Sign In
Sign In
Register for Free
PrimaryEnglish

National Poetry Day assembly – Explore ‘truth’ with five poets

What's included?

10-page PDF with poems, author comments and activities, plus editable assembly script

Key Stage

KS1, KS2

Age

Years 1-6

Subjects

Deliver a National Poetry Day assembly with the help of verse by Joseph Coelho, Michael Rosen, Rachel Rooney, Karl Nova and Victoria Adukwei-Bulley…

This assembly plan by Jonny Walker is based around the theme of ‘truth’ and will last around 30 to 40 minutes. All children will require a small piece of paper and a pencil.

The assembly references and introduces five poems that have been selected by National Poetry Day – these are all very different, but each introduces an idea of what truth can mean in the context of poetry. Watch these poems below.

National Poetry Day assembly resources

This resource contains:

  • 10-page PDF featuring text of five poems, comments from each poet, and suggested classroom activities
  • Editable Word doc teacher assembly script

Jonny Walker works across schools as OtherWise Education on poetry, writing and humanities projects with students and staff. Find him at otherwiseeducation.com and follow him on Twitter at @jonnywalker_edu.


Watch poets read their poems

Michael says: Sometimes in poems you don’t have to say everything. The reader or the person listening can get to the truth by the way you said it. This poem does it through repetition and with the mystery of the man who was left
behind.

Joseph says: I wanted to read this poem to you because it’s about truth, in a way. It was inspired by a legend about two flocks of starlings warring over the city of Cork. As we know of legends, they are not always true, and I find that fascinating.

Karl says: It’s interesting – not every poem has to be about a real situation. It can be imaginary, but it should always try to be true to the human condition and experience.

Rachel says: I was thinking about ‘truth’ and it reminded me that when I was young, we used to play a game. We would all sit in a circle and there was a bottle in the middle. We used to spin it and whoever the bottle ended up pointing to, had to choose between a truth or a dare.

Victoria says: Poetry is a good art form for dealing with or exploring the truth because it is very good at looking at the grey areas or bringing the background into focus and shedding a light on things which aren’t always straightforward.


Browse more ideas for teaching KS2 poems.

National Poetry Day assembly resources
DOWNLOAD A FREE RESOURCE!
National Poetry Day assembly – Explore ‘truth’ with five poets
PrimaryEnglish

You'll also receive regular updates from Teachwire with free lesson plans, great new teaching ideas, offers and more. (You can unsubscribe at any time.)

Which sectors are you interested in?

By signing up you agree to our Terms & Conditions and privacy policy

Explore teaching packs

Pie Corbett Ultimate KS2 Fiction Collection
Pie Corbett Ultimate KS2 Fiction Collection
Fire up KS2 pupils' imagination with this collection of 20+ fictional stories, written by literacy expert Pie Corbett. Each ... more
20 x resources
Pie Corbett KS2 Non-Fiction Collection
Use Pie Corbett’s non-fiction texts to inspire your KS2 pupils to get writing. Each resource contains an original text in ... more
6 x resources
Pie Corbett KS2 Poetry Collection
Inspire KS2 pupils to be creative and express themselves with this pack of Pie Corbett poetry. Each of these Pie Corbett Tal... more
7 x resources
WAGOLL classroom resources
WAGOLL Packs from Real Authors
Peer inside the mind of award-winning children's authors and help pupils understand how to create engaging characters, capti... more
7 x resources
Art KS2 inspiring medium term plans
Art KS2 Inspiring Medium Term Plans
Get pupils' creative juices flowing with these expert medium-term art plans for KS2. Each resource consists of a full half-t... more
6 x resources
Magical Harry Potter Teaching Ideas
Magical Harry Potter Teaching Ideas
Spark pupils' imaginations with these inventive and exciting teaching ideas, all themed around the wonderful world of Harry ... more
11 x resources