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Ks2 Poetry and plays worksheets

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Write a poem about parts of the body

Write a poem about parts of the body

Writing a cinquain worksheet

Writing a cinquain

Reading and writing a list poem worksheet

Reading and writing a list poem

All about imagery worksheet

All about imagery

Structuring a haiku worksheet

Structuring a haiku

Book reviews activity pack

Book reviews activity pack

Revising poetic language crossword

Revising poetic language crossword

Powerful adjectives worksheet

Powerful adjectives

Poetry composition worksheet

Poetry composition

Poetry analysis worksheet

Poetry analysis

Shakespeare plays wordsearch

Shakespeare plays wordsearch

Using personification in poetry

Using personification in poetry

Imagery in poetry: personification

Imagery in poetry: personification

Building imagery in poetry: using powerful verbs and adverbs

Building imagery in poetry: using powerful verbs and adverbs

Reading and writing a free verse poem

Reading and writing a free verse poem

Using similes in poetry worksheet

Using similes in poetry

Setting out a play script correctly worksheet

Setting out a play script correctly

Haikus explained worksheet

Haikus explained

Exploring poetry: question and answer poems worksheet

Exploring poetry: question and answer poems

Exploring poetry: list poems worksheet

Exploring poetry: list poems

Exploring poetry: haiku poems worksheet

Exploring poetry: haiku poems

Exploring poetry: cinquains worksheet

Exploring poetry: cinquains

Creating images in poetry worksheet

Creating images in poetry

ks2 poetry homework

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ks2 poetry homework

  • Year 3 Poetry

Year 3 poetry – 14 of the best worksheets and lessons for LKS2

ks2 poetry homework

Give Y3 children a great grounding in poems and poetry writing with this selection of ideas, activities and teaching tools for your English lessons…

Teachwire

1 | Poetry model text resource packs

ks2 poetry homework

These Y3 Real Writing poetry resources use model texts as the jumping off point to cover different subjects.

The first two-week unit is based around volcanoes, while the second is structured around the present perfect tense.

In each one, children will look at the etymology and morphology of words, and consider some of the structural features of poetry, before finally writing their own poem using the same structure as the model text.

Click the links below to check them out.

  • Year 3 – Volcano
  • Year 3 – I Have…

2 | Five poets read their poems

Made for National Poetry Day , these videos explore how ‘truth’ might inspire a poet, so here you can watch Karl Nova, Michael Rosen, Rachel Rooney, Victoria Adukwei Bulley and Joseph Coelho reading their poems, and you can also download the full text of the poems, and suggestions for teaching and learning activities related to each one .

You’ll find all this here.

3 | Pie Corbett poetry lessons

ks2 poetry homework

Inspire KS2 pupils to be creative and express themselves with our Pie Corbett KS2 poetry collection .

These Talk for Writing resources contains Powerpoints, KS2 poems and PDFs full of ideas to supercharge your English lessons.

4 | Dr Seuss poetry pack

ks2 poetry homework

This National Poetry Day pack for KS1 and LKS2 includes activity sheets based on three Dr Seuss poems, the master of wordplay!

Year 3/4 learners are invited to think about what Oh The Places You’ll Go! means to them.

Check it out here.

5 | Joseph Coelho resources and advice

ks2 poetry homework

Writing poetry can act as a release valve, allowing trapped feelings to escape, says poet Joseph Coelho.

In this article he tells you how, and there are also links to resources to help you on your way.

Read his advice here.

6 | A poem a day

ks2 poetry homework

Want to expose children to the amazing language of nearly 2,000 different poems? Start by reading just one a day.

That’s the advice from Tre Christopher and Pet Henshaw who explain here why and how you can do this, what poems you should try and what resources will help.

7 | Write spooky sound poems inspired by Neil Gaiman

ks2 poetry homework

Getting children to write great poetry can sometimes be a bit hit and miss, but if they are given a clear framework and a fun hook, it can be a really rewarding experience.

This lesson shows how a well-known poem can be combined with a fantastic picture book to offer children a language rich stimulus that will enable them to write their own successful piece of poetry.

Get this resource here.

8 | LKS2 ‘The Eagle’ poetry lesson pack

ks2 poetry homework

This poetry pack, based around the classic poem ‘The Eagle’ by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, contains lesson ideas that could be completed over a series of five sessions for Year 3 and Year 4.

Pupils will explore the author’s use of language, including figurative language, and how this is used to describe. They will identify examples of adjectives, similes, personification and alliteration.

They will also have the opportunity to demonstrate their understanding of the poem by completing comprehension activities and, finally, create their own poems.

Give it a look here.

9 | Feelings and emotions acrostic poem pack

ks2 poetry homework

This resource focuses on acrostic poems, using abstract nouns which show feelings and emotions to create the themes for writing.

Pupils can discuss feelings and emotions, and how it is normal to feel a range of these, covering aspects of primary statutory guidance for Health Education.

This primary resource pack includes an abstract nouns word mat, a selection of words like ‘beauty’, ‘truth’, ‘freedom’ and ‘love’ to help children with their poems, acrostic poem examples, three example poems, a planning sheet, writing sheets and templates, and teacher’s notes.

Give all this a look here.

10 | Creating imaginative characterisation in poetry lesson

ks2 poetry homework

Writing is hard; writing poetry is even harder. You have a lot to think about: structure, rhythm, rhyme and so on. Creating scaffolds for children can help them to really concentrate on the words they are using rather than structure.

In this lesson plan your students are going to take the basic creative structure of a poem and edit it to create a new one.

Through doing this they are going to look at how Michael Rosen’s piece ‘No Breathing in Class’ can be used to teach children how to use characterisation.

11 | Bonfire Night acrostic poem resource pack

ks2 poetry homework

Explore the sights and sounds of Bonfire Night and fireworks using this acrostic poetry resource.

Pupils can develop their ideas using a model poem and images provided before writing their own acrostic poems on the theme of fireworks, bonfires and bonfire night.

See what’s included here.

12 | Christmas poems

ks2 poetry homework

Sticking with a seasonal theme, this ”Twas the Night Before Christmas’ festive writing and poetry resources pack is perfect for Lower KS2.

So keep pupils in Year 3 and year 4 engaged and motivated to write right up until Christmas using our writing pack based on the classic poem ‘Twas the Night before Christmas by Clement Clarke Moore.

Pupils will read and perform the poem, exploring new vocabulary and the author’s use of language before writing additional stanzas for the poem in a similar style. Finally, pupils will write their own short poems about Christmas morning, based on the classic poem by Clement Clarke Moore.

13 | Write mischievous poems like Dahl’s Revolting Rhymes

ks2 poetry homework

Roald Dahl took traditional fairy stories and turned them into wonderfully wicked Revolting Rhymes .

With a structured approach, this lesson plan can help your class do the same.

Download it here.

14 | Nature poems and outdoor learning

ks2 poetry homework

Explore nature through children’s poetry and creative writing with poet Zaro Weil’s advice on the energising double act of poetry and nature.

Read her advice and download a free PDF of three nature poetry activities to try with your students here.

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A collection of learning resources from The Poetry Society

Search lesson plans, filter by type, theme or technique, themes and subjects, tools and techniques.

ks2 poetry homework

We are the Sea

This resource brings together poetry and science to explore the relationship between humans and the sea. It focuses on whales, and includes discussion points and creative writing activities inspired by Isaac Graaf's 'The New Guy', a winning poem from the Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award 2006.

Key Stages 1 & 2

Topics: whales, echolocation, humans and the sea, sealife

Literary features: point of view, comic voice

Teachers can also download a lesson plan featuring the same poem in the form of a slide deck.

ks2 poetry homework

We are the Universe

This resource brings together poetry and science to explore the relationship between the way we are all connected because we all came from stars. It includes discussion points and creative writing activities inspired by 'Roll up! Roll up!', a new poem by Cheryl Moskowitz, commissioned for About Us.

Key Stages 1-3

Topics: Earth and space, the journey of star, supernova, light years, black holes

Literary features: rhyme, syllabics, glose poems

ks2 poetry homework

‘A poem is…’ with Disney Junior

Together with Disney Junior, the Poetry Society commissioned poet Coral Rumble to write a guide to help parents and carers enjoy poetry with under 7’s to accompany the Disney animated ‘A Poem is…’ series. ‘A Poem is…’ launched in summer 2012 and showcases poetry set to iconic moments from some of Disney’s classic animation films such as Alice in Wonderland, Cinderella, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast and Pinocchio. Celebrities Matt Smith, David Walliams, Richard Briers CBE, Jessica Hynes and Michelle Dockery are among the all star cast who have teamed up to narrate the series.

ks2 poetry homework

Sefton's Wonderous Waterways: Poetry Trail Learning Resource

Poet Levi Tafari was commissioned by The Canal & River Trust and The Poetry Society to work with community groups to create a poem celebrating the Sefton canal, a poem which has now been transformed into a poetry trail.

This resource, for teachers of primary-school children, contains a number of activities for different year groups. The activities draw on Levi’s poem and will enliven your walks along the trail. Use these teaching notes to help you guide the children through the activities. There are quick games to play outside while you’re on the walk, and longer tasks to work on back in the classroom.

Illustration of blue, red and white stars on a dark purple background, surrounded by blue dots.

GCSE Unseen Poetry Practice: Remnants

Explore a new poem, 'Remnants', by poet Llŷr Gwyn Lewis, through a video interview with the poet and an accompanying worksheet.

We use the poem to practise some techniques around unseen poetry at GCSE. You'll learn about ways to approach analysing a poem you've never seen before, watch presenter Lewis Buxton interview Llŷr, and think about some of the literary devices used in the poem. You can also read a version of this poem in Welsh .

Watch the film

Download the worksheet  

Download a screen-reader friendly version of the worksheet, including image descriptions

This was put together by The Poetry Society as part of About Us, commissioned by UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK. Discover other About Us poetry resources here .

Poetry By Heart logo: text reading 'Poetry By Heart' in black, blue and red against a pale grey background

Poetry By Heart: Pass the Parcel

In 2023, a team of poets ran poetry workshops in schools as part of a collaboration between Poetry By Heart and The Poetry Society. In the workshops, they supported students to learn a poem by heart and perform it. In this video resource, poet Oliver Lomax shares one of the exercises he used in the workshops. If you’re a teacher, try using this activity with your own class as part of your Poetry By Heart journey.

poetrybyheart.org.uk

Poetry By Heart: Using Actions

In 2023, a team of poets ran poetry workshops in schools as part of a collaboration between Poetry By Heart and The Poetry Society. In the workshops, they supported students to learn a poem by heart and perform it. In this video resource, poet Rakaya Fetuga shares one of the exercises she used in the workshops. If you’re a teacher, try using this activity with your own class as part of your Poetry By Heart journey.

Poetry By Heart: Finding Sparks

In 2023, a team of poets ran poetry workshops in schools as part of a collaboration between Poetry By Heart and The Poetry Society. In the workshops, they supported students to learn a poem by heart and perform it. In this video resource, poet Matt Abbott share some of the exercises he used in the workshops. If you’re a teacher, try using this activity with your own class as part of your Poetry By Heart journey.

poetrybyheart.org.uk poetrysociety.org.uk/education

Illustration of a small Christmas tree smiling in a forest

T is for Tree: Festive Nature Metaphors

This resource draws inspiration from Isabel Galleymore’s poem, ‘T is for Tree’, which captures how a Christmas tree draws the creatures of the forest together. It introduces learners to metaphor, exploring how to compare one image with another and the effect this creates. The resource inspires learners to create their own metaphors and poetic imagery.

ks2 poetry homework

National Poetry Day 2023: Care Package (Refuge)

National Poetry Day 2023 is on Thursday 5 October. This year's theme is 'Refuge', so we've shared a poem by a recent Foyle Young Poet and created a resource for you to try.

Using Tara Tulshyan's prize-winning poem ' Care Package ', this KS3 resource explores the transition when moving from one home to another.

ks2 poetry homework

Cuteness and the Environment

This resource links cuteness and the environment to inspire thinking on the environmental consequences of disposable plastic. It uses Isabel Galleymore's poem 'Examples Include Celine Dion's My Heart Will Go On' to prompt writing with personification and metaphor. It includes curriculum links to science and citizenship.

Key Stages 3-4

Topics: metaphor, personification, voice, environment, plastic waste

Download the resource.

Stylised illustration of yellow fibre optic cables on a purple background

GCSE Unseen Poetry Practice: Lightly Is the Language

Explore a new poem, 'Lightly Is the Language', by poet Stephen Sexton, through a video interview with the poet and an accompanying worksheet.

We use the poem to practise some techniques around unseen poetry at GCSE. You'll learn about ways to approach analysing a poem you've never seen before, watch presenter Lewis Buxton interview Stephen, and think about some of the literary devices used in the poem.

Watch the film Download the worksheet 

Download a screen-reader friendly version of the worksheet , including image descriptions

 This was put together by The Poetry Society as part of About Us, commissioned by UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK. Discover other About Us poetry resources here .

illustration of a grey conveyor belt carrying an orange candy bar, a blue spotted bag, a computer screen, a bottle of water and a trainer, set against a mauve background

GCSE Unseen Poetry Practice: late lingua

Explore a new poem, 'late lingua', by poet Khairani Barokka ('Okka'), through a video interview with the poet and an accompanying worksheet.

We use the poem to practise some techniques around unseen poetry at GCSE. You'll learn about ways to approach analysing a poem you've never seen before, watch presenter Jess Murrain interview Okka, and think about some of the literary devices used in the poem.

Download the worksheet 

stylised illustrations of trees in blue, orange and purple against a beige background

GCSE Unseen Poetry Practice: In Tree the Primal Ocean

Explore a new poem, 'In Tree the Primal Ocean', by poet Jason Allen-Paisant, through a video interview with the poet and an accompanying worksheet.

We use the poem to practise some techniques around unseen poetry at GCSE. You'll learn about ways to approach analysing a poem you've never seen before, watch presenter Jess Murrain interview Jason, and think about some of the literary devices used in the poem.

Download a screen-reader friendly version of the worksheet , including image descriptions.

Polypenlaus plankton. Brown and grey tiny creature with a transparent shell against a white background.

We Are Plankton

This resource brings together poetry and science to explore plankton. It includes discussion points and creative writing activities inspired by 'Plankton', a new poem by Jen Hadfield, commissioned for About Us. The poem includes words in Shetland dialect and photographs by Alfred Kern. A song of the poem, created by Jen Hadfield and Jenny Sturgeon, can be listened to here .

Key Stages 2-3

Topics: plankton, tiny organisms, Shetland dialect, sustainability and our future, wellbeing and resilience

a page in a dictionary, showing the definition of the word 'dictionary', with a yellow tassel marking the page

We Are Language

This resource brings together explores how language individualises us but connects us as humans. It includes discussion points and creative writing activities inspired by 'Together We Are Distant', a new poem by Dan Simpson, commissioned for About Us.

Key Stages 4 & 5

Topics: language, signs and signifiers, semiotics

Literary features: metaphor, enjambment

a small blue and grey bird sitting on a branch with its head turned to the right. A blurred green background.

We Are Birds

This resource brings together poetry and science to explore the relationship between humans and the environment, focussing particularly on birds. It includes discussion points and creative writing activities inspired by Aliyah Begum's 'Walking to the Train Station', a winning poem in the Young Poets Network Poems to Solve the Climate Crisis Challenge 2021, in partnership with People Need Nature.

Key Stages 2 & 3

Topics: birds, the environment, litter, sustainability

Literary features: imagery, anthropomorphism

We are Whale Song

This resource brings together poetry and science to explore the relationship between humans and whales. It focuses on themes of time, change, sustainability and the marine environment. It includes discussion points and creative writing activities inspired by Kyle Lovell's 'The Sunken Cathedral', a winning poem in the Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award.

Key Stages 3- 5

Topics: whales and whale song, faith, time, identity and diversity, sustainability and our future, wellbeing and resilience

Literary features: metaphor, refrains

Cloud Chamber: connecting poets and teachers, written in white font on a blue background, with a logo of a cloud: inside are lots of lines originating from the centre-bottom looking like a sunrise

Cloud Chamber: Exploring Identity (Primary Schools)

A lesson plan for primary school teachers exploring identity. In this lesson you'll create a class contract, watch, read, and discuss a poem about identity, written by primary school pupils at a school in Scotland, and write your own identity poems using a stem poem. Created as part of The Poetry Society's network for poets and teachers, Cloud Chamber .

Key Stage 2

Topic: Identity

Format: Slide show with accompanying notes

Cloud Chamber: Exploring Identity (Secondary Schools)

A lesson plan for secondary school teachers exploring identity. In this lesson you'll create a class contract, watch, read, and discuss a poem about identity, written by sixteen-year-old Preesha Jain, and write your own identity poems using a free write exercise and a stem poem. Created for The Poetry Society's network for poets and teachers, Cloud Chamber .

Black and white illustrations of animals and plants including a whale, butterly and oak leaf, with NPD 2022 6 October in the centre on a green splat

National Poetry Day 2022: Daisy Chains (The Environment)

National Poetry Day 2022 is on Thursday 6 October, and what better way to explore this year's theme of 'The Environment' than by reading a poem by a recent Foyle Young Poet, and writing new poems in response?

Using Daniel Wale's prize-winning poem 'Daisy Chains' , this KS2-3 resource asks you to think about how our environment can be transformed through description and detail, as the daisy is woven into a chain. How might we use setting as a metaphor for relationships?

ks2 poetry homework

Rainbow Extinction: Protest Poems

Teacher Trailblazer Catherine Bruton explores how writing multi-coloured protest poems can change the world, using Foyle Young Poet Sarisha Mehta’s award-winning poem ‘Blue Extinction’. This PowerPoint lesson is easy to bring straight into the classroom. Students will learn about eco-poetry, form, and figurative language, exploring Sarisha's poem before writing their own.

For added inspiration, watch this video of Sarisha reading her poem.

ks2 poetry homework

The Fourth King: A Tree's Journey

Inspired by Sinéad Morrissey's new poem 'The Fourth King', across two lessons KS2 pupils will learn about the Trafalgar Square Christmas tree and use personification, assonance and alliteration to speak from the perspective of an object or plant, imagining the journey it has been on. With opportunities to discuss big life changes, migration, journeys, recycling and the environment, children will be guided to write their own dramatic monologues after Sinéad Morrissey.

For added inspiration, watch an interview with Sinéad where she reads the poem and talks about the inspiration behind it; watch it brought to life by three children from St Saviour's Church of England Primary School; and if you can, visit the tree in Trafalgar Square until 6 January!

Illustrations by Marcus Walters.

ks2 poetry homework

We, the Reef

This resource brings together poetry and science to explore the symbiotic relationship between algae and coral reefs. It includes a step-by-step guide to using improvisation to create your own poem, inspired by 'We, the Reef', a new poem by Caleb Parkin, Jane Hills, and Isla Keesje Davidson, commissioned for About Us.

Key Stages 2-4

Topics: symbiosis, zooxanthellae algae and coral reefs, climate change, collaboration,improvisation

Literary features: ecopoetry, voice, personification, creative writing

ks2 poetry homework

We are Cellular

This resource brings together poetry and science to explore the history of the discovery of cells, and the way cells behave when they migrate. It includes discussion points and creative writing activities inspired by 'Micrographia, 1665', a new poem by Jack Cooper, commissioned for About Us.

Key Stages 3-5

Topics: cell biology, history of science - Robert Hooke

Literary features: metaphor, simile, punctuation, creative writing

ks2 poetry homework

We are Cell Tissue

This resource brings together poetry and science to explore the topic of cell tissue, and specifically epithelium. It includes discussion points and creative writing activities inspired by Kitty Joyce's 'Epithelium', a winning poem in the Young Poets Network Human Cell Atlas Challenge 2021, in partnership with the Newcastle Centre for Literary Arts (NCLA) and One Cell At A Time, part of the Human Cell Atlas..

Topics: epithelium, cells and their functions, Surrealism

Literary features: word association, similes and metaphors, enjambment

ks2 poetry homework

We are Mycelium

This resource brings together poetry and science to explore the relationship between trees and fungus/ mycelium. It focuses on the idea of symbiosis, and the role mycelium plays in the ecosystem. It includes discussion points and creative writing activities inspired by Brooke Nind's 'Mycelium Under the Canopy', a winning poem in the Young Poets Network Poems to Solve the Climate Crisis Challenge 2021, in partnership with People Need Nature.

Topics: mycelium, trees and mushrooms, symbiosis, climate change, ecosystem

Literary features: voice (first person), tenses, repetition (anaphora)

ks2 poetry homework

We are Liquid Stars

This resource brings together poetry and science to explore the relationship between the human body and outer space. It focuses on the blood, and the idea that the chemicals in our body once came from stars. It includes discussion points and creative writing activities inspired by Celeste Herriotts's 'Blood', a winning poem from the Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award 2020.

Topics: human body, blood and the circulatory system, Earth and space

Literary features: voice (first and second person), personification, imagery, dynamic verbs

ks2 poetry homework

We are Trees

This resource brings together poetry and science to explore the relationship between trees, names and identity. It focuses on Maple trees, and includes discussion points and creative writing activities inspired by Talulah Quinto's 'Maple', a winning poem from the Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award 2019.

Topics: trees, the ecosystem, biodiversity, identity, naming

Literary features: repetition (anaphora), tenses, symbolism, adjectives, juxtaposition

National Poetry Day 7 October 2021

National Poetry Day 2021: We Have A Choice

Celebrate National Poetry Day 2021 on 7 October by exploring Foyle Young Poet Theodora Shillito’s ‘The Story of Squiddly Diddly’, a poem about marine conservation and recycling, commended in the Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award 2020 . This resource encourages KS2-3 students to think about how the choices we make affect the environment.

ks2 poetry homework

Blackout history: Exploring Daniel Wale's poem 'Navajo Roads'

This lesson plan explores Daniel Wale's 'Navajo Roads', a winning poem from the Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award 2020.

The activities can be used in a single session, or over a series of sessions.

In this resource, produced by Teacher Trailblazer Joanne Bowles, students are encouraged to think about history, power and conflict and interdisciplinarity. The resource also introduces students to erasure and found poetry as a form.

Joanne Bowles Teacher Trailblazer resource

ks2 poetry homework

'The Fruit of the Spirit is Love (Galatians 5:22)'

This lesson plan explores Marvin Thompson's 'The Fruit of the Spirit is Love (Galatians 5:22)', which won first prize in the National Poetry Competition 2020.

In this resource, produced by Teacher Trailblazer Noor Wafa, students are encouraged to think about how we form an identity, and what it means to belong, in the context of race and cultural heritage. The resource also explores intertextuality, the villanelle form, and iambic pentameter.

Content warning: please note that the poem featured in this resource deals with the theme of racism and contains imagery of lynching.

mandala in pink, purple, and blue

How to Belong: 'Brown Girl'

This lesson plan explores Indigo Mudbhary's 'Brown Girl', a winning poem from the Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award 2020.

In this resource, produced by Teacher Trailblazer Fran Pridham, students are encouraged to think about identity and belonging, including the issue of race. The resource also introduces students to poetry in prose as a form.

starry sky

The Truth Exposed: 'Polaris'

This lesson plan explores Brigitta McKeever's ‘Polaris’, a winning poem from the Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award 2020.

In this resource, produced by Teacher Trailblazer Stephanie Nobes, students are encouraged to think about the relationship between poetry and objects, the body, and the 'Evolution of Me'. They are also encouraged to analyse the poem with a close focus on features of language, and to write creatively using juxtaposition.

bicycle with background of streetlights

Where talk is never cheap: 'Love Poem to Young Offenders Support Workers'

This lesson plan explores Libby Russell's ‘Love Poem to Young Offenders Support Workers’, a winning poem from the Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award 2020.

In this resource, produced by Teacher Trailblazer Gareth Ellis, students are encouraged to think about why poets choose to write about love, how society values different types of knowledge, and the relationship between ‘here’ and ‘home’ in this poem. They are also encouraged to explore the sonnet form more widely.

Oil painting of John Keats on Hampstead Heath listening with a background of trees.

A thing of beauty: Rachel Piercey on Keats's life and works

As part of a season of activity celebrating 200 years of John Keats's legacy, poet Rachel Piercey explores the life and works of Keats through some of the paintings and objects in the collection of Keats House, London. This resource is aimed at KS4 and KS5.

Find out more about Keats200

Image: Keats Listening to the Nightingale on Hampstead Heath by Joseph Severn. Oil painting, 1849. Image courtesy of Keats House, City of London, K/PZ/05/015.

Drawing of Keats

Amy Davis on John Keats’s ‘La Belle Dame Sans Merci’

As part of a season of activity celebrating 200 years of John Keats's legacy, Teacher Trailblazer Amy Davis looks closely at ‘La Belle Dame Sans Merci’. She offers ways to analyse the poet's techniques as well as exploring literary allusions, critical views, the poem's afterlife in art, and some prompts for creative responses. This resource is aimed at KS5.

ks2 poetry homework

Poets for LGBT+ History Month and Always

A Level teacher and former Education Manager Nazmia Jamal offers over fifty suggestions of LGBT+ poets you could teach in February, which is LGBT+ History Month, and any time of the year. She shares questions for class discussion, writing prompts which are particularly inspired by the pandemic, and context for poems by Keith Jarrett, Mary Jean Chan, Audre Lorde, June Jordan, Emily Dickinson and more.

Find more LGBT+ History Month resources here

Gemma Correll illustration of a cat in a sled led by a bigger cat

Look North More Often: a poetry pack for teachers inspired by the gift of the Trafalgar Square Christmas tree

Since 2009, The Poetry Society has run Look North More Often, a unique education project celebrating the gift of the Christmas tree in Trafalgar Square. The tree is given to the city of London from the city of Oslo every year since 1947, as thanks for Britain's support during the Second World War. Every year, we run workshops in primary schools which inspire a children's writer to craft a new poem celebrating the tree.

In 2012, we created an extensive pack of teaching resources for primary teachers, which we've recently updated. The pack offers a history of the tree and the project, and features Norwegian writers as well as Anglophone poets. Inside, you'll discover thoughtful and fun poetry writing exercises from such leading poets as Kevin Crossley-Holland, James Carter, Frances Presley, Hanne Bramness, Coral Rumble, Kit Wright and Philip Gross.

Find out more about the project

Discover more teaching resources inspired by the tree

Illustration of a small Christmas tree smiling in a forest

The Christmas Pine: The Tree Speaks Back!

In these activities for KS1 and KS2, children read Gruffalo author Julia Donaldson's new poem 'The Christmas Pine' and are invited to find out more about their favourite plant and write a dramatic monologue from its perspective. A great activity for the end of term, with links to science and learning about other cultures, this plan can be completed as a class, in groups or individually. Children can follow the poem frame or make up their own structure. It can be made to be very Christmassy - or not Christmassy at all!

For added inspiration, don't forget to read Julia's poem 'The Christmas Pine' , commissioned as part of The Poetry Society's annual Look North More Often programme, and performed by three children from St Mary of the Angels Primary School here .

ks2 poetry homework

Poetry & Political Language

Taking inspiration from George Orwell's Animal Farm, this resource uses critical thinking and political language to create new poems called 'couplings' (after poets Karen McCarthy Woolf and Malika Booker). Created in partnership with The Orwell Foundation, as part of the 2020 Young Poets Network writing challenge.

Find more prompts on this theme

ks2 poetry homework

Tell & See: National Poetry Day 2020 visionary poetry resource

Explore 'Diamonds' by Evelyn Byrne, a commended poem in the Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award 2019 with the help of shiny fish, and celebrate this year's National Poetry Day, with the theme of Vision. Download

Photo of a red heart shaped balloon in a blue sky

Love Yourself

This lesson plan explores Cia Mangat’s ‘Love Poem to Myself’, a winning poem from the Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award 2019.

The activities stimulated by reading Cia’s poem should inspire students to think about themselves and look to a variety of love poems as a rich source for prompting poetry writing.

Drawing of a brown bird holding a lit match in its beak

Eco-poetry National Poetry Competition writing resource from Pascale Petit

Explore two National Poetry Competition prize-winning poems that address ecological themes with poet, teacher and former NPC judge Pascale Petit.

This resource was commissioned by The Poetry Society as part of the 2020 National Poetry Competition . We recommend this resource is used for KS5 and older.

ks2 poetry homework

Hope on a Postcard

Inspired by Dr Martin Luther King’s visit to Newcastle University in 1967 to accept an honorary doctorate, poets John Challis and Sinéad Morrissey were invited to run poetry workshops in a male maximum security prison. They explored, with a group of self-selecting inmates, the three themes of King’s acceptance speech: poverty, racism and war. Techniques explored include writing a Golden Shovel, a ghazal, and experimenting with enjambement. We invite you to try these exercises yourself or as part of a school or other poetry group. 

Read more about the prison workshops in Poetry News online.

ks2 poetry homework

Sharing the Gift of Hope at Christmas

Poet Clare Pollard guides you through a brand new festive poetry lesson on the theme of hope. Pupils will learn about personification, writing letters, metaphors and similes, all while gearing up to writing a hopeful poem inspired by Clare Pollard's 2019 Christmas Tree poem 'The Gift' . Perfect for KS1 and KS2!

For added inspiration, don't forget to read Clare's poem 'The Gift' , commissioned as part of The Poetry Society's annual Look North More Often programme

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The Power of Memory and Association

Teacher Trailblazer Gagandeep Chaggar guides you through teaching 'God in 80s Movies', a Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award 2018 winning poem by Em Power set in 80s films. Includes: close reading, writing your own film-inspired poem, and a note from the poet herself. Download

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6 Ways to Look at The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Discover this new KS3-4 teaching resource on the 2019 National Poetry Day theme of 'truth', written by Michael Donkor, a teacher, author and former Foyle Young Poet.

ks2 poetry homework

Christina Rossetti's Goblin Market

In collaboration with the Watts Gallery and their exhibition  Christina Rossetti: Vision and Verse we are exploring one of Christina Rossetti's most famous poems  Goblin Market. This resource is designed for A Level students. Topics at a glance include sisterhood, consumerism, Marxism, feminism and literary critical theories. Written by Romanticism expert Dr Bethan Roberts with additional support from The Poetry Society and Watts Gallery. 

Download the Christina Rossetti A Level Resource

ks2 poetry homework

What is a Golden Shovel? with Peter Kahn

Poet and educator Peter Kahn has been teaching his students to write Golden Shovels for years. This “21st century sonnet” was created by Terrance Hayes when he used each word in Gwendolyn Brooks’ iconic poem ‘We Real Cool’ as part of his own poem.

Peter guides you through this exciting new form and encourages your students to create poems inspired by Gwendolyn Brooks, other poets, songwriters, film-makers and more!

Download the resource and enter your students into the Young Poets Network challenge by 31 March 2019 to win poetry prizes.

illustration of two men sitting at a desk puzzling over a code

Breaking the code with Bletchley Park

Could your students be code-breakers? This lesson plan by Sian Hughes explores nursery rhymes, nonsense verse and codes through the lens of Bletchley Park and the work that went on there.

Download the resource and find more code-breaking poetry workshops on Young Poets Network .

Read winning poems inspired by Bletchley Park written by young people here !

Illustrations by Alex Leigh Whitworth, courtesy of Bletchley Park Trust.

ks2 poetry homework

Creating Voices

This lesson plan by Teacher Trailblazer Lyndsey Chand takes an in-depth look at Enshia Li’s ‘unwritten letter from my great-grandmother to my great-grandfather, 1930’, a winning poem in the Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award 2017. This resource contains activities for KS4/5 to take place over the course of several lessons and develops students’ skills and confidence when dealing with unseen poetry as well as writing their own poems about their own family history.

Download this teaching resource

For more activities around prose poems, see Enshia Li’s Young Poets Network challenge

ks2 poetry homework

A Change in Circumstance

This lesson plan is on the theme of change and was written for National Poetry Day 2018 on Thursday 4 October. It looks at Imogen Catsaras’ ‘Dawn in Dartmouth’, a commended poem in the Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award 2017.

ks2 poetry homework

Celebrations: a Foyle Young Poets resource

This lesson plan by Teacher Trailblazer Fran Pridham looks at Lucy Thynne's  ‘the parents anniversary', a winning poem in the Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award 2017.

ks2 poetry homework

Poetry manifestos: End Hunger UK

With a  free PowerPoint presentation by End Hunger UK  and accompanying  audio clip , Fran Pridham helps students to respond to food poverty in the UK through poetry. She uses Foyle Young Poet Phoebe Stuckes’ poem ‘Daughters’ as a way into writing manifestos against injustice. Enter your pupils’ work into the Young Poets Network challenge  to win free workshops and inclusion on the nationwide End Hunger UK touring exhibition (closing 6 May 2018). Download teaching resource.  

Drawing of two deer, one male and one female, looking at us in front of a snow scene

Hands around the Christmas Tree

Children's poet and storyteller A.F. Harrold explores the theme of friendship through poetry, focussing on the Trafalgar Square Christmas tree, given by the city of Oslo as a symbol of thanks and friendship each year. You can use A.F. Harrold's two exercises and poem structure to create your own Christmas Tree poem and think about friendship at this festive time. This is a great Christmas activity for all settings, from schools and community groups to home.

For added inspiration, read A.F. Harrold's own poem 'The Friendship Tree' , commissioned as part of The Poetry Society's annual Look North More Often programme

ks2 poetry homework

Write Yourself an Escape Plan

Explore the National Poetry Day 2017 theme of 'Freedom' with this resource for Key Stages 1-2. After reading Brian Bilston's poem 'The Great Escape', create imaginative ways of escaping from particular places.

Manfred-Away-with-the-Birds-Hannah-Tuulikki-credit-Alex-Boyd.

Climate Change and Adventures in Writing

Helen Mort uses Romantic poetry as a springboard into exploring climate change and poetic landscapes, discussing images and key texts to build towards the final ‘challenge’: a self-portrait poem.  

ks2 poetry homework

Picture this

John Glenday discusses how using images – prints, portraits, photographs, even objects – can be a wonderfully effective source of inspiration for writing poems. At a glance: art, creating characters, quick exercises. 

ks2 poetry homework

Making poetry with my mother

This lesson plan by Teacher Trailblazer Kate Brackley looks at Letitia Chan’s ‘Making Glutinous Dumplings with My Mother’, a winning poem in theFoyle Young Poets of the Year Award 2016.

ks2 poetry homework

Does this smell like a good poem?

This lesson plan by Teacher Trailblazer Joanne Bowles  involves exploring some of the ideas in Cyrus Larcombe-Moore’s poem ‘my ghost’ (see page 8 of this resource), one of the winning poems in the Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award 2016.

ks2 poetry homework

‘Dulce et Decorum est’ and intertextuality in Wilfred Owen

Peter Olive & Xavier Murray-Pollock use Wilfred Owen’s ‘Dulce et Decorum est’ as a springboard for discussion about the role and implications of allusion in poetry, also involving a discussion of Roman poet Horace's Odes .

ks2 poetry homework

Writing a monologue

Sue Dymoke's activity develops pupils writing of character following the reading of Carol Ann Duffy's poetry. At a glance: Carol Ann Duffy, monologues, creating characters, drama, performance.

Drawing of reindeer in London

The Christmas Tree's Secret

Poet Julia Copus explores depicting Christmastime in poetry, focussing on the Trafalgar Square Christmas tree. You can use Julia's ideas to produce your very own poems in celebration of your Christmas trees, whether they are in your school, the local town centre or in your living room. 

For added inspiration, read Julia's poem 'The Christmas Tree's Secret' , commissioned as part of The Poetry Society's annual Look North More Often programme

ks2 poetry homework

Postcard Poems

Explore the National Poetry Day 2016 theme of 'Messages' with this resource for primary schools. Using Diana Brodie's poem 'Gap Year Letter from a Five-Toed Sloth', create strange and wonderful postcards from imaginary characters and exotic locations. 

Download   Other NPD Resources

ks2 poetry homework

Honour and belief: The Battle of Agincourt

Alf Wilkinson takes the lives of ordinary soldier as inspiration for an exploration the detail of a famous battle and the world it was fought in. This resource was created to accompany the Agincourt 600 Poetry Competition. At a glance: history, journeys, letter poems, voice.

ks2 poetry homework

Power and representation: The Battle of Agincourt in Shakespeare's Henry V

Richard O'Brien explores one of the most famous retellings of this landmark battle. This resource has been created to accompany the Agincourt 600 Poetry Competition. At a glance: Shakespeare, Henry V, representation, voice.

ks2 poetry homework

Poetry in History: The Battle of Agincourt

Steve Ely challenges young people to explore exactly how and why we commemorate conflict. This resourcewas created to accompany the Agincourt 600 Poetry Competition. At a glance: war poetry, memory, history

ks2 poetry homework

The Battle of Agincourt: Dreaming history

John Lindley challenges young people to explore the history and legacy of an extraordinary conflict. It was created to accompany the Agincourt 600 Poetry Competition. At a glance: the Battle of Agincourt, imagery, sensory language, descriptive writing.

ks2 poetry homework

Page Fright: Hollie McNish and Alfred, Lord Tennyson

This resource looks at the work of two poets, Hollie McNish and Alfred, Lord Tennyson. It supports the filmed performances available at poetrysociety.org.uk/pagefright. Using modern spoken word to explore historical poems, Page Fright encourages students to explore and compare poems, then create their own responses.

ks2 poetry homework

Page Fright: Dizraeli and Percy Bysshe Shelley

This Page Fright resource looks at the work of two poets: Dizraeli and Percy Bysshe Shelley. It is designed to support the filmed performances available at poetrysociety.org.uk/pagefright Using modern spoken word to explore historical poems, Page Fright encourages students to explore and compare their work, then create their own poetic responses.

ks2 poetry homework

Yeats: An Irish Airman Foresees his Death

Jane Anderson explores a poem Yeats wrote in response to the death of a friend’s son during the First World War, as well as the poet's attitude to writing about war. At a glance: W.B. Yeats, war poetry, loss, literary heritage.

ks2 poetry homework

Ways of looking

Teacher Trailblazer Ben Bransfield explores ways of writing unusual list poems, inspired by ‘6 Ways to Look at The Very Hungry Caterpillar’, a commended Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award winner 2015. At a glance: list poems, structure, metaphor.

ks2 poetry homework

'The Big Push' - modern WWI poetry

Poet John Glenday explores his poem 'The Big Push' and guides through creating their own First World War poems. At a glance: First World War poetry, film, visual art, contemporary responses the conflict.

ks2 poetry homework

How to bake a poet

Teacher Trailblazer Ben Bransfield explores Sophia Carney's poem ‘How to be a patriot’. Sophia is onee of the Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award 2015. At a glance: patriotism, politics, imagery, structure with your class.

ks2 poetry homework

Nature and wellbeing in poetry

This resource provides the basis for an understanding of nature and wellbeing in poetry, and encourages pupils to use their senses to interpret the world around them. At a glance: nature poetry, sensory imagery, personification, metaphor, haiku. 

ks2 poetry homework

W.B. Yeats - The Lake Isle of Innisfree

Jane Anderson explores one of W.B. Yeats best-loved poems, focussing on his use of sound and rhythm. At a glance: descriptive language, imagery, sound, performance.

ks2 poetry homework

Page Fright: Benjamin Zephaniah and Dylan Thomas

This Page Fright resource looks at the work of two poets: Benjamin Zephaniah and Dylan Thomas. It supports the filmed performances available at poetrysociety.org.uk/pagefright. Using modern spoken word to explore historical poems, Page Fright encourages students to explore and compare poems, then create their own responses.

ks2 poetry homework

Page Fright: Joelle Taylor and Wilfred Owen

This resource looks at the work of two poets, Joelle Taylor and Wilfred Owen. It is designed to support the filmed performances available at poetrysociety.org.uk/pagefright Using modern spoken word to explore historical poems, Page Fright encourages students to explore and compare their work, then create their own poetic responses.

ks2 poetry homework

The Art of Translation: Making New Versions of Mexican Poems

Don Cellini introduces students to the process of translation, and shows them how to translate themselves using poems by Pedro Serrano. At a glance: translation, descriptive language, imagery, sound.

ks2 poetry homework

Foyle Lesson Plan: Poetry, mythology and fairy tales

Katherine Whittington explores the reinvention of classic myths and legends in poetry using Foyle winner Isla Anderson's poem about Prometheus. At a glance: mythology, fairy tales, rhyme, structure, writing in another voice. 

ks2 poetry homework

Foyle Lesson Plan: A Feast of Words

Using a poem from Sala Fadelallah, Ramnika Sharma explores found objects and lines to inspire poetry writing through group and pair work.  At a glance: poetic devices, unseen poem, speaking and listening, skills, descriptive language and cultural traditions.

ks2 poetry homework

Writing a Christmas Tree Poem

Liz Lochhead inspires pupils to write a Christmas Tree poem, hanging the tree with real or imagined decorations which engage the senses. At a glance: friends and family, the senses, syllables.

For added inspiration, read Liz's poem 'How I'll Decorate My Tree' , commissioned as part of The Poetry Society's annual Look North More Often programme

ks2 poetry homework

WWI Poetry and the Home Front (Secondary Level)

Using Marian Allen's First World War poem 'The Wind on the Downs', and Linda Hughes' new animation, we explore the poetry of those people left at home during the First World War.

ks2 poetry homework

WWI Poetry and the Home Front (Primary Level)

ks2 poetry homework

National Poetry Day 2014 secondary resource

M is for… Mix it up.  This activity helps students think about the structure and order of a poem, and the different information that can be revealed by mixing it up.

ks2 poetry homework

National Poetry Day 2014 primary resource

R is for… Reading out loud. Experiment with reading poems out loud in fun and different ways to help children build confidence reading poetry out loud.

ks2 poetry homework

War poetry and WW2 poetry

This resource explores war poetry, Second World War poetry and longer poems, and includes an analysis of Timothy Corsellis' poem 'Dawn After the Raid'. This resource supports Young Poets Network's annual Timothy Corsellis Prize.

ks2 poetry homework

Eccentricity and Sound - Edith Sitwell

Jane Anderson uses two poems by Edith Sitwell to offer ways into looking at her fascinating, innovative style, and gives suggestions for creative responses.  At a glance: reading, writing, literacy, confidence, sound.

ks2 poetry homework

Clothes that escaped the Great War

Poet and teacher Patricia McCarthy takes us through her National Poetry Competition-winning poem 'Clothes that escaped the Great War'. This resource explores a modern poet's take on the First World War, analysing the poem, and leading to an opportunity for your students to write their own responses.

ks2 poetry homework

Teaching the Reading of Poetry

Mandy Coe provides tips and ideas for how to enthuse your class about reading poetry.  At a glance: reading, writing, literacy, confidence, sound.

ks2 poetry homework

Short Poems are Scary!

Using a poem by Carol Ann Duffy, David Harmer encourages students to create Nonsense Monsters with inanimate objects and shape them into poems.  At a glance: imagination, haiku and tankas, cinquains, kennings.

ks2 poetry homework

Roger Stevens uses his own poem and one by Jan Dean to explain how to avoid 'Clunky Last Line Syndrome' when writing rhyming verses.  At a glance: alliteration, assonance, consonance, rhyme.

ks2 poetry homework

My Family and Other Pests...

Using a poem by Jackie Kay, David Harmer encourages students to use stories about their friends and family as inspiration for their poems.  At a glance: people and families, contrasts, personal writing, haiku.

ks2 poetry homework

Animal Menagerie

Roger Stevens encourages pupils to create animal poems using metaphors, similes, description, and alliteration to fill Mr. Magoo's Magical Zoo.  Part of our Poetry Train resource pack.

Magical Powers

David Harmer uses his poem 'Where The Fairies Are' to look at how students can incorporate magical creatures into their poems.  Part of our Poetry Train resource pack. At a glance: rhyme, imagery, imagination, simile.

ks2 poetry homework

Anyone Seen My Dragon?

Roger Stevens uses a James Carter poem to look at creating animal poetry with pupils.  At a glance: rhyme, writing a chorus, reading together, animal poems. Part of our Poetry Train resource pack.

ks2 poetry homework

Poetry Train

David Harmer and Roger Stevens use a collection of activities, poems, and advice for teaching poetry in primary schools.  The two share proven approaches based on poems by Carol Ann Duffy, Jackie Kay, David Harmer, and Roger Stevens.

ks2 poetry homework

War Horse and WWI Poetry

A resource designed to support you in using the National Theatre’s production of War Horse as a way into poetry of the First World War. Including poems by Edward Thomas and Rupert Brooke. At a glance: war poetry, nature, rhythm, drama, comparing texts.

ks2 poetry homework

Foyle Lesson Plan: Poems inspired by Art

Ashley Smith uses a Foyle Young Poets winning poem to show students the relationship between a poem and a piece of art which inspired it. At a glance: art, description, narrative, perspective, imagery, the senses.

ks2 poetry homework

Foyle Lesson Plan: Poetry as call to arms

Ashley Smith uses a feminist themed poem by Phoebe Stuckes to teach repetition, rhetoric, and 'call to arms' poems.  At a glance: feminism, imperative mood, repetition for effect, emotive language, literary tradition.

ks2 poetry homework

Vanishing Acts: Poetry and Climate Change

This resource uses poetry to tackle the issues around climate change, and encourages students to bring personal and universal issues together in a way that is detailed and original.

ks2 poetry homework

Poetry Review 103:2, Summer 2013, teachers' notes

Teachers' notes explore an issue of the Poetry Review and links between the contemporary poems and canonical texts. At a glance: translation; literary heritage, lexicography and imagery.

ks2 poetry homework

Poetry Review 103:1, Spring 2013, teachers' notes

These teachers' notes explore the Spring 2013 edition of Poetry Review. At a glance: literary heritage; language, dialect and place, poetic forms, metaphor, personification and sound, identity.

ks2 poetry homework

Travelling with Edward Lear

This resource uses the poetry of Edward Lear to explore themes such as word comprehension, nonsense poems, rhythm and rhyme in poetry, as well as geography, travel and displacement. At a glance: Rhythm, rhyme, imagery, language play, comprehension, geography.

ks2 poetry homework

Rhythm and Pace in War Poetry

Using poems by Alfred, Lord Tennyson and Wilfred Owen, Roshan Doug aims to familiarise students with the concepts of structure and movement in a poem. At a glance: rhythm, iamibic pentameter, war poetry, structure, syllables.

ks2 poetry homework

Identity and Performance Poetry

The Poetry Society uses a poem by Samilah Naira to look at issues of identity and allows students to create their own performance pieces. At a glance: identity, society, rhyme, metaphor, performance.

ks2 poetry homework

Evaporations - exploring water and poetry

The Poetry Society uses a film-poem by Alice Oswald and Chana Dubinski to explore different poetic devices through different states of water and encourages students to create water themed poems.  At a glance: water, personification, observation, the senses, the unfamiliar.

ks2 poetry homework

Wide open: teaching grammar with poetry

Rachel Rooney uses her poem 'Wide Open' to support the teaching of grammar terminology and concepts. At a glance: grammar, using adverbs, punctuation,  group poems.

ks2 poetry homework

Views of the sea

Malika Booker introduces activities to increase pupils' familiarity with poemsfrom other cultures, using the theme of water. At a glance: the sea, water, poems from other cultures, rhyme, onomatopoeia.

ks2 poetry homework

The art of remembering by heart

Steve Tasane encourages learning poetry by heart as tool for building confidence, speaking and listenig skills, and enjoyment of poetry. At a glance: learning by heart, performance, quick exercise, sound, storytelling.

ks2 poetry homework

How do poets use language

Joseph Coelho uses his poem to help students understand how detailed use of language can open up new meanings and impact the poem.  At a glance: literary heritage poets, comparing texts, comprehension, figurative texts, friends and family.

ks2 poetry homework

How to make a poem

Coral Rumble guides students step by step how to write a poem for more reluctant writers.  At a glance: confidence, playing with language, literacy, structure, reluctant writers.

ks2 poetry homework

Great title randomiser

Poet Philip Gross teaches students to explore creating poetry titles as a group.  At a glance: group poems, juxtaposition, using nouns, using adjectives, sound.

ks2 poetry homework

Favourite things

Activities using Barry Turrell's poem 'Lauren' to support pupils in writing their own poems about their favourite things. At a glance: feelings and emotion, friends and family, playing with language, memory, patterns

A journey through the senses

Pupils are encouraged to use their senses and develop an original approach to their writing.  At a glance: the senses, redrafting, language play, feelings and emotion, patterns.

A conceit poem

Pupils can us Pat Leighton's poem to develop their writing by thinking more deeply about images.  At a glance: simile and metaphor, imgery, conceit poems, sound, group poems.

ks2 poetry homework

Mandy Coe uses her poem 'Tiny'  activity to encourage pupils to explore the idea of perspective in their writing. At a glance: the senses, structure, letter poems, experience, scale, perspective.

ks2 poetry homework

The button jar

Roz Goddard offers writing activities to support pupils in creating characters and developing dialogues. At a glance: creating characters, monologues, dialogues, writing in another voice, drama.

ks2 poetry homework

Postcards home

Paul Hyland uses postcards as way to fire pupils' imaginations about important places, special people and strong feelings. At a glance: letter poems, short poems, imagery, writing in another voice, poetry of place.

ks2 poetry homework

Poetry passport

Pauline Stewart enables children to create poems that imagine themselves in another life.  At a glance: experience, identity, friends & family, memory, short poems.

ks2 poetry homework

Messages from the heart

Chrissie Gittins uses her poem to explain to students the different between fantasy and lying in writing. At a glance: Ancient Egyptians, history, experience, list poems, redrafting.

ks2 poetry homework

Making monsters

Using his own poem, Gavin Stewart helps pupils develop original monster characters. At a glance: creating characters, syllables, humorous verse, creating new words, simile and metaphor.

Inspiring creativity

Anjum Malik's workshop uses music to turn writing into a physcial activity by helping students relax so their minds can create thoughts and ideas. At a glance: music, memory, drama, group poems, performance.

ks2 poetry homework

Cat in the window

Poet Brian Morse uses his poem to help students write about place using a cat as the explorer. At a glance: poetry of place, using verbs, using adjectives, personification, list poems.

ks2 poetry homework

Tackling climate change

Created in partnership with climate change organisation Cape Farewell Karen McCarthy Woolf uses Elizabeth Bishop's poem to help students think and write about what is important to them. At a glance: nature, loss, climate change, list poems, poetic forms.

ks2 poetry homework

Poetry as eulogy

Ashley Smith uses a poem by Phoebe Boswall to inspire writing a poetic eulogy. At a glance: memory, the sense, friends and family, alliteration, literary heritage poets.

ks2 poetry homework

Writing a personification list poem

This activity uses Flora de Falbe's poem 'Five things about the lake' and Sylvia Plath's 'Mirror' as stimulus for writing a list poem personifying an inanimate object. At a glance: personification, Sylvia Plath, comparing texts, prose poems, list poems.

ks2 poetry homework

Poetry and the mind

In response to a Foyle winning poem by Matthew Broomfield, Ashley Smith explores a troubled mind written as an inner monologue. At a glance: mental health, music, experience, poetic forms.

ks2 poetry homework

Bright Star by John Keats

Activities to support the teaching of John Keats' sonnet'Bright Star'.At a glance: John Keats, sonnets, feelings and emotion, love poetry, experience.

ks2 poetry homework

Cosmic Disco

Using her own poem about the stars and the universe, Grace Nichols inspires students to write both creatively and scientifically. At a glance: science, Grace Nichols, dance, space, personification.

ks2 poetry homework

The Jumblies

Activities to support the teaching of Edward Lear poetry, with a particular focus on 'The Jumblies'. At a glance: Edward Lear, celebrating difference, identity, humorous verse, group poems.

ks2 poetry homework

Free writing

Dorothea Smartt uses her own poem to encourage students to write with fluency and without self-censoring. At a glance: free writing, experience, redrafting, iambic pentameter, confidence.

ks2 poetry homework

Intensive writing

Peter Samson helps pupils practice observational writing by letting details speak for themselves.  At a glance: art, imagery, poetry of place, quick exercise, using adjectives.

ks2 poetry homework

Weather the weather

Dave Reeves explores using personification to describe the weather. At a glance: using verbs, feelings and emotion, personification, simile and metaphor, nature.

A way into metaphor

Pupils will work through several stages to develop imagery that will bring their poems to life. At a glance: using adjectives, simile and metaphor, nature imagery, conceit poems.

ks2 poetry homework

Poetry from portraits

Cheryl Martin uses visual stimuli as the basis for writing poems. At a glance: art, writing in another voice, history, celebrating difference, the senses.

ks2 poetry homework

Simile and metaphor

Stephen Knight uses a poem written by his class to teach simile and metaphor. At a glance: simile and metaphor, the sea, conceit poems, redrafting, nature.

Split definitions

Mahendra Solanki helps pupils look at familiar objects in a new way. At a glance: confidence, reluctant writers, using adjectives, group poems, playing with language.

ks2 poetry homework

Physical poetry

John Siddique introduces writing about physical memories using poems of his own and some by Ted Hughes. At a glance: the body, memory, dance, drama, Ted Hughes.

ks2 poetry homework

Developing individual voice

An activity to help students write as a group and transition into writing individually. At a glance: simile and metaphor, structure, playing with language, riddles, group poems.

ks2 poetry homework

Imaginary words

Eva Salzman helps students experiment with imaginary words used in poems such as Lewis Carroll's 'The Jabberwocky' to see how language changes and develops. At a glance: humorous verse, sound, alliteration, rhythm, rhyme.

ks2 poetry homework

Mario Petrucci encourages writers to edit and redraft their work. At a glance: short poems, redrafting, riddles, the senses, reluctant writers.

Resources you can trust

KS2 SATs poem reading practice – Throwing a Tree

KS2 SATs poem reading practice – Throwing a Tree

This useful KS2 poetry resource features reading practice questions to support children in building poetry analysis and reading skills in preparation for the SATs.

What's included?

  • A printable sample SATs reading paper which includes an extract of the poem 'Throwing a Tree' by Thomas Hardy
  • Practice questions for SATs reading paper 2 based on the extract
  • An answer paper with mark scheme.

How are these KS2 SATs poem reading practice questions useful?

These practice questions offer students a chance to broaden and consolidate their reading paper skills, helping them become familiar with question types, wording, and textual analysis that they'll encounter in the exam.

How to use this SATs poetry resource for KS2?

Teachers can utilise this resource in the classroom for practice before the SATs. It can also be assigned as homework or used for revision to reinforce learning.

Looking for more like this?

If you find this resource helpful and need more of the same, do try our KS2 English reading comprehension section for additional resources.

A sample extract from the resource:

  • ‘Bearing two axes with heavy heads …’

Can you explain what the word ‘bearing’ means?

  • ‘The two executioners stalk along over the knolls …’

Why has the poet chosen the word ‘executioners’ to describe the men? Think about what the men are about to do.

  • Look at the verse beginning: ‘Jackets doffed …’

Find and copy a group of words that means the same as ‘a large cut’.

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ks2 poetry homework

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Introducing and exploring poetry

The activities in the resource will help you introduce poetry to P4-7 pupils – looking at reading, analysing, writing and performing poetry. At the bottom of this page you will find a video of Joseph Coelho reading the poem May from his collection  A Year of Nature Poems . You could use many of the activities in this resource with this poem and video.

  • Introducing poetry in the classroom resource (PDF) (this link will open in a new window) 382.6 kb
  • Introducing poetry in the classroom resource (DOC) (this link will open in a new window) 4.7 mb

Video Joseph Coelho: A Year of Nature Poems

ks2 poetry homework

Brockenhurst C of E Primary School & Pre-School

We enjoy and excel in the presence of god, yr 6 - comprehension homework.

ks2 poetry homework

I attach a poetry reading comprehension including the answer sheet (which is separate to the questions) for the children to complete as homework this week.

Kind regards

  • T2-E-1669-Year-6-Reading-Assessment-Poetry-Answer-Booklet PDF File
  • T2-E-1669-Year-6-Reading-Assessment-Poetry-Marking-Scheme PDF File
  • T2-E-1669-Year-6-Reading-Assessment-Poetry-Reading-Booklet PDF File

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Low ks3/High ability ks2 poetry worksheets

Low ks3/High ability ks2 poetry worksheets

Subject: English

Age range: 7-11

Resource type: Worksheet/Activity

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Last updated

12 June 2014

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Perfect. Thank you very much. I have some low ability KS3 students who hate poetry so I am more optimistic than normal, armed with your resources. Thanks

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  1. Poetry Packs, Activities and Games

    Year 5 and 6 English Morning Activities Narrative Poetry. 4.5 (8 reviews) Performing Poems with Confidence | Performance Poetry KS2 Lesson Pack. 4.8 (9 reviews) 'A Message from Your Brain' Growth Mindset Poem and Resource Pack. 4.8 (10 reviews) KS2 Simile Poem Lesson Pack. 4.3 (3 reviews)

  2. KS2 poems

    Nature poem templates. This KS2 poems download from poet Zaro Weil features poetry examples, poem templates and teacher notes to help you get your class having lots of imaginative fun with nature and poetry. One deadly breath. blasts from the giant. suddenly he is screeching to a halt. beside me.

  3. Primary School Poetry Resources

    Learn to write poems in a variety of styles with this great range of primary school poetry resources for Key Stage 2 (Year 3, Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6) students. These helpful resources on poetry include worksheets, planning materials, PowerPoints and more. Encourage children to read and write poems with figurative language (KS2) using these ...

  4. KS2 Poetry Detective Poem Analysis Worksheet

    A worksheet for KS2 pupils to use when analysing any poem. This poetry analysis worksheet is designed to be used with any poem in Key Stage 2. Whether you're looking at haikus, limericks, tankas, rhyming couplets, free verse or a range of other forms, the resource is sure to be useful. The activity asks children to consider different aspects of the poem, such as its purpose, the rhyming ...

  5. KS2 Understanding Poetry Teaching Pack

    Celebrate National Poetry Day with this inspiring poetry pack! This KS2 Understanding Poetry Teaching Pack is a fantastic resource for teaching poetry to KS2 students, or for a poetry analysis lesson. This pack aims to scaffold and support children in developing the skills they need to analyse and understand poetry. Using a range of classic poems and Twinkl originals, this pack reminds ...

  6. KS2 Poetry Pack

    This is a free set of twelve poems for Key Stage 2, exploring the theme of People and Characters. Each poem is available as a free downloadable, printable poster. There are also three free poetry teaching resources around fairytales, friendship, and clerihews. These include reading notes, class activities, and prompts for individual writing.

  7. Poems

    Year 4 KS2 English Poems learning resources for adults, children, parents and teachers. ... Nonsense poems don't always make sense, they often use made up words, mixed up with real words.

  8. Ks2 Poetry and plays worksheets

    Free worksheets: Poetry and plays, KS2. You'll need to login or Register first to access these worksheets for free. Once you've tried out our free worksheets, why not explore all our resources (1000s of worksheets, interactive tutorials, learning packs and more) with a 14-day FREE trial subscription.

  9. Poetry Comprehension KS2

    Browse our extensive Poetry Comprehension KS2 collection to find resources perfect for developing your pupils' reading skills and their knowledge of poetry. Including poems from William Blake, Rudyard Kipling, Enid Blyton and many more Twinkl original poems. These resources are fantastic for widening your pupils' experience with poetry.

  10. National Poetry Day 2024 Teaching Resources

    Talking Poetry. In these audio clips for 7-11 year-olds, six leading poets introduce and read some of their best-known poetry for children. There are also two additional selections of classic ...

  11. English KS2- Using metaphors in poetry

    English KS2- Using metaphors in poetry. Metaphors are a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable. This lesson focuses on using metaphors in poetry. It comes with an engaging powerpoint presentation and the related lesson plan, activity sheet and example poems.

  12. Year 3 poetry

    Sticking with a seasonal theme, this "Twas the Night Before Christmas' festive writing and poetry resources pack is perfect for Lower KS2. So keep pupils in Year 3 and year 4 engaged and motivated to write right up until Christmas using our writing pack based on the classic poem 'Twas the Night before Christmas by Clement Clarke Moore.

  13. Lessons

    In this lesson you'll create a class contract, watch, read, and discuss a poem about identity, written by primary school pupils at a school in Scotland, and write your own identity poems using a stem poem. Created as part of The Poetry Society's network for poets and teachers, Cloud Chamber. Key Stage 2.

  14. KS2 SATs poem reading practice I English I Teachit

    This useful KS2 poetry resource features reading practice questions to support children in building poetry analysis and reading skills in preparation for the SATs. What's included? An answer paper with mark scheme. How are these KS2 SATs poem reading practice questions useful? These practice questions offer students a chance to broaden and ...

  15. Primary School Poetry Resources

    Learn to write poems in a variety of styles with this great range of primary school poetry resources for Key Stage 2 (Year 3, Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6) students. These helpful resources on poetry include worksheets, planning materials, PowerPoints and more. Encourage children to read and write poems with figurative language (KS2) using these ...

  16. Classic Poems

    4.8 (4 reviews) Leisure KS2 Handwriting poems. 4.2 (4 reviews) The Way Through the Woods by Rudyard Kipling Poem Sheet. 4.1 (7 reviews) UKS2 Classic Poetry 60-Second Reads Activity Pack. KS2 Character Description through Dialogue Poster: Beowulf. 4.5 (2 reviews) The Highwayman Unit of Work Table.

  17. Poetry Homework Booklet

    pub, 245 KB. An A5 sized booklet for easy use with planners with three homework tasks based on the study of poetry. Tasks are project-based and include research, creative making and written tasks. Booklet also contains key words for a poetry unit and space for learners to record any new vocabulary they learn. Creative Commons "Sharealike".

  18. Introducing and exploring poetry

    Introducing and exploring poetry. The activities in the resource will help you introduce poetry to P4-7 pupils - looking at reading, analysing, writing and performing poetry. At the bottom of this page you will find a video of Joseph Coelho reading the poem May from his collection A Year of Nature Poems. You could use many of the activities ...

  19. Poetry Writing Aids

    Poetry is amazing for KS2 children's creativity and confidence. What's more, is that curriculum guidelines state that in KS2, pupils should: Listen to and discuss a wide range of texts, including, poetry. Prepare poems to read aloud and to perform, showing understanding through intonation, tone, volume and action.

  20. Brockenhurst C of E Primary School

    I attach a poetry reading comprehension including the answer sheet (which is separate to the questions) for the children to complete as homework this week. Kind regards. Mrs Hudson. T2-E-1669-Year-6-Reading-Assessment-Poetry-Answer-Booklet. PDF File. T2-E-1669-Year-6-Reading-Assessment-Poetry-Marking-Scheme.

  21. 92 Top "Poetry Homework" Teaching Resources curated for you

    92 Top "Poetry Homework" Teaching Resources curated for you. Complete the Metaphor or Simile 45 reviews. Finish the Metaphors and Similes worksheet 25 reviews. Poetry Response Worksheet 8 reviews. KS2 Woodland Poetry Differentiated Reading Comprehension Activity 4 reviews. Complete the Poem Activity 14 reviews.

  22. Low ks3/High ability ks2 poetry worksheets

    Low ks3/High ability ks2 poetry worksheets. Subject: English. Age range: 7-11. Resource type: Worksheet/Activity. supreme_316. 4.14 194 reviews. Last updated ... Perfect. Thank you very much. I have some low ability KS3 students who hate poetry so I am more optimistic than normal, armed with your resources. Thanks. Empty reply does not make any ...