Performing the poem 'The City of my birth' by Karl Nova
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can perform the poem 'The City of my birth' by Karl Nova.
Key learning points
- 'The City of my birth' is a poem that was written by Karl Nova in 2017 and it is influenced by hip-hop culture.
- The atmosphere that the poem creates is one of a busy, energetic and joyful city.
- There is a natural rhythm and flow throughout the poem.
- Making notes on the poem about which words to emphasise can help a performer get ready to perform the poem.
- 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.
Teacher tip
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.
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
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Complete the title of this important poem by Karl Nova: 'The _____ of my birth'.
Q2.In which city was Karl Nova born?
Q3.Which culture do Karl Nova's poems have a big influence from?
Q4.Complete this sentence: 'Karl Nova refers to Big Ben, Westminster Bridge and the _____ _____ in his poem 'The City of my birth'.
Q5.What is Karl Nova doing on Westminster Bridge in the poem 'The City of my birth'?
Q6.Which of these is the poetic device that poets use to paint pictures in the reader's mind?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What is a syllable?
Q2.Match the keywords to their definitions.
the feeling or mood created in a section or whole of a text
the pattern of sounds made by the words and stresses when spoken aloud
how smoothly the words of a poem move from one to the next
Q3.Which is the correct spelling?
Q4.In which decade did hip-hop culture begin?
Q5.Match the hip-hop art form to its definition.
rhythmic talking set to music
energetic dancing with spins and flips
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'?
To help you plan your 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...
To help you plan your 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.
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. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 2 English lessons from the Poetry of place unit, dive into the full primary English curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.