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The rats leave
KS3 or KS2 > Poetry > The Pied Piper of Hamelin > The rats leave
How it works
This resource is designed to explore the effect of adjectives and
identify onomatopoeia in the selected extract from the poem.
Try this!
The extract is also great for exploring how rhyme works. Add letters
down the left side of the lines of the poem that links to the rhyme
scheme.
This would be the following sequence:
A, B, A, B, A, C, C, C, D, D, E, E, E, F, F, G, H, G, H, I, I, J, J.
Leave the last two lines unnumbered as they don’t fit the rhyme
pattern.
Blank out the rhyming words after the initial one e.g. keep ‘stept’ but
then blank out ‘slept’ and ‘adept’. Issue the sheet to pairs.
Discuss the way rhyme works. Point out the numbers to guide the
pupils when trying to deduce the possible rhyme used by Browning
and then ask pupils to solve the missing rhymes.
After a time limit, put pairs into fours to discuss answers and agree a
best rhyme choice for each gap. Afterwards, discuss as a class before
revealing the right version.
For weaker classes, have a hat (or some such arrangement) at the
front from which they can draw a correct rhyme to help them if
stuck. (It helps keep the momentum going!)
Or this!
Cut up the lines of the poem and ask pairs to group the lines by end
rhyme. Following this tell the class the rhyme scheme for the poem
and ask them to use this information to arrange the lines into the
correct order following the rhyme scheme. Compare versions then
show them Browning’s original.
Natalie Chyba
© 2009 www.teachit.co.uk
piper5
'The Rats Leave' (piper5)
The rats leave...
VII.
Into the street the Piper stept,
Smiling first a little smile,
As if he knew what magic slept
In his quiet pipe the while;
Then, like a musical adept,
To blow the pipe his lips he wrinkled,
And green and blue his sharp eyes twinkled,
Like a candle-flame where salt is sprinkled;
And ere three shrill notes the pipe uttered,
You heard as if an army muttered;
And the muttering grew to a grumbling;
And the grumbling grew to a mighty rumbling;
And out of the houses the rats came tumbling.
Great rats, small rats, lean rats, brawny rats,
Brown rats, black rats, grey rats, tawny rats,
Grave old plodders, gay young friskers,
Fathers, mothers, uncles, cousins,
Cocking tails and pricking whiskers,
Families by tens and dozens,
Brothers, sisters, husbands, wives--Followed the Piper for their lives.
From street to street he piped advancing,
And step for step they followed dancing,
Until they came to the river Weser,
Wherein all plunged and perished!
What sort of rats?
 The poet has used lots of adjectives to describe the rats. How many can
you find? What is the effect of all these adjectives?
 Can you find any examples of onomatopoeia in this verse?
(Hint: BOOMING, CLAP, WHOOSH, RATTLE and WHINING are all onomatopoeic
words). Why do you think the poet has chosen onomatopoeic words here?
© 2009 www.teachit.co.uk
piper5
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