Poetry Adventures
Key Stage 1 Lesson Plan – Real and Imaginary Experience Poetry
Additional Resources
There is a PowerPoint presentation that can be used alongside this lesson plan (see reverse for details).
Notes
This is a one-hour activity (not including ten-minute suggested break). Alternatively, the introductory work can be done in class
(45 minutes) and the poem can be written as homework.
Learning Objectives
Preparation
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Learn about narrative poetry and rhyme
Draw on experiences, either real or imagined
Use their knowledge to plan, draft and compose their own
poem for our Poetry Adventures competition
Photocopy pupil entry form and pupil planning sheet (one copy
per pupil)
Prepare a copy of the nursery rhyme ‘One, Two Buckle My Shoe’
and ‘The Owl and the Pussy-Cat’ for class display in the lesson
Prepare three columns on the board: ‘Like to do’ / ‘Wish to do’ /
‘With’ for use in the lesson
Note: if you are using the PowerPoint presentation the examples
and columns are included.
Curriculum References: En1 2d, 2e, 2f, 3d, 8b,9b, 10b / En2 3a, 6a, 6d / En3 1c, 1d, 9b, 9c, 9d
Introduction
The idea of this lesson plan is to inspire pupils to learn about narrative poetry and rhyme and use these as tools to create their own
poem based on real or imagined experiences. Hand out a copy of the planning sheet / entry form to each pupil. Explain that today
pupils will be creating their own poem (slide 1).
Main Teaching Activities
Activity name
Slide reference
Activity details
What is a Poem?
(10 minutes)
2-4
Ask your class if they know what a poem is and can they give any examples. Show them
a copy of ‘One, Two Buckle My Shoe’ and explain rhyme and how it has been used. Can
your pupils give you any examples of rhymes – either identifying a poem that has a rhyme
scheme, or offering words that rhyme?
Explaining
Narrative Poetry
(10 minutes)
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Explain that a narrative poem tells a story and display ‘The Owl and the Pussy-Cat’ before
reading it aloud to the class. Explain how the poem tells a story – it also uses rhyme but
explain that rhyme doesn’t have to be used to tell a story within a poem.
Here, we suggest you take a ten-minute break and in this time encourage the children to do an activity they like or just let them play. This
is to help the children think about what they like to do and with who – it may even inspire role play based on what has just been discussed.
Activity name
Idea Generating
(15 minutes)
Plot Planning
(10 minutes)
Composing
a Poem
(15 minutes)
Slide reference
Activity details
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Ask each pupil to tell you something they like doing, write these on the board. Go round
again and ask them to tell you if they could do anything or try anything, what would they do –
this can include going to the moon, living underwater, being a superhero as well as possible
experiences like flying a plane or meeting their hero. Write these on the board. Go round a
final time and ask pupils if they did these things who would they most like to do them with –
again this could be someone famous, or an animal, or their best friend or family. Write their
answers on the board. Each time encourage individuality so the list is varied.
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Ask pupils to think about the adventures they can go on (you can remind them of their earlier
suggestions written on the board). Ask pupils the questions from the planning sheet (Where
would they like to go on their adventure, who would they like to go with, what can they see
/ hear / taste / feel / smell and what is going to happen). Ask them to use their senses when
thinking about their adventure and ask them to write down their ideas on the planning form,
including their ideas on what they’d see / hear / feel / smell / taste). Remind them to think
about colours, what they are feeling and things they may need on their adventure.
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Now pupils have completed their planning sheet they are ready to have a go at writing
their own poetry adventure. Their final poem can be written up directly onto the Poetry
Adventures entry form. Show class example Poetry Adventures.
Example Poems
My Poetry Adventure
Dinosaur Adventure
I put on my Cinderella dress
Opened the fairy door to go camping in the forest
Mummy and Daddy came with me.
We saw a black wolf and a red fox
I heard the birds singing and the fairies danced
We cooked our tea on the hot campfire
And had a shower in the waterfall.
The fairies made us a picnic
The cakes had fairy dust on
So we flew home.
Once upon a time
The dinosaur was running in the streets,
I wanted it to be mine
It was breaking everything, crash, snap, bang!
I fired my gun at it and it shrunk,
It was small now, which was fine.
I put it in my pocket and drove home.
I called it Jeff.
Jeff lives in the garden and eats lime.
My friends think he’s great too.
Plenary (5-10 minutes)
Ask pupils 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.
Suggestions
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Challenge more advanced pupils by asking them to include a rhyme scheme or provide key words they need to include in their poem.
Prepare a verb sheet and an adjective sheet for the class to assist with vocabulary variety in their writing.
Younger or less able children can work in pairs to create their poem.
Ask pupils to practise ‘telling’ their poems and then read them out to the rest of the class.
To extend the activity, based on the class’ academic ability, you could use ‘The Gruffalo’ to highlight longer pieces of rhyming
narrative poetry or use ‘The Listeners’ by Walter de la Mare to show non-rhyming narrative poetry and compare the contrasts.
Download the Poetry Adventures presentation from www.youngwriters.co.uk/poetry-adventures
Other Words That Rhyme:
Today you are going to:
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Learn about narrative poetry and rhym
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or imagined
(What is a poem?)
Write your poetry adventure
See if you can include a Rhyme