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      Performing your own imaginative poem

      Lesson details

      Learning outcome

      I can perform my own imaginative poem.

      Key learning points

      1. Performing poetry to an audience is an important part of the process of creating poetry.
      2. When performing poetry, you must speak at a suitable volume.
      3. Using gestures and expression will make your performance fun and engaging for the audience.
      4. We can improve our performances of poetry through practice.

      Keywords

      • Performance - refers to the act of presenting or reciting a poem in front of an audience

      • Expression - reading with feelings and emotion to bring the poem to life

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

      • Gesture - a movement that helps express an idea or meaning

      Common misconception

      Pupils may think that performing poetry is something that does not require rehearsal and careful consideration beforehand.

      Teach pupils that to have the greatest impact on the audience, you should look through your poem and consider how you will perform it.

      Teacher tip

      You may wish to show your class videos of poets performing their poems. Michael Rosen performing 'We're Going on a Bear Hunt' is a good example to use.

      Equipment

      You need a copy of the poem ‘The Magic Box’ which is in the 2013 Macmillan Children's Books edition of ‘The Magic Box’ written by Kit Wright for this lesson.

      Licence

      This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0
      except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions
      (Collection 2).

      Lesson video

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      Prior knowledge starter quiz

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      True or false? Structure in poetry refers to the way a poem is organised or put together.

      Correct Answer: true, True

      Q2.
      A __________ is a single line or a group of lines within a poem.

      title
      Correct answer: verse
      rhyme

      Q3.
      True or false? In Kit Wright's poem 'The Magic Box', the first verse starts with a line where the poet says that he will put something in the box.

      Correct Answer: true, True

      Q4.
      In verse 2, what items does Kit Wright put into the special box?

      Correct answer: a “snowman” who has come to life
      a dog chewing a ball
      Correct answer: a sip of water from a beautiful lake in Switzerland

      Q5.
      True or false? The second verse follows exactly the same structure as the first verse, with an identical first line.

      Correct Answer: true, True

      Q6.
      Contrasting items means comparing two things that are very ...

      similar.
      Correct answer: different.
      large.

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      After reading and writing our poems, the final thing to do is to __________ our poem to an audience.

      write
      send
      Correct answer: perform

      Q2.
      True or false? An audience is a group of people gathered together to watch or listen to a performance.

      Correct Answer: true, True

      Q3.
      True or false? Performance in poetry refers to the act of presenting or reciting a poem in front of a mirror.

      Correct Answer: false, False

      Q4.
      Which of these do we use to enhance our impact on an audience when performing poetry?

      our handwriting
      Correct answer: our voice
      Correct answer: our gestures

      Q5.
      __________ refers to the loudness or softness of the voice when speaking or reading a poem.

      Correct answer: Volume
      Gesture
      Expression

      Q6.
      __________ is a movement that helps express an idea or meaning.

      The volume
      Correct answer: A gesture
      An expression

      To help you plan your 2 English lesson on: Performing your own imaginative poem, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...