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Lesson 4 of 5
  • Year 4

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

I can explore the layout and rhythm of two poems before performing for an audience.

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Lesson 4 of 5
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  • Year 4

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

I can explore the layout and rhythm of two poems before performing for an audience.

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Share activities with pupils

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. ‘Doing Nothing’ is a poem found in the poetry collection, ‘Dear Ugly Sisters’ by Laura Mucha.
  2. The poem is about the practice of mindfulness and the rhythm varies in the poem to reflect the atmosphere.
  3. ‘Travel by Book’ is is a fixed verse poem, which follows the AAAB rhyme scheme.
  4. The poem has a clear, steady rhythm, which gives the poem a flowing and musical quality.
  5. Doing deep breaths before performing can help us to feel calm and reduce nerves.

Keywords

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

  • Line break - 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

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

Common misconception

Pupils may try to use too many gestures throughout their performance.

Gestures used in poetry performance should add depth and visual interest rather than overshadowing the spoken words of the poem.


To help you plan your year 4 English lesson on: Exploring and performing 'Doing Nothing' and 'Travel by Book' by Laura Mucha, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

If possible, allow pupils to try out a range of different strategies for preparing for a performance - this might include taking it home and getting it ready for performance the next day.
Teacher tip

Equipment

You need a copy of the poems ‘Doing Nothing’ and 'Travel by Book', which are featured in the 2020 Otter-Barry books edition of ‘Dear Ugly Sisters’ written by Laura Mucha 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

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6 Questions

Q1.
What is 'inspiration' in poetry?

the dynamic and energetic movement or events depicted within a poem
Correct answer: 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

Q2.
Select the ways we can use voice effectively when performing a poem.

Correct answer: Vary our pace.
Correct answer: Vary our volume.
Shout all the way through.
Speak really quickly all the way through.
Correct answer: Vary our tone.

Q3.
What can we use to help to convey meaning as we perform a poem?

Correct answer: facial expressions
shouting the words
Correct answer: body language
fiddling with paper
Correct answer: gestures

Q4.
True or false? Performing with expression and emotion means showing the feelings and atmosphere of the poem through your performance.

Correct Answer: true, True

Q5.
Select Laura Mucha’s top tips for performing poems.

Correct answer: Read the poem aloud in advance.
Correct answer: Research the poet and why they wrote the poem.
Correct answer: Think about what you want to do to the audience e.g. make them feel sad.
Don't bother to read the poem first.
Always take it very seriously.

Q6.
Select Laura Mucha’s top tips for performing poems.

Correct answer: Be prepared to look silly and don’t hold back.
Shout the poem over and over again.
Always take it very seriously, no matter what the poem is about.
Correct answer: Connect with the poem in any way you can.
Correct answer: Consider how you can use the poem to have an impact on the audience.

Assessment exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
True or false? ‘Doing Nothing’ explores the poet's inner thoughts as they think about everything on their to-do list.

Correct Answer: false, False

Q2.
Match the keywords to the correct definitions.

Correct Answer:mindfulness,being aware of your body, mind and feelings in the present moment

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

Correct Answer:line break,the point where one line of verse ends and the next begins

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

Correct Answer:rhythm,the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables, creating a flow

the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables, creating a flow

Q3.
Why did Laura Mucha write the poem 'Doing Nothing'?

Correct answer: She was bedbound and turned to mindfulness to help her cope.
She was a mindfulness teacher.
She doesn't think mindfulness is very useful.

Q4.
True or false? Laura Mucha says you must always pause at a line break when performing a poem.

Correct Answer: false, False

Q5.
Which of the following statements about 'Travel by Book' are true?

Correct answer: ‘Travel by Book’ is is a fixed verse poem.
The verses follow the ABAB rhyme scheme.
Correct answer: It contains 4 verses (also known as stanzas).
Correct answer: The verses follow the AAAB rhyme scheme.
Correct answer: The poem has a clear, steady rhythm.

Q6.
Which of the following does Laura Mucha suggest you do just before you perform a poem?

Correct answer: Believe in yourself.
Read the poem over and over and over again.
Correct answer: Deep breathing exercises.
Think about all the things that might go wrong.

Additional material

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