Year 7 Poetry – Part 1 of 2

We will be looking at different types of poetry and the aim is for you to create your own version of (at least 6 different poetry styles) in your own Poetry Anthology*.

*Glossary: An anthology is a published collection of poems.

YOU CAN DECORATE, AND DISPLAY CREATIVELY, ALL THE POEMS YOU SELECT AT THE END OF THE SCHEME OF WORK

• There are some CHALLENGE tasks that you CAN complete if you wish.

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Lesson 1 - LO To understand what poetry is and how the form of a poem can affect its meaning.

Starter:

Write down what you think a poem is. Can you come up with a definition for the word ‘poetry’?

How many different types of poetry can you think of off the top of your head? Write a sub heading ‘Different types of Poetry’ and list the different types please.

Task 1 Which is the best way to eat this?

A: With a knife and fork sat at a table with a napkin.

B: With your fingers sat on a wall at the seaside.

C: At home in front of the telly, with the heat from the wrapping burning your knees.

Look at the Lesson Resource (below)

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What is the poet comparing a poem to here?

What do you think the poet is trying to say about poetry?

Make a list of your ideas.

Lesson 1 Resource

How To Eat a Poem by Eve Merriam

Don't be polite.

Bite in.

Pick it up with your fingers and lick the juice that may run

down your chin.

It is ready and ripe now, whenever you are.

You do not need a knife or fork or spoon

or plate or napkin or tablecloth.

For there is no core

or stem

or rind

or pit

or seed

or skin

to throw away.

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The poet is comparing the poem to ………………………………..........................................

I think the poet is saying that you should ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...

Task 2

You should have noticed that the last poet compared the poem to a fruit. By comparing a poem to a fruit, the poet is trying to tell us to look forward to reading poetry and reading it enthusiastically, in the same way we would look forward to sinking our teeth into a juicy fruit.

Now have a go at creating your own poem that describes poetry as your favorite plate of food.

– What is your favourite plate of food and why?

– Could you split this plate up? For example, if it is a big bowl of chips every chip could be a word that you must bite into and chew over to enjoy the full flavour...The salt and vinegar might be the emotion the reader adds into the poem.

– This is a tricky task but have a go.

Lesson 2 - Limericks

Starter:

a) What is a syllable? Write a definition please.b) Try to write down three words for each number of syllables: Words with ONE syllable: Words with TWO syllables: Words with THREE syllables: Words with FOUR syllables: Words with FIVE syllables:

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Task 1

Look at the words below:

How many syllables do the words above have?

Task 2 Over the next two lessons we are going to explore poems with different forms

a)

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Copy this definition;

A poem’s form is the way it LOOKS on the page. It can be described by looking at the structure, shape and patterns.

b)

c)

Did you notice the pattern? A Limerick is a short poem (usually funny) with a very strong rhythm. It also has a particular way of rhyming. – Colour in or highlight the rhyme scheme in the limerick above.

After you have done this you should be able to write the rule for the rhyme scheme (which lines have to rhyme?)

Next count the syllables in each line – you will notice a pattern here too.

SYLLABLES Lines 1 and 2 should be about 7 -10 syllablesLines 3 and 4 have about 5 – 7 syllables

If you are still unsure you can research how to set out a Limerick on-line.

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The first two lines set up your character or object

There was an old man from Peru

Who dreamed he was eating his shoe

The second two lines present a problem/action

He awoke in the night

With a terrible fright

Last line is an ending/ conclusion that will make your reader laugh

And found out that it was quite true

Task 3

Write a limerick of your own.

Remember to follow the rhyme scheme and try to ensure the syllable count is similar to the poem above.

If you are struggling to think of your own, you may like to try one of the following to help you get started:

There once was a barber from Grays… There was an old man with no shoes… There once was a grey kangaroo… There was an old man from Kuwait…

CHALLENGE:

RESEARCH CLERIHEW POEMS. THEY FOLLOW THE SAME PATTERN BUT THEY ARE ABOUT SOMEONE YOU KNOW.

Challenge Tasks:

a) write the rules for writing a Clerihew poem.b) Write a clerihew poem about someone you know, it could be your teacher,

brother/sister, your friend or a pet!

Lesson 3 - Haikus

Starter:

Can you remember what type of poem we looked at last lesson?

Task: What were the defining features of this type of poem? Make a list please.

Task 1: Please write the following:

A Haiku is a Japanese poem based on exact numbers of syllables.

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All Haiku poems follow the same pattern:

Three lines long.

Five syllables in the first line.

Seven syllables in the second line.

Five syllables in the third line.

Two images or ideas that connect. They are usually about nature.

c) Write your own Haiku - Aim for 1-3 Haiku please

You could choose from the topics below if you are struggling.

Snow Autumn Spring Summer Waterfalls Rain

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Haiku (example)

At every doorway,

From the mud of wooden clogs,

Spring begins anew.

Check your work when you have finished. Have you followed the Haiku recipe?

d) Final thought:

I think poems with set forms are hard to write because…OrI think poems with set forms are easy to write because…

Lesson 4 - Using Similes

Copy the definition for a simile:

A Simile compares one thing to another using the words ‘like’ or ‘as’

Starter:

Write an example simile for each please:

a) ‘like’ =b) ‘as’ =

Complete the following similes with well-chosen words:

The teacher roared at the student like a… He ran as fast as… She slept like… Josh was as hard as…

CHALLENGE:

Explain what the author (Charles Dickens) is trying to make the reader think with the similes below (from ‘A Christmas Carol’:

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Scrooge was “as hard as flint” and “as solitary as an oyster”. A dismal light was “like a bad lobster in a dark cellar”. Christmas pudding was “like a speckled cannon ball”. The violinist tuned his fiddle “like fifty stomach aches”.

Write detailed answers please ensure you explain carefully.

Task 1:

Look at the poem below ‘Quieter than Snow’ by Berlie Doherty. List all the similes that you can find in the poem.

Task 2

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CHALLENGE:

Describe a place using SIMILE comparisons. It can be a haunted house; a new planet; a school or a hospital. You should write 1-2 paragraphs.

Think about size, shape, colour, height, feelings/emotions, touch,

Task 3

Lesson 5 - Metaphor Magic

LO: to recognise how metaphors can enhance a poem’s meaning.

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Think Spot

Starter: Copy the definition please

A Metaphor is a comparison and states that one thing IS another. It is a stronger comparison than a simile.

e.g Her hair is silk time is money.

His room was a pig sty He had a heart of gold.

Turn these similes into metaphors:

He is like a lion in battle = He is a lion in battle

I am like a king on the football field =

You are like an angel =

He is as cool as ice =

It is like being in heaven =

Task 1 Read the poem (on the next page) and make notes on how the poet has used metaphors to describe the sun.

Page 11 of 18WHAT IS … THE SUN?

The sun is an orange dinghysailing across a calm sea.

Now look at the example below:

Task 2

Write your own ‘What is…’ poem, using a selection of imaginative metaphors like the two examples above.

Success Criteria:

To use at least five metaphors. To be imaginative. Use the correct punctuation.

Suggestions you could try:

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WHAT IS … THE SUN?

The sun is an orange dinghysailing across a calm sea.

What is … the sea?

The sea is a large bucket of tear drops, collected over a million years.

The sea is a gigantic emerald, sparkling in the sunlight.

The sea is alive and kicking; it is David Beckham.

There are suggestions over the page to help you

What is… a football? What is …the rain? What is…the moon? What is…the snow? What is…the sea?

CHALLENGE:

Write a short description about either yourself or someone you know well. You should use at least three metaphors. (you can of course use other figurative language such as similes too).

Task 3 - THINK BACK

LO: to recognize how metaphors can enhance a poem’s meaning:

Why do you think metaphors are important in poetry? What do metaphors add to poetry? How do metaphors make a poem’s meaning clearer?

Lesson 5 – Personification Perfection

LO: to understand the term ‘personification’

To recognise where personification has been used in a poem and confidently include it in your own work.

Starter:

I would like you to write the sentences below in your books and label whether they are metaphors or similes. For example: My mother is a monster = METAPHOR

– My nose is an icicle.

– I am as hungry as an animal that has been in hibernation for months!

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– The teacher was as pleased as punch that all of the class had their homework

– Her hair was straw

– His feet were like boats

Copy the definition:

Personification is when an author gives an object human characteristics or qualities. An example would be: The street light winked at me in the darkness.

Task 1: Read the poem below. The poet is personifying a particular type of weather. Can you guess what it is?

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‘THE ‘ by F R McCreary Slowly the , Hunch-shouldered with a grey face,Arms wide, advances,Finger-tips touching the wayPast the dark housesAnd dark gardens of roses.Up the short street from the harbour,Slowly the ,Seeking, seeking;Arms wide, shoulders hunched,Searching, searching,Out through the streets to the fields,Slowly the , A blind man hunting the moon.

By F.R. McCreary

The poem below is another example of how personification is used:

Fire is a hunter in constant search of prey,He runs through walls, buildings and trees.He puts his large hands around your throat until you can’t breathe.Everywhere you try to turn, he surrounds you with his black cloak.

Did you work it out? The answer will be given at the end of this scheme of work!

Task 2 - Questions:

a) What is the difference in personality of the male and female fire?b) What evidence is there to support this in the poem? Is there any specific

language that demonstrates this difference?c) How does the use of this language affect the reader?

Task 3 – have a go:

Think about one of the weathers below. Think of 3-6 different uses of personification to describe this type of weather. What kind of facial expressions might they have? What would they be like in terms of personality?

Frost Storms Sunshine

Task 4 – Create

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The poem below is another example of how personification is used:

Fire is a hunter in constant search of prey,He runs through walls, buildings and trees.He puts his large hands around your throat until you can’t breathe.Everywhere you try to turn, he surrounds you with his black cloak.

Write your own poem for your anthology that personifies (gives human characteristics to) an object. There are some suggestions if you wish to use them: Water, bed, chocolate, volcano. This poem SHOULD NOT RHYME.

The Success criteria is on the next page.

Criteria: Use personification; be original in your choice of personification; use any techniques to enhance your language (metaphors/similes/alliteration etc.) and use interesting vocabulary.

CHALLENGE:

What would these famous landmarks look like as people, animals, or other creatures? (choose one to personify in one paragraph)

Eifel Tower Leaning Tower of Pisa Statue of Liberty The Colosseum Mount Rushmore The Great Pyramid of Giza Stonehenge Taj Mahal The Great Wall of China The Grand Canyon.

Lesson 6 – Sounds in Poetry

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Starter: Expressing Sounds in Words: Find suitable onomatopoeia to fill the grid below:

Object SoundCar Engine

Fire

Sausages Frying

Thunder storm

Rain

Waterfall

Task: Write your own short poem, purely out of sound words. It does not have to make complete sense; it just has to capture being at a particular place.

You might like to pick one of the following settings:Page 17 of 18

NoiseI like noise.The whoop of a boy, the thud of a hoof,The rattle of rain on a galvanised roof,The hubbub of traffic, the roar of a train,The throb of machinery numbing the brain,The rush of the wind, a door on the slam,The switching of wires in an overhead tram,The boom of the thunder, the crash of the waves,The din of a river that races and raves,The crack of a rifle, the clank of a pail,The strident tattoo of a swift-slapping sail –Arises a gamut of soul-stirring joys.I like the noise.

Task 1: Read the poem and colour/highlight as many examples of onomatopoeia as you can find.

DID YOU FIND THEM ALL?What do you think ‘sound words’ do to add to the impact of a poem?

Beach` funfair Firework Display Traffic Jam Carnival Sports match/event

Try to read your poem to someone to see if they can work out where your poem is set without telling them.

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Personification answer = The Fog – did you guess it right?

Next time you will finish the poetry section and be told how to compile your Poetry Anthology.

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