
(Term One)

This term the NLS suggests the class writes poems that convey feelings or moods. It also mentions that pupils should be able to recognise metaphor.

Explain that poets and writers are always trying to think of new ways to describe things. For example, how can you explain to someone how happy you are?

Get the class to imagine the following conversation.

"I feel happy today."
"Really. That's great. How happy?"
"Well, you know, happy."
"Yes, but HOW happy?"
"Very happy."
"But how happy is that?"
"Just really, very happy... right?"
"Yes, but..."

One way of describing your happiness would be to think of a time when you were very happy and use it as a comparison (or simile):

"I'm as happy as the day I first scored a goal for the school team."

First discuss, and then ask your class to write down, times when they were happy.

Ask for volunteers to share their happy experiences.

A birthday party. A holiday in Greece. Meeting Dad at the station.

Ask the class to be as specific as possible about those times.
Writing a birthday present is not enough. What was the present? Who was it from? What was the wrapping paper like? Why was it so special? How old were you? And so on.

Finally write the poem as metaphor. Write it as though you were that object or time. The following lines were composed by eight year old pupils.

Happiness

I am the blazing sun shining on the beach.
I am the glittering paper on the birthday present.
I am the ballet dancer dancing on the golden stage.
I am the cool drink that you are drinking.
I am the station where I met my dad off the train

When the first draft has been written, encourage pupils to weed out weak lines and to improve others. Look at the rhythm of the lines. Suggest using other techniques such as rhyme or alliteration.

Anger
by Roger Stevens

I am a blood vessel bursting like a broken pump
I am a volcano spitting molten lava into the sky
I am the cut-down tree. I am the useless stump.
I am the echo of the words I Hope You Die
I am the echo of the words I Hope You Die

Continue to next section (Year 5 Term 2)

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