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Lesson 12 of 12
  • Year 6

Performing the poem 'The City of my birth' by Karl Nova

I can perform the poem 'The City of my birth' by Karl Nova.

Lesson 12 of 12
New
New
  • Year 6

Performing the poem 'The City of my birth' by Karl Nova

I can perform the poem 'The City of my birth' by Karl Nova.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. 'The City of my birth' is a poem that was written by Karl Nova in 2017 and it is influenced by hip-hop culture.
  2. The atmosphere that the poem creates is one of a busy, energetic and joyful city.
  3. There is a natural rhythm and flow throughout the poem.
  4. Making notes on the poem about which words to emphasise can help a performer get ready to perform the poem.
  5. Practising the poem ahead of time helps to improve a performance.

Keywords

  • Atmosphere - the feeling or mood created in a section or whole of a text

  • Rhythm - the pattern of sounds made by the words and stresses when spoken aloud

  • Flow - how smoothly the words of a poem move from one to the next

  • Syllable - a beat within a word

Common misconception

Pupils may think that free verse poems have no structure to them.

Ensure that pupils read and re-read the poem many times. Each time they do so, they will hear more of the natural rhythms, beats and flow within it.


To help you plan your year 6 English lesson on: Performing the poem 'The City of my birth' by Karl Nova, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Show pupils a filmed clip of Karl Nova reciting this poem. Hearing the poet himself read it aloud will help them hear the natural rhythm and flow.
Teacher tip

Equipment

You need a copy of the poem ‘The City of my birth’, which is featured on page 90 in the 2017 Caboodle Books edition of ‘Rhythm and Poetry’, written by Karl Nova, 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.
Complete the title of this important poem by Karl Nova: 'The _____ of my birth'.

Place
Country
House
Correct answer: City

Q2.
In which city was Karl Nova born?

Correct Answer: London, Lundun, london

Q3.
Which culture do Karl Nova's poems have a big influence from?

Correct answer: hip-hop
drum and bass
musical theatre

Q4.
Complete this sentence: 'Karl Nova refers to Big Ben, Westminster Bridge and the _____ _____ in his poem 'The City of my birth'.

O2 Arena
Correct answer: River Thames
Royal Exchange

Q5.
What is Karl Nova doing on Westminster Bridge in the poem 'The City of my birth'?

Correct answer: standing on it
crouching on it
jumping on it
driving on it

Q6.
Which of these is the poetic device that poets use to paint pictures in the reader's mind?

verses
syllables
punctuation
Correct answer: imagery

Assessment exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What is a syllable?

Correct answer: a beat within a word
two beats within one word
two words joined together

Q2.
Match the keywords to their definitions.

Correct Answer:atmosphere,the feeling or mood created in a section or whole of a text

the feeling or mood created in a section or whole of a text

Correct Answer:rhythm,the pattern of sounds made by the words and stresses when spoken aloud

the pattern of sounds made by the words and stresses when spoken aloud

Correct Answer:flow,how smoothly the words of a poem move from one to the next

how smoothly the words of a poem move from one to the next

Q3.
Which is the correct spelling?

rithym
rithum
rythm
Correct answer: rhythm

Q4.
In which decade did hip-hop culture begin?

1870s
Correct answer: 1970s
2010s

Q5.
Match the hip-hop art form to its definition.

Correct Answer:rap,rhythmic talking set to music

rhythmic talking set to music

Correct Answer:breakdancing,energetic dancing with spins and flips

energetic dancing with spins and flips

Correct Answer:beatboxing,making music, drum sounds or beats with your mouth

making music, drum sounds or beats with your mouth

Q6.
Which word out of these does Karl Nova repeat in the poem 'The City of my birth'?

blood
red
time
Correct answer: pumping

Additional material

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