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Lesson 1 of 7
  • Year 2

Exploring and performing 'A Ticket to Kalamazoo!' by James Carter

I can explore and perform a poem.

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Lesson 1 of 7
New
New
  • Year 2

Exploring and performing 'A Ticket to Kalamazoo!' by James Carter

I can explore and perform a poem.

Copyrighted materials: to view and download resources from this lesson, you’ll need to be in the UK and

Copyrights help

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. James Carter is a poet and he loves words.
  2. ‘A Ticket to Kalamazoo!’ is a fun poem about going on an imaginary adventure.
  3. ‘A Ticket to Kalamazoo!’ uses rhyme and repetition, which make it fun to say and easy to remember.
  4. When performing a poem, we should speak loudly and slowly.

Keywords

  • Poet - a person who writes poetry

  • Rhyme - repetition of the sounds at the end of words

  • Repetition - the repeated use of sounds, words or phrases

  • Volume - the loudness or softness of your voice when speaking or reading a poem

  • Pace - the speed of your voice when speaking or reading a poem

Common misconception

Pupils may be nervous to perform in front of the class.

Pupils can work in pairs or in small groups to perform the poem. You could teach the lesson across two lessons and provide pupils with more time to practise their performances.


To help you plan your year 2 English lesson on: Exploring and performing 'A Ticket to Kalamazoo!' by James Carter, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

The best way to help children to become comfortable with poetry is to make sure they hear a wide range of poetry as often as possible. Read, share and display other poems by James Carter with your pupils.
Teacher tip

Equipment

You need access to a copy of the poem, 'A Ticket to Kalamazoo!', which is available in the additional materials for this lesson.

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2026), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

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