the practice of being aware of your body, mind and feelings in the present moment, which is thought to create a feeling of calm

the point where one line of verse ends and the next begins, often used to create rhythm, emphasise words or control the poem's pace

the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables, creating a musical and rhythmic flow in the poem

British English CC

Exploring and performing 'Doing Nothing' and 'Travel by Book' by Laura Mucha

English

Introduction to the poet Laura Mucha

Exploring and performing 'Night Flight' by Laura Mucha

Exploring and performing 'Compliments of Shakespeare'

Performing 'I'm an Orchestra' by Laura Mucha

In this unit, pupils read, respond to and perform a variety of poems by the poet, Laura Mucha. They will watch Mucha perform her own poems and learn from her about what makes an effective performance.  Finally, pupils will practise different skills to perform each poem effectively to an audience.

Laura Mucha: performance poetry

True or false? ‘Doing Nothing’ explores the poet's inner thoughts as they think about everything on their to-do list.

being aware of your body, mind and feelings in the present moment

the point where one line of verse ends and the next begins

the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables, creating a flow

Match the keywords to the correct definitions.

She was bedbound and turned to mindfulness to help her cope.

She doesn't think mindfulness is very useful.

Why did Laura Mucha write the poem 'Doing Nothing'?

True or false? Laura Mucha says you must always pause at a line break when performing a poem.

‘Travel by Book’ is is a fixed verse poem.

It contains 4 verses (also known as stanzas).

Which of the following statements about 'Travel by Book' are true?

Read the poem over and over and over again.

Think about all the things that might go wrong.

Which of the following does Laura Mucha suggest you do just before you perform a poem?

the dynamic and energetic movement or events depicted within a poem

the creative spark or source of ideas that motivates a poet to write

the perspective or position from which the poem is written or narrated

Speak really quickly all the way through.

Select the ways we can use voice effectively when performing a poem.

What can we use to help to convey meaning as we perform a poem?

True or false? Performing with expression and emotion means showing the feelings and atmosphere of the poem through your performance.

Research the poet and why they wrote the poem.

Think about what you want to do to the audience e.g. make them feel sad.

Select Laura Mucha’s top tips for performing poems.

Be prepared to look silly and don’t hold back.

Always take it very seriously, no matter what the poem is about.

Connect with the poem in any way you can.

Consider how you can use the poem to have an impact on the audience.

Introduction

What will you need for this lesson?

Are you ready to learn?

Equipment

Worksheet