POEMS ARRANGED BY EVENT OR TOPIC

I am aware that poetry is often difficult to ‘fit in’ to the teaching curriculum when there are so many other priorities, and I have found that a good way to address it is to combine it with a topic that is being taught. The right poems can therefore educate on a topical level as well as a figurative language level, so when I find the inspiration I research subjects and write poems specifically for this purpose. I have therefore listed many of my poems into categories according to the subject, event or topic that they relate to, and have included any research that I have found useful where appropriate. All of my poems which fit into topicwork are listed below, but I have separated them further into specific topics of ENCOURAGEMENT AND INSPIRATION, FOOD, HISTORY AND EVENTS, (PEOPLE & HISTORIC EVENTS, TUDORS, VICTORIAN MINING, WORLD WAR TWO), NATURE, CREATION & THE WORLD ABOUT US (ANIMALS, FLOWERS PLANTS AND TREES, INSECTS/ MINIBEASTS/ SPIDERS, SEASIDE, SEASONS, WEATHER), SEASONAL POEMS (BONFIRE NIGHT POEMS, CHRISTMAS POEMS, HARVEST/ THANKSGIVING POEMS AND SONGS, MOTHERS DAY PERFORMANCE POEMS AND SONGS), and finally SENSES POEMS. Each of these are listed in the drop down menu from the TOPIC POEMS, and will therefore provide a smaller, more specific list of the poems which will interest you.

A Topsy Turvy World

27 February 2012

      This zany poem is full of all my imaginative wonderings about the world and how it was designed, and includes lots of alliteration.  Try redesigning the world yourself, and think through all of the consequences; it’s a fun exercise!

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A River’s Journey

27 February 2012

    I have had requests for journey poems and for a river acrostic poem, and have taken this River’s Journey poem one step further to include aspects of a shape poem.  It is great for teaching figurative language as it includes lots of personification, metaphors and alliteration, and some onomatopoeia.

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A Bitter Pill

24 February 2012

      This is just a fun rhyme and rhythm story poem, including exaggeration for effect (hyperbole), with one word play phrase too.  It is based on a true scenario that anyone who has ever owned a tom cat will probably be able to relate to!    

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World War Two

23 February 2012

    This thought-provoking alphabet / list poem is filled with emotional realities which the city children of world war two were faced with during evacuation, and is all told in rhyme and rhythm, with lots of alliteration for effect.  It has been selected for use by museums, exhibitions, and publishers as an example of […]

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What Makes a Winner?

13 February 2012

      This encouragement poem encourages the reader to always do their best to reach their own potential, as a winning attitude is far greater than a prize winning performance.  

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Trapper Boy Poems

12 February 2012

  This was a job done by the youngest of the Victorian poor children. Victorian children in Britain could expect to work 12, or even 18 hours a day down the mines.  This page includes haikus and a shape poem about life for the trapper boys in Victorian Britain.

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The Unfriendly Chimpanzee

12 February 2012

        Just a fun animal poem, written with my usual, childish immaturity!

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The Sun, to the Night Sky

12 February 2012

      This sun poem is another one of my personification examples.

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The Sun: Examples of personification

11 February 2012

  I have used italics to highlight the examples of personification in this poem: these are all the occasions when human qualities have been given to the subject. There are also lots of metaphors and some alliteration.

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The Sun

11 February 2012

  This very simple sun poem is great for teaching personification to children.  Many children automatically relate to the sun as a smiling face, so this poem introduces personification to them using this idea.  I have also included some questions to use to study it more closely.

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