Poetry Rivals Spoken Word Poetry – Key Stage 3 Lesson Plan
Preparation
You’ll need to download the free videos and help sheet from our website www.poetryrivals.com. The videos show
Mark Grist and Mixy, who together perform as the ‘Dead Poets’. Prepare a copy of the Poetry Techniques Sheet that
we have provided for you, for each pupil.
You’ll also need to decide which mini poetry technique workshops (please see attached) to include in the lesson. We
suggest two or three, but you can include as many as you like.
Introduction
Explain to your class that they will be writing a poem for the Poetry Rivals competition, which could see them
performing their poem as a spoken word artist. Show them one of the ‘Dead Poets’ videos.
Main Teaching Activity
Discuss the examples of poetry techniques on the Poetry Techniques Sheet as a class, and ask pupils to come up
with their own examples of these poetic techniques. Make notes on the board.
Remind your class that spoken word poetry needs personal involvement and perhaps suggest a couple of ideas.
Now you need to work through one of the mini workshops provided on the reverse of this lesson plan. Make notes on
the board.
Next, watch the 2 short additional videos, which also show professional spoken word poets, Mark Grist and Mixy,
performing their poems. Ask your pupils if they have any questions or suggestions and make notes on the board
before moving on to another mini workshop. Now ask your pupils to write their own poems, which can be performed
in a future lesson.
Plenary
This is a 5 to 10 minute activity. Once pupils have written their own poems ask them to work in pairs. They are to
read their poem to their partner. The partner is to provide feedback: something they like about the poem, and a
suggestion of how it could be improved. To extend the activity to a second lesson, ask pupils to redraft, copy up and
illustrate their poem.
Differentiation
For less able pupils discuss and agree their poem’s subject and also select the poetry techniques to be included. If
necessary, suggest less able pupils work in pairs, or a small group, to create their poem.
To challenge more advanced pupils, assign a rhyming scheme for them to follow , give them more poetic techniques
to use, suggest a poetic form (please see the attached sheet) for them to use, or ask them to write their poem in
character.
Notes
This is a one-hour activity. Alternatively, introductory work can be done in class (20-30 minutes) and the poem can be
written as homework. This lesson plan can stand alone as a poetry writing activity, or you can choose to develop the
poems into spoken word performances in a future lesson(s). The Spoken Word Mini Workshops, which feature key
techniques needed for a spoken word performance, have been written by spoken word poet and teacher, Mark Grist:
www.markgrist.com. Spoken word performances are an excellent way of bringing pupils’ poetry to life, to encourage
positive participation and to help pupils develop confidence in themselves as well as their work.
Poetry Techniques Sheet
Technique
What is it?
Example
Simile
A direct comparison of two things using the
words ‘like’ or ‘as’
Busy as a bee
Metaphor
A figure of speech in which a comparison
is made between two things without using
the words ‘like’ or ‘as’. This is a stronger
comparison than a simile
You are my sunshine
Personification
When an inanimate object is given humanlike qualities or characteristics
The light danced through the window
Hyperbole
A great exaggeration
I’ve told you a million times!
Alliteration
Using several words in a sentence that begin
with the same letter or sound
All the apples along the alleyway were
alright
Assonance
Using a repetition of a vowel sound
I will bake you a date cake
Consonance
Using a repetition of a consonant sound
Write a great paper by the due date
Onomatopoeia
Words that are noises, and sound like the
name of the word
Pop, bang, sizzle, kapow
Repetition
Repeating words or phrases
There was no sound, there was no light,
there was no hope
Rhyme – End Rhyme
Using words that sound alike, at the end of
lines
At the end of the lane,
I felt some pain.
It was in my back,
From carrying a sack.
Rhyme – Internal
Rhyme
Using words that sound alike, within the
middle of the line
In my pocket, I held a locket.
In my pants, I had ants.
Poetic Forms
Acrostics
These are poems where the 1st letter of each line spells something out.
Haikus
These are 3 line poems of 17 syllables. The 1st line has 5 syllables, the 2nd line has 7 and the 3rd
line has 5 again.
Tankas
These are 5 line poems with the 1st three lines as per a haiku, then a further 2 lines of 7 syllables.
Cinquains
These a 5 line poems where the 1st line is 2 syllables, the 2nd line 4, the 3rd line 6, the 4th line 8
and the last line 2 again.
Limericks
These are 5 line poems that tell a funny story. The 1st, 2nd and 5th line should rhyme and the 3rd
and 4th lines rhyme with each other.
Kennings
These poems are a set of descriptive words about a noun’s features. The words generally end
in ‘er’. For example Dog Kennings could be tail wagger, food slobberer, cuddle lover. You either
have all the words hyphenated or leave all the hyphens out (except where a word is hyphenated
according to the dictionary).
Diamante
These are 7 line poems where the 1st and 7th line are single contradictory nouns. The 2nd and
6th lines have 2 adjectives each and describe the 1st and 7th lines respectively. The 3rd and 5th
lines should consist of 3 ‘ing’ adjectives describing the 1st and 7th lines respectively.
The central line consists of four words, the 1st two describing the word in the 1st line, the 2nd two
describing the word in the 7th line.
Spoken word Mini Poetry Workshops
Onomatopoeia Workshop
Rhyme Workshop
Hand out A4 paper to every student in the class. They
should divide the paper up into 8 squares.
They will then have thirty seconds to draw/write what could
make the following sounds:
Ping
Splash
Bang
Drip
Croak
Rip
Splash
Crack
Now ask pupils to try writing their own ideas of
onomatopoeia. Why might a writer include onomatopoeia
in their writing?
Start off with the phrase on the board ‘I’d rather be silver
than gold’
And see if anyone can come up with lines that rhyme
with it –
‘I’d rather have hair than be bald’
‘I’d rather be young than be old’
‘I’d rather be hot than cold’
‘I’d rather be bought than sold’
Repetition Workshop
Come up with a list of word/phrases suggested by the
class. They must include one of these words in their piece
at least 6 times. They aren’t
allowed to place these words/
phrases at the beginning of any of the lines.
Rhythm Workshop
Suggested words/phrases
Why
Freedom
Laughing
That was the best day ever
I can’t find the door
I’m in trouble again
The best
Rhythm in writing is like the beat in music. Rhythm is when
certain words are produced more forcefully than others,
and may be held for longer duration. The repetition of a
pattern is what produces a ‘rhythmic effect’. The word
rhythm comes from the Greek meaning of
‘measured motion’.
Lists workshop
Game – students to write as many reasons as possible for
the following topics:
Annoying things about brothers/
sisters
The worst pets ever
The most disgusting ingredients for a soup you can think of
Why not try writing a poem with the same first 2, 3 or 4
words?
I am ...
Or
I love it when ...
E.g.:
I am a brother
I am a listener
I am a collector of secrets
I am a messer of bedrooms.
Also, put one of these words on the board, see who can
find the most rhymes:
Rose
Wall
Warm
Danger
What kinds of rhymes did pupils come up with? Are there
differences in rhymes? Do some words rhyme more
cleanly than others? Which do the students prefer and why?
Get the students to count the number of syllables in their
names. Then count the number of syllables in the following
line, which you write on the board: ‘My horse, my horse,
will not eat grass.’
Get the students to highlight the longer sounding syllables
and then the shorter sounding syllables in a different
colour.
Di dum, di dum, di dum, di dum is a good way of summing
this up.
Pupils should then try to write their own lines that match
this rhythm. They have one minute to see who can write
the most!
Examples include:
‘My cheese smells bad because it’s hot’ and
‘I do not like to write in rhyme.’
For their poem, why don’t they try to play with the rhythm?
Use only longer beats or shorter beats? Create their own
beat and write their lines to this?
Workshops by Mark Grist.
Dead Poets are available for school workshops
and events - visit www.deadpoetry.co.uk