OPTIONAL LESSON PLAN - LOOKING AT POETRY TECHNIQUES
This lesson plan is a great way to engage your pupils with different poetry techniques for use in their own poem. The aim is for pupils
to express their views and opinions using nothing but words, and poems can pack more of punch to the reader with the effective use of
poetic techniques to really give their writing an edge.
Learning Objectives
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Preparation
Learn about different poetry techniques
Compare different techniques and their effect on the reader
Incorporate reading, writing, speaking and listening elements
of the Curriculum
Use knowledge to plan, draft and compose their own poem
for The Poetry Trials competition
Introduction
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Photocopy pupil entry form (one copy per student), or request
further entry forms are posted to you.
Hand out copy of example poems, which can be downloaded
at our website www.youngwriters.co.uk/competitions/poetrytrials (or use them on your interactive board with our free
Powerpoint presentation that complements this lesson plan this can also be downloaded from our website.)
The idea of this lesson plan is to inspire students to explore several poetic techniques, learn about how these techniques impact their
writing and the effect they have on the reader as well as writing their own poem. Explain that today students will be learning about the
poetic techniques and writing their own poem. (Slide 2)
Main Teaching Activity
Activity name
What Are Poetic
Techniques?
(15 minutes)
Slide reference
Activity details
3
Explain these are the poetic techniques the class will be focusing on today; tone, imagery,
symbolism, rhyme, metaphor and onomateopoeia.
4
Tone is the attitude of the writer towards the subject matter. Tone can be playful, sad,
excited, regretful, etc. and the tone can change throughout the poem. Our example poem
‘Bully’ has sad tone, whereas ‘What Have We Done?’ has a sombre tone. Poets use
carefully chosen diction (style of writing) and syntax (arrangement of words / phrases) to
create a tone which, in turn with other poetic techniques, creates the mood for the overall
poem - and the mood is what the writer wants the reader to feel.
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Imagery is the ‘picture’ the writer creates using only words. Use the senses to convey
imagery - let the reader see / hear / feel / taste / smell and definitely use your imagination!
Think about your choice of verbs - this can add energy and movement to your writing. Use
colours too - dark colours for sadness, reds and pinks for love or blood etc ...
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Symbolism is a person, place, action, word or object that (by association, resemblance,
or convention) represents something other than itself. For example, colours are often used
- black symbolises death; white is purity or innocence; blue is calm. Objects too - a mirror, if
broken, symbolises bad luck, but unbroken can symbolise vanity; a red rose symbolises love;
a Ferrari symbolises wealth and a lion can symbolise danger, social status and courage.
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A rhyme is when two words sound the same when spoken. Rhyme is used to help create a
pattern within a poem. Our example poem ‘What Have We Done?’ has a rhyme pattern of
lines 1 and 3, and lines 2 and 4. You could use rhyming couplets, where each pair of lines
ends in a rhyme. E.g. In the morning the sun shone bright / Clearing the thoughts of the
dark night.
What Is
Metaphor?
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A metaphor is there to make an even stronger image in the reader’s head by describing
a place, subject or object as something unlikely. Metaphors are used in poetry to create
different effects, to create an image of comparison in your thoughts. E.g. A sea of trouble /
Drowning in debt / The world is a stage.
What is
Onomatopoeia?
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Onomatopoeia is a word that imitates the sound or suggests the source of the sound that it
describes. E.g. ‘Crack goes Mother Nature’s spine’.
What is Tone?
What is
Imagery?
What is
Symbolism?
What is Rhyme?
Examples &
Theme
10-13
Ask students to choose a theme for their poem or provide them with a theme. If in
need of inspiration use our handy idea generator, simply download it from our website.
Ask students to persuade the reader to feel a certain way, can they make the reader
understand their point of view?
Research and
Planning
(20 minutes)
Composing a
Poem
(20 minutes)
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Show / hand out the 2 example poems we have provided. Ask students to annotate the
poems and identify any poetic techniques within each poem. Ask them to write a brief
summary of the poems, including the tone(s) used in each poem and how the poem
made them feel.
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Once students have an understanding of the poetic techniques in this lesson plan, they can
then draft their poem before writing up their final copy. You can provide your students with
extra time for this section of the activity, should you wish to. Remind students to consider
the poetic techniques - how do they want the reader to feel? Are they going to use a rhyme
scheme? What other poetic techniques are they going to use?
Example Poems (slides 11 & 12)
Bully
What Have We Done?
Like a timid mouse, quaking and cowering,
Waiting for the inevitable …
The vicious words,
The cruel taunts,
Watch my face crumple and tears erupt,
Pulse racing, heart thumping
Willing the courage that never comes,
Waiting for Mouse to evolve into Lion
For Mouse to see red and to fight back,
But no, Mouse flees, back to the mousehole.
Bully wins again.
The oceans are empty, nothing is left,
The fish are all gone, the whales are all dead,
Overfishing and whaling have left waters bereft
Of anything but black wrecks upon the seabed.
Tip: Why not view pupil winners from last term at
www.youngwriters.co.uk/competitions/
poetrytrials/winners.php
The jungles are quiet, no beasts to be seen,
Tigers are nothing but rugs on the floor,
The Earth weeps for what could have been,
Her sweet dreams of paradise are no more.
Thud! The last tree fell.
Squawk! The last bird fled.
Splash! The last whale surfaced.
Bang! … It was worth more dead.
Rainforests ruined, savannahs squandered,
The natural world is a ghost town now,
An empty wasteland to be wandered,
How did this happen, how?
What could have caused this devastion?
Was it God’s wrath or natural disaster?
No, it was us, so-called civilisation.
Plenary (5-10 minutes) (Slide 16)
Ask students to work in pairs or small groups and to read their poem to one another. Peers are to feedback something they like about
the poem and something they think could be improved.
Notes
This is a one-hour activity. Alternatively, the introductory work can be done in class (35 minutes) and the poem can be written as
homework.
Suggestions
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Challenge more advanced students by asking them to include all the poetry techniques included in this lesson plan in their poem.
Alternatively, you can download our lipogram lesson plan and presentation - this form of constrained writing is a real challenge!
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Less able students can work in pairs on their poem and focus on including one or two techniques.
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Ask students to practise ‘speaking/performing’ their poems and then read them out to the rest of the class. This could be your own
‘Poetry Trials!’ - which student will win?
Download The Poetry Trials presentation to complement this lesson plan from
www.youngwriters.co.uk/competitions/poetrytrials
If you fancy a challenge, why not try our lipogram lesson plan, which is also available for download at our website!