Lesson video

Hello everyone.

My name is Mrs. Riley, and I'm so excited because today I get to teach you this lesson that is all about poetry.

In our lesson today, we are going to learn about a certain poet, and then we're going to explore and perform a poem.

Are you ready? Great.

Let's get started.

The outcome of today's lesson is to explore and perform a poem.

Here are our keywords, when I do this and then point at you, we're going to do my turn, your turn, and you are going to repeat the word back to me.

Should we practise? Poet.

Well done.

Let's just perhaps one more time.

Poet.

Well done.

So a poet is a person who writes poetry.

So if you write poetry, you are a poet.

The next word is rhyme.

Rhyme is repetition of the sounds at the end of the words.

So if you had a word like cat and mat, they rhyme because they sound the same at the end.

They don't always have to say this, have the same spelling, but the important thing is they sound the same.

The next word is repetition.

Well done.

Repetition is the repeated use of sounds, words or phrases.

So if I was going to say, are you all sitting up straight? Are you all looking at me? Are you all listening carefully? I repeated the words, are you all.

It's when we say the same thing again and again.

The next word is volume.

Volume is the loudness or softness of your voice when speaking or reading a poem.

And finally, pace is the speed of your voice when speaking or reading a poem.

So you could have a really fast pace and speak very quickly, or a very slow pace and speak very slowly.

So in our lesson today, we'll be exploring and performing a poem called "A Ticket to Kalamazoo!" But first, we're going to learn all about the poet James Carter.

So here's a photo of who we are learning about today.

His name is James Carter.

Can you have a go at saying his name? My turn, your turn, James Carter.

Well done.

He is a poet and a poet is someone who writes poems. So we're now watch James Carter introduce himself.

(upbeat melodica music) <v ->Hello, I'm James Carter, and I'm me</v> and me is a poet, is a nonfiction writer, and also an ambassador for National Poetry Day and a musician because I play musical instruments.

This is, it's a melodica, but I like to call it Steve.

Everybody, please say, hi, Steve.

(upbeat melodica music) And this is Derek, the disco ukulele.

Please feel free humans to have a little dance.

(upbeat ukulele music) I was born in a town called Reading in Berkshire, but now I live in a town called Wallingford, AKA Wally in Oxfordshire.

I live there with my lovely wife and two daughters.

They're humans, obviously, and we have two cats, they're not humans at all, but they are called Holly and Dylan, and I love them.

<v ->Gosh, he's such a fun man, isn't he?</v> I loved finding out a little bit about him, and I loved hearing that lovely music as well.

So I would like you to now discuss with your partner one thing that you have learned about James Carter from that video.

Pause the video now, turn to your partner and tell them one thing you've learned about James Carter.

Okay, let's come back together.

So you might have said he's a poet, a nonfiction writer, or you might have even remembered, he's something called an ambassador for National Poetry Day.

And he's a musician.

James was born in a town called Reading, but now he lives in Wallingford with his wife and two daughters.

He also has two cats called Holly and Dylan.

We're gonna learn more about James Carter.

We're gonna find out how he became a poet and why he likes poetry.

So watch those two videos and then there's going to be some questions all about them, so make sure you are concentrating really hard.

<v ->So people often ask me, how did I become a poet?</v> Well, I kind of, I know it sounds a bit crazy, but I kind of think I've always been a poet, really.

But I just didn't realise I was, I've always been a bit creative.

I've always looked out the window and go, oh look, mom, there's a cloud that looks like a dragon and it's eating a baby dragon.

See what I mean? And then over the years, I became a musician and I started playing instruments and writing songs.

And then after a while, I thought, you know what? I want to be a writer.

So I started writing stories and I liked writing stories, but mm, they were fine.

But eventually I found I like writing poems even more.

And I was probably about 38, 39 then.

And I thought, actually, I'd like to do this as my job.

So I wrote more poems and more poems, and I sent them off, and finally they went into books.

And then I realised I could go and work in schools as a poet.

And hey, so I've been doing this job as a roving poet for about 22 years now.

And you know what? I feel very, very lucky.

I don't like poetry, I love poetry.

For lots of reasons, because I love words.

I love the music and the magic of words.

But also, and equally importantly, I like thinking about things.

My brain is always going off going, hmm, that's interesting.

That's interesting.

And the great thing about poems, is you can take all these inky thinky thoughts and put them into little word worlds called poems. <v ->Okay, well done.

</v> So could you select the statements that are true? A, James Carter does not like words.

B, James Carter has been a poet for 22 years, and C, James Carter started as a musician.

Could you pause the video and decide which of these statements are true? Well done.

The correct answers are B and C.

James Carter has been a poet for 22 years, but he started as a musician.

Let's learn some more about James Carter.

We're now going to find out what is his favourite type of poem and where he gets his ideas from.

So watch those two videos and then there'll be some questions to make sure you are concentrating really hard, enjoy.

<v ->So sometimes people ask me,</v> what's my favourite type of poem? Do you know the answer? I don't have one.

I like writing poetry.

Actually, I love writing poetry, because all the different things it can be.

You can have a tiny little haiku, you can have a tiny little sin queen.

You can have a long rambling rap poem.

You can have a shape poem, you can have a conversation poem or a list poem.

So this is what I love about poetry, is I can get my inky thinky thoughts onto the page and think, ooh, should it be a little one? No, I'll grow it into this, and maybe I'll make it into that, I don't know.

But poetry offers so many different choices and chances for being creative.

I get my ideas from looking out the window.

My teacher was always telling me off because I was always looking out the window.

The world is full of great ideas, really great ideas.

And really, as a poet, what you need to do is find something that's interesting.

You go, ooh, I could write about that.

Say the moon.

Look, there's the moon, but what can I say that's original? So I keep looking at it, I think about it, and maybe I go for a walk thinking about it and maybe I scribble down a few ideas and I go, ah, got it.

The moon is a grumpy old man and he's lonely.

Got it.

There's the poem.

So I scribble, and scribble, and scribble maybe for three months, and finally I might be happy with it.

And maybe it'll go in a book.

Who knows? <v ->Okay, let's come back together.

</v> So could you select out of these statements which ones are true? A, James Carter does not have a favourite type of poem.

B, James Carter gets his ideas from looking out the window.

And C, James Carter only writes poems about the moon.

Which of these statements are true? Pause the video now.

Well done.

The correct answers are A, James Carter does not have a favourite type of poem, he likes all the types, and B, he gets his ideas from looking out the window at the world around him.

Let's learn some more about James Carter.

We are now going to listen to him answering these two questions.

How long does it take you to write a poem and what inspires you the most? Where do you get your ideas from? What inspires you? So again, concentrate while you watch these videos and then we'll answer some questions.

<v ->A poem in all can take anything from three months</v> to two years to write.

This one here, this messy old thing took two years.

I wasn't happy with it, so I tweaked it, and I tweaked it, and I tweaked it.

I even had to hide it for a while because I was so angry about it.

But then I've got it back and I kept tweaking and now I'm really happy with it.

But in the main, most poems take about three months, even a really, really short poem, I'll tweak the words until they've got the right rhythm and the sound and they say the things I want them to say.

But everything you write always needs a little tweak.

And anyway, I like tweaking because I like words.

So ideas for me come from talking to my daughters, watching them growing up, them handing me a conquer or something, or maybe pointing daddy, I want to touch the moon, something like that.

But increasingly as I get older, I find I'm inspired most of all by the natural world.

I love nothing more than climbing a hill or walking through a woods, seeing a conquer drop, watching a heron skate over a river, things like that.

So where do I get my ideas from? It's called the world.

<v ->Okay, I hope you enjoyed</v> learning even more about James Carter.

Let's check your understanding.

Could you select the statements that are true? A, James Carter gets some ideas from his daughters.

B, James Carter is inspired by the natural world.

And C, a poem always takes three months to write.

Which of these are true? Pause the video now.

Okay, well done.

The correct answers are A, James Carter gets his ideas from his daughters sometimes, and B, he's inspired by the natural world.

All the things around him.

It's already time for our first task.

In this task, I would like you to tell your partner three facts you've learned about the poet James Carter from watching all those amazing videos of him, and you need to listen to your partner's facts.

So remember to speak loudly and clearly.

Remember to look at your partner and remember to listen carefully.

And if you're a bit unsure about what you say about James Carter, here are some prompts that might help you.

James Carter is, James Carter lives, James Carter loves, James Carter likes poetry because, or James Carter gets his ideas from.

So if you are unsure, you could use some of those scaffolds to help you.

Good luck.

I hope you enjoy this task.

Pause the video now.

Okay, lovely, let's come back together.

So here are some facts that you might have shared about James Carter.

He's a famous poet.

He lives with his wife, two daughters and two cats.

He loves words.

He's a musician as well as a poet.

He loves poetry because he loves words and he likes thinking about things, and he gets his ideas from the natural world.

So we're now going to move on to our second learning cycle, and we are going to explore a poem that's written by James Carter.

So James Carter has written lots of poems, but one of these poems is called "A Ticket to Kalamazoo!".

Before we read the poem, I would like you to discuss what does the title "A ticket to Kalamazoo!" make you think of? What words or images come to your mind? Could you pause the video and tell your partner now? Okay, well done.

Let's come back together.

I loved hearing those ideas.

I heard someone say, it makes me think of going on a fun trip, and I heard someone else saying, I imagine Kalamazoo is a big zoo with lots of amazing animals.

Yeah, I can see why you think that, because it's got the word zoo in it.

So now it's time to read the poem on the next slide, and it's also available in the additional materials.

Once you've read the poem, we will discuss our initial responses to the poem.

And initial is an adjective, which means at the beginning or first.

So it's like what are our first responses? What are the first things that we think when we read this poem? So now it's time to read the poem, "A ticket to Kalamazoo!".

We bought a ticket to Kalamazoo.

We went by train, by boat, by plane around the world and back again through night and day, through sun and rain, through mist and snow.

Then where did we go? We bought a ticket to Timbuktu.

We went by train, by boat, by plane around the world and back again.

Through night and day, through sun and rain, through mist and snow.

Then where did we go? We bought a ticket to Katmandu.

We went by train, by boat, by plane, around the world and back again.

Then where did we go? Home sweet home.

So I'm now going to give my initial response to the poem.

I'm answering these two questions, what did I like about the poem and do I have any questions about it? And then you are going to do the same thing.

So let me think.

What did I like about the poem? Did I have any questions about it? Well, I liked how the poem was so exciting and all about travelling to different places.

And I wonder if Kalamazoo is a real place.

Now it's your turn to give your initial, which is remember like your first response to the poem, what did you like about it? And do you have any questions about it? Pause the video and discuss that with your partner now.

Well done.

I loved hearing about what you liked about the poem.

So tickets to Kalamazoo is a fun poem about going on an imaginary adventure.

Kalamazoo, Timbuktu and Katmandu are actually real places, so you could go and find them on a map, but the journey in the poem is just imaginary.

And if something's imaginary, it means it's made up, it's not real.

James Carter likes using rhymes in his poems. Words that rhyme end in the same sound or sounds.

So for example, we could take the word train, which ends in the sound ain, and you could go and have a look at the poem and see if you can find any words that rhyme with the word train.

So remember, we're looking for that ain sound.

Could you pause the video and see if you can find any words that rhyme with train? Well done.

Hopefully you found the words plain, rain, and again, in the poem, and you'll notice the sound is the same, but the words are spelt differently.

Which word rhymes with the word snow? A, go.

B, day, or C, train.

Which word rhymes with snow? Pause the video now.

Well done.

The correct answer is A, go rhymes with snow.

And again, they're not spelt in the same way, but they sound the same.

So through night and day, through sun and rain, through mist and snow.

Then where did we go? So we can see the rhyming words come at the end of the lines.

James Carter also uses repetition in this poem.

Can you remember that was one of our key words.

Repetition means that something is said again and again.

It's the repeated use of sounds, words or phrases.

Look at the poem again.

Can you see any repetition? Pause the video and have a look.

Okay, well done.

Hopefully you saw that there was repetition in the beginning of all those verses.

We bought a ticket to, and then it was just the place that changed.

There's also repetition where it says, we went by train, by boat, by plane, around the world and back again.

And then the next verse through night and day, through sun and rain, through mist and snow.

Then where did we go? That is also repeated three times in the poem.

The verses and chorus are repeated a few times.

Poets use repetition for many reasons.

In this poem, it sounds fun and catchy, a bit like a song.

It also makes the poem easier to remember.

So let's check your understanding.

Is it true or false? Saying a word over and over again is called competition.

Pause the video and answer the question.

Well done.

It's false.

It's actually called repetition.

It's time for our second task.

In this task, you are going to read a verse of the poem, or if you have time, that whole poem out loud or aloud.

And here are some things to have a go at whilst reading.

So some things to think about.

First, say the words in your loudest voice.

Second, you might use some actions.

Third, you might emphasise the rhyming words like snow and go.

So I really hope you enjoy this task where you'll have a chance to read some of the poem.

Pause the video now.

Okay, let's come back together.

Wow, you did such lovely reading.

I loved seeing some of your actions and your loud voices, and I definitely heard you emphasising those rhyming words.

So did you read the poem out loud? Did you manage to add any actions? Did you emphasise the rhyming words? So we're now looking at our third learning cycle where we're going to get to perform a poem, and today we're going to perform "A Ticket to Kalamazoo!".

A performance is a show that you put on for others.

You might sometimes get to perform on a stage and there might be an audience, the people who watch you.

So first, we are going to watch James Carter perform "A ticket to Kalamazoo!".

And as you watch him perform his poem he wrote, see if you can take any ideas that you can use for your performance.

I hope you enjoy it.

<v ->We bought a ticket to Kalamazoo.

</v> We went by train, by boat, by plane around the world and back again.

Through night and day, through sun and rain, through mist and snow.

Then where did we go? We bought a ticket to Timbuktu.

We went by train, by boat, by plane around the world and back again.

Through night and day, through sun and rain, through mist and snow.

Then where did we go? We bought a ticket to Katmandu.

We went by train, by boat, by plane around the world and back again through night and day.

Through sun and rain, through mist and snow.

Then where did we go? Home sweet home.

<v ->Wow, wasn't that fantastic?</v> Didn't you love the actions he used and the way he made the poem so exciting? So is it true or false? An audience is a show that you put on for others.

Is that true or false? Pause the video now.

Well done.

This is false.

An audience is a group of people who watch a show or performance.

So this wasn't right.

Now let's see what James Carter says about performing poetry.

So we're going to ask him, do you like performing poetry? Do you enjoy it? And what's your top tip for performing poetry? And perhaps you might remember the top tip and it might help you when you perform later on.

So sit back and enjoy watching James Carter answer these two questions.

<v ->I really love performing poetry</v> because I like taking the words off the page and bringing them into a school hall, and getting everybody joining in and doing actions and having fun with words.

My top tip for performing poetry is double the volume, half the speed.

In other words, go as slow as you can because however slow you think it is, because you'll be excited and nervous, you'll go really fast.

So just before you start performing a poem, tell yourself go really slow.

<v ->Wow, that was such a good tip, wasn't it?</v> Let's see if you can remember what it was.

So what are James Carter's top tips for performing poetry? A, double the volume.

B, go as slow as you can, or C, double the speed.

Which of these were top tips that James Carter gave? Pause the video while you answer this question.

Well done.

He said, double the volume and go as slow as you can.

The volume of our voice, it was the volume was one of our keywords, and it's how loud or quiet our voices.

When we're performing, our voice should be loud and clear.

This does not mean shouting.

The volume of our voice needs to be loud enough, so that people listening can hear what we are saying.

Speaking with volume keeps an audience's attention.

If I went to perform a poem and I said it really quiet, could you hear what I was just saying? No.

So you're probably gonna drift off and not concentrate.

So we need to keep our audience's attention by speaking loudly and clearly.

I'm going to practise saying the first few verses of the poem allowed using a loud, clear voice and then you are going to do the same thing.

So my turn first.

We bought a ticket to Kalamazoo.

We went by train, by boat, by plane around the world and back again.

Through night and day, through sun and rain, through mist and snow.

Then where did we go? Now could you hear every word I said? Hopefully you could.

It's your turn to now practise reading these verses in a loud, clear voice.

Pause the video and good luck.

Lovely, I heard every word you said.

You did a really good job.

Now we're going to think about another keyword, which was pace.

The pace of our voice means how fast or slow we speak.

James Carter says, when we are performing, our voices should be slow.

He says, you should half the speed and go as slow as you can.

When we're excited and nervous, we often speak too fast.

I know, I definitely do that.

Before you are about to perform, remind yourself to go as slow as you can.

So we're going to practise this now.

Practise our pace, practise going nice and slow.

I'm gonna say the first few verses of the poem aloud as slowly as I can.

And then you are going to do the same thing.

We bought a ticket to Kalamazoo.

Oh, I forgot.

I forgot to go slowly.

Lemme try again.

We bought a ticket to Kalamazoo.

We went by train, by boat, by plane around the world and back again.

Through night and day, through sun and rain, through mist and snow.

Then where did we go? Okay, it's your turn now to try to say the first few verses of the poem, speaking as slowly as you can.

Pause the video.

Good luck.

Okay, excellent.

Well done.

So it's now time for our final task where you get to perform the poem, "A ticket to Kalamazoo!", to an audience.

Now your audience might be a partner, or it might be a small group, or if anyone feels really brave, it might even be in front of the whole class.

Try to do the following.

Stand up to speak, use a loud, clear voice.

Speak as slowly as you can.

Look at the audience.

And you can listen to your partner and tell them what they did well.

And then you can swap roles.

So I really hope you enjoy performing this poem, "A Ticket to Kalamazoo!".

Good luck.

Pause the video now.

Well done.

You should feel really proud of yourselves that you have performed an entire poem in front of an audience.

Well done.

So hopefully you gave your partner some feedback.

Did your partner stand up to speak? Did they use a loud, clear voice? Did they remember to speak slowly like James Carter advised? And did they remember to look at the audience? Perhaps you could pause the video if you haven't already.

Give some feedback to your partner, or to someone in the group you worked in.

Okay, well done.

So you might have said something like you spoke loudly, so I could hear you and I kept watching.

Or you might have given someone something to work on.

I think you could speak even more slowly as sometimes you rushed the words a bit.

So let's summarise what we've learned today.

We've learned that James Carter is a poet and he loves words.

We've learned that "A Ticket to Kalamazoo!" is a fun poem about going on an imaginary adventure.

A ticket to Kalamazoo uses rhyme and repetition, which make it fun to say and easy to remember.

When performing a poem, we should speak loudly and slowly.

Well thank you so much for working so hard today and for being brave enough to perform a poem in front of an audience.

You should feel really proud of yourselves, and hopefully I'll see you for some more learning another time.