It’s a sad fact that, in our increasingly overloaded curriculum, poetry has become the poor relation of our English education.
It’s all too often associated with end-of-term card-making activities, or worse, viewed by the pupils as a form of torture, as they desperately seek for something to rhyme with orange (it’s sporange, by the way).
But when used effectively, poetry is a brilliant way to develop narrative writing skills and an understanding of the impact words can have.
One of the most potent pieces of poetry that I have ever used in a primary school setting is ‘The Listeners’ by Walter de la Mare; high-quality poetry, inspiring narrative writing, and not a tenuous rhyme in sight!
Today you will…
- Vary sentence structures
- Make careful word choices to have an impact on the reader
- Establish a narrative atmosphere
Find more ideas for National Poetry Day here.
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- The Island at the End of Everything – KS2 cross-curricular planning
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- The Ever Changing Earth – Cross-curricular KS1 dinosaur activities
