Writing a poem about a place
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can write a poem about a place that has significance to me.
Key learning points
- When writing a poem about a place, it’s important to paint a vivid picture of the setting through our description.
- Sensory description can be used to help the reader visualise the place being written about.
- Imagery we create can convey an atmosphere.
- We can use poems that we have studied to inspire us in our own poem.
- Using enjambment in our poems can enhance the flow of the poem, engaging the reader or listener.
Keywords
Form - the way that a poem can be presented
Atmosphere - the mood created in a section or whole of a text
Imagery - the use of vivid and sensory language that appeals to the reader's senses, creating vivid mental pictures and enhancing the emotional impact of the poem
Enjambment - when a line in poetry continues onto the next line without pause or punctuation, creating a sense of flow
Common misconception
Pupils may find it challenging to come up with imagery to describe their individual settings.
It would be useful to have a word bank with specific words or phrases to describe some key settings (for example, city, rural and coastal).
Teacher tip
Completed poems could be published in a class collection and shared in the book area or school library. This provides pupils' poetry writing with an audience and clear goal.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which of these is the best definition of a free verse poem?
Q2.Who is the poet of the poem 'London'?
Q3.Which of these best describes imagery?
Q4.Who is the poet of the poem 'No. 115 Dreams'?
Q5.Who was the poet of the poem 'The Old Farmer's Song'?
Q6.True or false? All poems about place must refer to a place that the poet has lived in.
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match the keywords to their definitions.
the way that a poem can be presented
the mood created in a section or whole of a text
the use of language to create a mental picture or sensory experience
Q2.True or false? Enjambment affects the flow of the poem.
Q3.Jun's example poem about the view from his home had what kind of atmosphere?
Q4.True or false? Poetry about a place has to contain positive imagery.
Q5.Put the following verses in order to match the poem template based on 'Tempest Avenue' by Ian McMillan.
Q6.True or false? Writers can experiment with word order, punctuation and phrasing when developing a poem.
To help you plan your 6 English lesson on: Writing a poem about a place, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 6 English lesson on: Writing a poem about a place, 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.