Year Group: 6
Genre Focus: Poetry – Personification.
Text: Poetry examples
Andrew Rowson
Coed y Garn Primary School, Blaina
,
EAS English and literacy team
1
Skills
Learning Objective
Whole Class
Differentiated Activity
AFL
Oracy – Contribute
purposefully to
group discussion to
achieve agreed
outcomes
To identify features
of a poem.
a) Play a video of The Blitz.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMTmlsKARzQ
Children must write down a list of things they can
see. E.G. Burning Buildings, planes, bombs, fire,
smoke etc.
b) Children to highlight
features in their books.
Find the Fib –
Using the poem
- The bomb is
compared to a
lion seeking its
prey. Etc Is this
a fib? Prove it.
Reading – Use a
range of strategies
for finding
information
Reading – infer
ideas which are not
explicitly stated.
Writing – Use a
range of strategies
to plan writing
Discuss what their words were. Add them to the
Literacy Learning Wall. This will be referenced at the
end of the lesson.
Shared Reading of the poem ‘Daffodowndilly’
together.
Daffodowndilly
She wore her yellow sun-bonnet,
She wore her greenest gown;
She turned to the south wind
And curtsied up and down.
She turned to the sunlight
And shook her yellow head,
And whispered to her neighbour:
"Winter is dead."
HA - Children to
independently identify
features of the poem
providing reasons. They
should identify
personification, similes,
layout and punctuation.
They suggest the effect
these have on the
reader.
AA - Children to
independently identify
features of the poem.
They should identify
personification, similes,
layout and punctuation.
LA - Children to identify
features of the poem with
support
The Bomb is a bully
By A.A. Milne
The bomb is a blusterous bully
Causing panic wherever he goes.
Like a shark sneaking up on unsuspecting prey
He seeks havoc and destruction.
Smugly falling
On shivering buildings
The bomb explodes like a volcano.
What is it about? How do you know?
The bomb is a silver leech
With a thirst for blood.
Then focus on the features of the poem. Key
Questions – What is the structure?
The bomb is a bully
Causing panic wherever he goes.
By Mr Rowson
EAS English and literacy team
Are there any language patterns? Does the poem
rhyme?
Draw attention to the words ‘she’ ‘curtsied’ ‘shook
her head’ and ‘whispered’.
Why do you think these were used? Are plants able
to actually do these?
Discuss personification. ‘where human qualities are
given to animals, objects or ideas’.
Discuss providing human qualities to objects during
the Blitz. Key Question – If you were a building
during the Blitz, how might you feel? What might you
do? (I cowered in fear, trembling through the terror
around me).
Provide children with another poem about a Bomb
during the Blitz. (See Resources). Identify the
features of the poem – personification, similes,
layout/punctuation
2
Oracy – Express
ideas clearly using
specialist vocabulary
and examples
To identify key
words and phrases.
Writing – Use
language
appropriate to
EAS English and literacy team
c) Have groups list as many human actions or
emotions as possible. Encourage children to provide
different and creative emotions and actions e.g.
‘hungry’ and ‘laughing’. Then challenge the children
to fit it into a sentence of an inanimate object
(discussed in the introduction) from the war such as
a bomb. ‘Laughing in a fit of rage the bomb was
hungry for destruction’. Encourage creativity and
enjoyment with this activity.
a) Discuss the devastation caused by the Blitz.
Explain the importance of building an image in the
reader’s mind.
Without showing children the image, use descriptive
words to describe a scene from the Blitz.
b) Using Popplet (or
around a picture of their
chosen object stuck in
their books) children
must make a list of
human emotions and
action verbs around their
NIKI… (Now I
Know I… can
explain and give
an example of
personification
writing including
standard forms of
English.
Writing – Use varied
and appropriate
vocabulary,
including subjectspecific words and
phrases
chosen object. They
should include emotions
in a separate coloured
Popplet box to the action
verbs selected.
Children must concentrate and try to draw on their
whiteboards their vision of the Blitz scene you are
describing. When you have finished describing the
scene, show the picture on the IWB.
Key Questions - Was this what you imagined? What
key words made it easy to build a similar image in
your mind? What words should I have used to make
it a clearer image in your mind? What else could I
have included? Focus on the use of similes,
descriptive language, and ambitious words. Share
new ambitious vocabulary and key words or phrases
Remind children of personification.
Key questions – What range of emotions would we
feel throughout the Blitz? (Petrified, nervous,
anxious, paranoid) What kind of object would be
scared? Why? (buildings, ports etc as they were
targeted areas).
What if you were a bullet, plane or bomb? How
would you feel? (brave, determined, unstoppable,
ruthless) List ambitious words created onto LLW for
future reference
Children must then complete the task.
Explain that we will be focusing on one object from
the Blitz which children must choose independently
EAS English and literacy team
HA - To independently
list emotions, verbs (with
adverbs if possible) and
to use a Thesaurus for
ambitious vocabulary,
when writing around their
chosen object.
AA - To work
independently listing
emotions and verbs
around their chosen
object.
LA - To use the LLW to
use emotions and verbs
around an object agreed
on as a group with
support from the TA.
(German plane, bullet, bomb, building, flames,
Swansea Sea Port)
Ensure children understand the different emotions or
verbs they can include depending on what object
they want to personify.
c) Partner talk. Share with a partner your action
verbs, emotions and the object you chose. Take it in
turns to practise placing those into sentences, using
personification, that we can use in our poem E.g.
Object- Flame, Verb – dancing, emotion – proud
Turn it into a sentence such as ‘Filled with pride, the
flame danced through the night’. Share ideas onto
the LLW.
3.
Writing – Use a
range of strategies
to plan writing
To plan a poem.
Writing – Use
language
appropriate to
writing
Writing – Use varied
and appropriate
vocabulary,
including subjectspecific words and
phrases
Writing – Choose
and use a wide
range of
adventurous and
imaginative
vocabulary with
precision
EAS English and literacy team
Re-visit some of the actions and emotions from
yesterday’s lesson. Ask children to select their
favourite sentences from yesterday’s plenary. Share
ideas with the class.
Model the provided table.
Personification Poetry Planning Table
Verb
Human emotion
Object selected
glared
nervous
Swansea Port
attacked
hungry
Plane
Sentences
Swansea Port glares nervously at the planes as she awaits her fate.
The plane viciously attacks the city as he is hungry for destruction.
Now…
Using the table, let’s plot our very own verb, human emotion and object to create a sentence.
Task: Plan their poem –
Using the Popplet from
yesterday’s session,
children to organise the
verbs and emotions they
want to include in
sentences for their
poetry.
HA - To individually
identify the
personification, verbs,
adverbs, similes, and
alliteration to be used in
their poem, writing them
into full sentences.
AA - To work with
support from the teacher
to identify the
personification, verbs,
similes and emotions to
be used within their
Share children’s
work onto the
whiteboard.
Children will
collectively
assess the work
against the
success criteria.
Explain how to select one verb and emotion from
yesterday’s lesson, to be placed in the table
provided. Discuss the sentences created. Then fill in
the rest of the table with the class, using an example
from a students’ Popplet. (Perhaps use an object
which hasn’t been displayed yet such as fire or a
building E.g. As quick as a flash, the flames
ruthlessly swallowed the puny buildings around him.)
Key questions - What sentences can we create
using these? How can we up-level our sentences?
Can we use similes? What ambitious vocabulary can
be used? If we are describing the object, what
person do we write in?
Children must use their Popplet from yesterday to
practise writing sentences about their object.
poem, placing them into
sentences.
LA - Using the planning
table provided and with
support from the TA,
identify which verbs and
emotions they want to
use within their poem.
They must then write
them into the table
before creating
sentences with support
where necessary.
Personification Poetry Planning Table
Verb
Human emotion
Object selected
Success Criteria:
Include personification.
Write in the 3rd person
Include ambitious vocabulary
Include similes
4
Writing – Adapt
writing style to suit
the reader and
purpose
To write a poem,
including
personification,
similes and
appropriate layout
Writing –Craft their
writing by using
standard forms of
English.
Writing - Use varied
sentence structures
EAS English and literacy team
Re-visit the blitz poem provided from Tuesday.
Children select their
sentences, verbs and
emotions from
yesterday’s lesson, and
place them into the
poetry format
demonstrated, to create
their very own Blitz
personification poem as
an object.
HA - To work
independently setting out
Assessing work
against the
Success
Criteria.
Two Stars and A
Wish.
for emphasis and
effect
The Bomb is a bully
The bomb is a blusterous bully
Causing panic wherever he goes.
Writing – Choose
and use a wide
range of
adventurous and
imaginative
vocabulary with
precision
Like a shark sneaking up on unsuspecting prey
He seeks havoc and destruction.
Smugly falling
On shivering buildings
The bomb explodes like a volcano.
The bomb is a silver leech
With a thirst for blood.
The bomb is a bully
Causing panic wherever he goes.
By Mr Rowson
Discuss the layout, language and features. What do
you think our success criteria will be?
Model using one child’s work from yesterday on the
IWB.
Key Questions – Are there any targets from the
marking? How can we improve the sentences
shown? Are there any similes used? Is there
personification included? How can we set the
sentences into the format of the poetry discussed?
Which sentences can we repeat?
Children must select their sentences, verbs and
emotions from yesterday’s lesson, and place them
into the poetry format demonstrated, to create their
very own Blitz personification poem as an object.
Suggested Success Criteria:


EAS English and literacy team
Include personification.
Write in the 3rd person
their work as discussed.
Children to use the
success criteria set for
them independently,
adding adverbs and
alliteration if possible.
AA - To work
independently setting out
their work as discussed.
They should assess their
work against the success
criteria.
LA - To use their
sentences from
yesterday’s lesson to
write their poetry,
following the format of
our model poem, with
support from the TA.



5
Oracy – Speak
clearly, using formal
language, varying
expression, tone and
volume, to keep
listeners interested.
To record a poem
into iMovie.
Oracy – respond to
others with
questions and
comments which
focus on reasons,
implications and
next steps.
Include ambitious vocabulary
Include similes
Include verbs and emotional vocabulary
a) Using the provided poem from Tuesday, model
recording this into iMovie.
Key Questions -How can we record our voices?
What can we do to improve this recording? Discuss
how can we make the iMovie sound more
interesting? Demonstrate how to insert sounds and
background images that are suited to the speech
you are using. Emphasise the use of expression
when reading the poem.
Success Criteria:
To speak clearly with expression
To include suitable images
To include appropriate sounds.
c) Children can display their QR codes around the
display area and the class library.
EAS English and literacy team
b) Children must record
their poems
independently into
iMovie, using suitable
backgrounds and images
to accompany the audio
QR code each video to
be displayed on topic
boards.
Children scan
one another’s
videos and
discuss how
effective they
were in relation
to the success
criteria.