Ages Secondary

Grouping Mixed
ability

Poetry Day – Lesson plan Date

Duration
--/--/----
1 hour

Subjects
• English

Strands

Reading
➢ recognise and understand the characteristics of a range of different texts in terms of language,
structure and organisation/presentation;
➢ read between the lines using inference and deduction.
Writing
➢ use language appropriate to writing;
➢ use appropriate technical terms and vocabulary/language appropriate to the subject-specific
context; use a structure that is appropriate to the purpose and focus of the task;
➢ plan and adapt writing style to suit the audience and purpose.
Oracy
➢ make a range of contributions to discussions, e.g. leading, encouraging and supporting other.

Guiding question
What is poetry and how does it make the reader feel?

Key Teaching Points

About the Concept

Poetry is a type of literature, or artistic writing, that attempts to stir a reader’s imagination or emotions. The poet
does this by carefully choosing and arranging language for its meaning, sound and rhythm.

Learning Outcomes:
1. understand what a poem is
2. start to identify literary techniques used in poetry
3. create your own poem using literary techniques.

Differentiation: through peer support and mixed-ability groupings, varied questioning

techniques
• Aim ‘what’ questions at lower ability, selecting key information and aim ‘how’ questions at more able to
develop discussions on poetry techniques and how certain tones/thoughts and feelings are achieved.
• For more able, learners need to identify and see the effectiveness a variety of literary techniques and
use them in their own writing confidently, while other may aim for 2 techniques in their poem.
• For SEN or generally less confident learners, ensure they have a confident learner assessing to work
 with them on paired tasks, particularly on the poetry task.
• Encourage SEN pupils to use Fact File template for guidance on what to write while others may want to
create their own.

Materials
• Books, pens and pencils
• Whiteboards (optional)
• Robert Frost poem
• Fact File worksheet

Key Vocabulary

• Poetry
• Poet
• Simile
• Metaphor
• Personification
• Alliteration
• Adjectives
• Rhyme
• Structure

Progression of Learning and Teaching

Introduction: Slide 1 and 2 (5 minutes)
Introduce the title/topic and learning objects for the lesson.

Lesson Starter: Slide 3 (5 minutes)

Ask learners to discuss the following questions: what is a poem?

Information: Slide 4 (5 minutes)

Give the pupil time to read the slide and understand what a poem is.

Teaching suggestions: Learners can spark a discussion from this, such as: ‘what poems have you heard of?’
‘do you know any famous poets?’ ‘why do people write poems?’ ‘what does a poem look like?’

Discussion: Slide 5 (5 minutes)

Pupils are to discuss: How do you think a poem should make the reader feel? Ask them to give examples if
they can.

Task: Slide 6 (10 minutes)

Pupils are to read the poem by Robert Frost (Road Not Taken) and write down how the poem makes them feel
and why.

Teaching suggestions: Pupils can make notes and summarise the poem first. This can be an individual task or
paired/group work for extra support. To challenge, ensure they select aspects of the poem that makes them feel
a certain way for justification.
Task: Slide 7 (5 minutes)
Poetry uses a range of different techniques to create a tone and make the reader feel a certain way. Can you
think of five different descriptive writing techniques used in poems?

Teaching suggestions: Allow More Able and Gifted pupils to explain what ‘tone’ is. Then allow pupils who are
less confident to share their ideas first on descriptive techniques (e.g. adjectives, simile) before asking for more
advanced techniques.

Descriptive Task: Slide 8 (5 minutes)

Looking at the image of the lion, pupils are to write the following to describe its characteristics:
- adjective
- simile
- metaphor
- personification.

Teaching suggestions: To support pupils, model examples prior to independent learning, allow them to work in
pairs or think of multiple descriptions as a class.

Writing Task: Slide 9 (10 minutes)

Using their examples, pupils are to now write a short poem about a lion.

Teaching suggestions: To challenge some pupils, allow them to write their own poems on another animal.

Peer Assessment: Slide 10 (5 minutes)

Ask pupils to read their partner’s poem and highlight: what techniques they used, how it makes them feel and
why.

Summary: Slide 11 and 12 (5 minutes)

Recap the learning objectives with the learners and show them where they could develop their knowledge
further.

Assessment Methods
• Think - pair - share
• Peer-assessment
• Feedback from discussions
• Questioning
• Poem
• Research task (homework)