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Lesson 2 of 10
  • Year 3

Reading and responding to 'Miss Flotsam' by Joseph Coelho

I can give a personal response to the poem and read it aloud.

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Lesson 2 of 10
New
New
  • Year 3

Reading and responding to 'Miss Flotsam' by Joseph Coelho

I can give a personal response to the poem and read it aloud.

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

Copyrights help

These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Joseph Coelho’s poems are easy to read and engaging, with playful rhythms and subjects that young readers can relate to.
  2. Joseph Coelho often writes poems about his personal experiences.
  3. The poem ‘Miss Flotsam’ is inspired by the teachers Coelho had when growing up and those he has met as an adult.
  4. The poem depicts ‘Miss Flotsam’ as a kind, understanding and caring teacher, who has an inclusive approach to teaching.
  5. Alliteration can be used to emphasise key themes and draw the reader’s attention to important parts of a poem.

Keywords

  • Alliteration - the repetition of the same sound found at the start of words that come close together

  • Theme - a big idea, topic or message that recurs within a text

Common misconception

Pupils may find some of the language in the poem difficult to understand.

Pre-teach some of the language in the poem before reading e.g. "adolescent", "gamelan", "dengue" and "dialects".


To help you plan your year 3 English lesson on: Reading and responding to 'Miss Flotsam' by Joseph Coelho, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

There are many videos on the internet of Joseph Coelho reading his poems. These would be enjoyable to watch as a class.
Teacher tip

Equipment

The poem used in this lesson is available in the additional materials.

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).

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