- Year 4
Reading and responding to 'There are things that lurk in the Library' 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
- Year 4
Reading and responding to 'There are things that lurk in the Library' 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
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Lesson details
Key learning points
- Joseph Coelho’s poems are easy to read and engaging, with playful rhythms and subjects that young readers can relate to.
- Joseph Coelho often writes poems with imaginative themes.
- The poem ‘Things that Lurk in the Library’ is about the magic and wonder of libraries, books and reading.
- The poet uses personification to create vivid imagery and a sense of the mystery and magic of libraries.
Keywords
Personification - a way of describing a non-living thing as if it acts or feels like a human
Figurative language - the use of metaphors, similes and personification to create imaginative and symbolic meaning
Common misconception
Pupils may find it difficult to find examples of personification and explain the impact of using this.
You could show the whole poem on the slides and work as a class to find different examples. Then children can work in pairs to find more examples at their tables.
To help you plan your year 4 English lesson on: Reading and responding to 'There are things that lurk in the Library' by Joseph Coelho, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 4 English lesson on: Reading and responding to 'There are things that lurk in the Library' by Joseph Coelho, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom.
Explore more key stage 2 English lessons from the Poet focus: 'Overheard in a Tower Block' by Jospeh Coelho unit, dive into the full primary English curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
Equipment
You need a copy of the poem ‘There are Things that Lurk in the Library’, which is available in the additional materials for this lesson.
Licence
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