Poetry Points

A Teaching Resource from Childrens Poet,
Andrew Collett. www.wackyverse.com
Poetry Points
Getting Children Started With Poetry.
To Do!
Poetry Points from Childrens Poet
Andrew Collett
Email Andrew or Play Games on www.wackyverse.com Email: [email protected]
Its As Easy As ....
mak Get the class to s as they as many object ink of. Now, possibly can th Its As Easy read the poem in that the As .... Expla ut things poem is all abo ssible to do. which are impo is their turn to Tell the class it amples of come up with ex ossible unlikely or imp happenings.
rt Before You Seta a list of
There should b e few problem s with this exerci se once childre n have found thei r way around th e poem. Howev er, as ideas can come fairly rap idly from children with th is piece, ask them to be high ly selective in their final choic e of suggestions. A s always, the more unusual th eir idea, the better!
Possible Proble m Areas
Objectives
ildren To enable to ch mple to produce a si a list poem using cture. prescribed stru
Get the childre n to look at the pictures on thei r sheet in order to prompt them with some initial ideas. W ith further prompting, the children should be able to com e up with plentiful exam ples on the thin gs it would be im possible to get their mothers, fathers, sisters and brothers to do. Read the poem to them again. Explain that they are go ing to borrow the structure of Its as easy as ... in their own ideas.
The Next Step
And Finally ...

ne which This poem is o self to readily lends it Get the performance. ose their children to cho he class are best idea. T erform a group now ready to p eryone poem. With ev the initial Its joining in with efore the as easy as ... b ch new idea, beginning of ea whole group. work round the
Andrew Collett
[email protected] - www.wackyverse.com
the ith your feet in w g in k al w as r. Its as easy big grizzly bea a le d d cu to g or tryin
air
Planet
Dragon
away your last sweet g in iv g as sy y. Its as ea me out and pla co to er h ac te r or asking you d es with one han o sh r u o y g in Its as easy as ty nd. to live on dry la ck u d a g in ll te r o tea ueen round for Q e th g in k as ee. Its as easy as own on one kn d e il d co o cr a or sitting cle tyre, retching a bicy st as sy ea as . s It put out his fire to n o g ra d a g or askin e sky, g the stars in th n ti n u co as sy Its as ea tie. dile to put on a co o cr a g in k or as a fright, g a ghost quite in iv g as sy ea Its as stay in at night. to at b a g in k as or laugh, ting the vicar to et g as sy ea as h. Its mp out the bat ju to er id sp a or asking of cake, is, its no piece th as sy ea as he! s It y toffee-tooth ac m f o d ri et g to trying
Crocodile
Duck
Genie
Fire
Flower
Dog
Shark
Kite
Tree To Do! Look at the pictures. You need to choose some of these to help you with your poem. For example, if you choose the snail then think of one thing a snail could never do! Of course, a snail could never win a race! So, your idea would look like this: Its as easy as getting a snail to win a race!
Witch
Snail
Elephant
Now think of your own ideas!

Sun
Andrew Collett
Time
Possible Proble m Areas With youn
Give the childre Ask them to of scrap paper. word slow write down the t on the on one and fas other. examples of Read out some e time seems situations wher d where it to go quickly an wly. Get seems to go slo ith their bits them to vote w lding them up of paper by ho n. for each situatio
Start Before You n two pieces
ger children th e whole concept of tim e appearing to pass slowly or quickly may be difficult to dem onstrate. Som e children comm only answer th at trains and aero planes go quic kly. So, plenty of p re-work in the oral stage migh t be needed wit h this age group. You might like to use some of the example situations on th e pupil sheet to overcome this.
Objectives
To develop an poem individual list ction through the sele est of childrens b ideas. in To perform this front ass. of the whole cl
The Next Step

Get the childre n to make two columns o n a scrap of paper with the titles slow and fast. Tel l them that you are lookin g for unusual and odd ideas. In other words, original ity! Some will ask if the p oem, like that on the shee t, has to rhyme. Rhym e can stifle creativity at th is stage - they can work on th at later.
And Finally ...

n to choose Get the childre from their their best idea ind them that own list. Rem g for ideas they are lookin ly very that are probab those of different from ass. They others in the cl to perform are now ready poem! their time piece
Andrew Collett
ing a race When Im runn eue, or stood in a qu my grandmas when Im left at do. with nothing to l alone When Im sat al e to go, or with nowher oments these are the m ses slow. when time pas ing a game When Im play s hand, or holding Dad s through puddle g in n n ru m I when h sand. or building wit bing a tree When Im clim e air, or snow fills th oments these are the m o time to spare! when theres n
Listening to music.
Being told off.
Being in love!
Waiting in a queue.
Waiting for a parcel.
Talking to your friends.
Being small.
Going on holiday.
Slow
Fast
When Im waiting for my mum to get off the phone.

To Do! Use this sheet to write down as many ideas for when time seems to pass slowly or quickly. Use the ideas in the boxes to help, but include plenty of your own! Now you are ready to write your own list poem. Begin each line with Time passes slowly when .. or Time passes quickly when ...
Eating chocolate. Christmas Day! Watching my favourite football team score! Spending money!
When Im having my teeth pulled out! When Im eating cabbage yuck!
Andrew Collett
Riddles
Ask everyone object. They the name of an yone what this must not tell an yes and no is. Playing the will now work game children r one another fo in pairs to ask identity of clues about the hildren cannot their object. C es or no in answer with y estions. This response to qu in formulating will help them clues.
u Start Before Yo to write down
Children will p robably have problems in un derstanding qu ite what constitute s a riddle. Clu es offered by chil dren as to the nature of their object are unlikely to be su btle. At this stage stress that their clues must tell the truth or encourage them to use half-tru ths. In other words, not to g ive too much away!
Objectives
that To demonstrate ways there are many object of describing an get or person. To fully children to care oice consider their ch writing of language in r poem. a description o
tep Explain to the class that they are all going to be real detectives and that they must work out what the two poems are about. Rea d the riddles line-by-line. A sk children to jot down what they think the poem is about. Stop before the last give-aw ay line. Get the children to justify their answers. Now reveal the truth. Get them to fill out the ridders grid with their clues.
The Next S
The children m boxes with place objects in le in the lid. only a small ho might like to Other children entity by guess as to its id ct and feeling the obje f clues written reading a set o ildren might on the box. Ch a set of like to generate r classroom riddle labels fo e reader cupboards. Th e to guess would then hav their contents.
ally ... And Finig ht like to
Andrew Collett
all the time Its around you uch it at all, but you cant to y big its neither ver y small. and neither ver and chips, It smells of fish e that. or anything lik thin Its not so very fat. and not so very e table Its there on th y chair, and under ever d to read a poem its what we nee l call air! its what we al
What roars wit hout a mouth and spits witho ut a tongue? What can keep alive the old but hurt the ver y young? What runs in al l directions whilst stretchin g ever higher? What is it? D ont you know ? Its something we call fire.
could What one thing our never go with y object?
ht you How often mig ? see your object
ange If you could ch would its name, what you call it?
would Say where you r never find you object.
To Do! Think of an object. It needs to be something everyone in your class is likely to have heard about. Now, look at the grid. See if you can answer the questions. Finished? Now you have the start of your riddle. Order your ideas into sentences!
e thing Write down on with that goes well bject. your mystery o is too Do not make th obvious! What one thing your object never do? could
ed Draw a disguis object r picture of you elow. in the square b
Andrew Collett
LOVE IS ........
rt Before You Sta

. Discuss Read the poem can somehow difficult it along with times be to get y. Get your own famil me up with a everyone to co they have had situation where d not to lose to try really har ith someone in their temper w his will readily their family. T ours and relate to neighb friends.
hole discussion process might turn into a moaning and groaning sessio n about brother s and sisters. To a point, this is to be welcomed so long as it does not overid e the ultimate purpose of the task. Some children might also not have the maturi ty to consider love in the con text of their brother or sister so this will need to be exp lained.
Possible Proble m Areas The w
Objectives
po To write a list em. to To ask children consider their elings thoughts and fe eir in relation to th d own family an friends.
The Next Step

After sharing th eir initial ideas the child ren might wan t to use the pupil help sheet. This asks them to write down their own ideas about what sometimes ann oys them about member s of their own family. The g rid is just to get them starte d and most children should be able to extend their id eas fairly readily.
t like to make a Children migh ificate detailing friendship cert they consider all the qualities ust have. This a good friend m extended to a could easily be /sister good brother certificate. p t like to develo Children migh e most a top ten of th s for each annoying habit r own family. member of thei
And Finally ...
Andrew Collett
Read the sentences and see if you can fill in the gaps with your own ideas. The hardest thing to do for my best friend would be to:
youre sorry Love is saying face, when red in the best friend or letting your race. come first in a r mum Its asking you ood day, if shes had a g dad or telling your rning grey. that hes not tu r sister Its buying you r, a big cuddly bea ys to r u or sharing yo ways fair. when its not al r brother Its helping you kite, to find his lost ory or reading his st night. at least once a g away Love is lookin ase you when others te e things, for, of all of th est to do! love is the hard
................................................................... The hardest thing to do for my worst friend would be to: ................................................................ The hardest thing to do for my mum would be to: ............................................................................. The hardest thing to do for my dad would be to: ........................................................................... The hardest thing to do for my brother would be to ............................................................................ The hardest thing to do for my sister would be to: .............................................................................. Think about your neighbour, your teacher, your grandma or grandad, the dinner lady, the Prime Minister, your pet, in fact ..... anyone you can think of! Continue these on the back of this sheet! Use your ideas to start your list poem. So, if the hardest thing to do for your sister would be to let her borrow your things, then your poem would start like this: Love is letting my sister borrow my things.
To Do! Think of the very hardest thing you might have to do for everyone you know. Fill in the gaps on the sentences already started for you, then add some more of your own on paper. Think of all the different members of your family there are: cousins, grandparents, nephews, nieces etc
Andrew Collett
Trees
Firm guidance will probably be needed on ex actly what objects might b e brought into school - you m ay prefer to choose these y ourself! As in any imaginativ e activity there will be many w ho will write down only thei r first responses to th e five senses activities.
bri Ask children to me. From object from ho oing to these they are g itial simile attempt some in e five work. Using th ue, have senses techniq their objects in children place others cannot a close box so the children see. Orally, get at their object to describe wh like ....., feels is like: smells like ..... etc
tart Before You S ng an
Objectives
ls of To develop skil ugh description thro simile work.
It is now time to take the children out in to the playground to find some trees! Having already worked with th e structure of a simile, ask th em to fill in the pupil work sheet. They may want to pla ce several ideas into each box and extend these on to rough paper. Bark ru bbings are a good place to st art in order to get the children to think about the textu re of their tree.
The Next Step
. Get the Read the poem l their ideas in children to poo d to choose small groups an person. They two from each to put this are now ready roup poem together as a g ally ... use the piece. And fin dren brought objects the chil play area. in to make a dis h the different Label these wit each child. responses from
And Finally ...
Andrew Collett
Trees
Its older than .....
than a giant My trees taller a bus, its wider than our football team its larger than ze of us. ten times the si a hedgehog Its rough like wn and hard, with skin all bro lamppost it stands like a on guard. or a soldier left wind It creaks in the ing chair, like an old rock pass it rustles as you its there. to let you know my grandad Its older than us all, its wiser than garden our tree in the and tall. stretching high
It stands like a .....
Its wider than a .....
It makes a noise like .....
Its taller than a ...
Its rough like a.....
It smells like a
g My bark rubbin
My leaf rubbin
To Do! Choose a tree. See how many of the boxes you can fill with your own similes. Visit other trees so that you can fill as many boxes as possible. Do not write down the first thing which comes into your head. Consider you answers carefully and take plenty of time to stop and stare at your tree. Now put your ideas into sentences.
Andrew Collett
Clouds
of a typical Draw a picture the fluffy cloud on he children blackboard. T recognise it as will obviously them to take a such. Now ask study one or few moments to et them to two clouds. G fact, very few consider that, in our version on will look like y the board.
rt Before You Sta
Children may n ot be able to see or fully spo t a shape or picture. Encourage chil dren not to necessarily loo k for complete pic ture shapes. Suggest that a cloud might look like a dra gon with no teeth etc
Objectives
drens To develop chil incts by imaginative inst look at getting them to s in an everyday object unusual light. ildren to To introduce ch metaphors.
The Next Step

Take the childre n outside and ask them to sket ch three very different cloud s. They will need to use rou gh paper at first in preparat ion for their more detailed an d final efforts. Ask them what the shape of each reminds th em of. Do enforce that th ere is no right or wrong answ er.
And Finally ...

n to illustrate Get the childre eir ideas. They and develop th dd to their may want to a elop shape pieces and dev eir original poems using th ideas.
Andrew Collett
Clouds
landing Its a spaceship r, its a grizzly bea ch it its a wicked w air. its a giants ch lver Its a puff of si wide, its a snowdrop crashing its a wave when slide. its a mountain tower Its a dragons roud, its a swan all p s castle its a snowman oud! its my magic cl
A face with two noses A feather duster A puff of smoke
To Do! Choose four clouds to sketch. Make sure they are very different from one another in shape and, if possible, colour. Once you have done this write down all of the things that the shape and size of your cloud reminds you of. Remember, it can be anything at all. Take plenty of time with each one and see if you can come up with some really unusual ideas.
Andrew Collett
Without You
u Start Before Yo to make a list
Get the class rs of objects of as many pai h might or animals whic gether. normally go to chips to From fish and d cream this stawberries an few should present unger problems. Yo e need to be children may b prompted!
There should b e few problem s of understandin g when using such a simple st ructure as this. However , the danger of such an exercise could be that children opt fo r only the simplest of pai red words.
Objectives
mple list To develop a si iven poem using a g structure. ort To perform a sh s. poem to the clas
The Next Step

Ask children to be selective in their choice of pairs. Get them to grade their ideas out of ten as to wh ich they think are the most un usual and interesting. T hat is, those which are least likely to have been used by so meone else. Otherwise we may end up with a list of b uckets and spades and m ice and cheese! Use the themes opposite to get them thinking.
And Finally ...

piece lends This particular pid drama itself to some ra dren to work as work. Ask chil strating a a pair in demon illustrate their simple action to ideas. ropriate, allow Finally, as app the ending of them to borrow e their piece a my poem to giv re. sense of structu
Andrew Collett
Planets And
Space
Plants Flowers and Your Body
Without you Im like a street with no name Im like a ship without sea or a firework without flame. Without you Im like a duck on dry land, for whatever I do you always understand!
The Queen
Christmas
To Do! Think of as many pairs of objects which normally go together. You might find the pictures on this paper useful in getting started with your ideas. For example, if you looked at the picture of Santa you could make a list of all the Christmas things which normally go together. Make a long list of as many as you can
Transport Food
Computers
Andrew Collett
Autumn
For this to work well, the children will n eed to collect as much inform ation on autumn as poss ible. A nature walk around th e school together with so me photographs to extend their experience wil l clearly help to develop their id eas.
rt Before You Sta
n to come up Ask the childre bjects which with a list of o outside. For we would find hedgehogs, example, trees, ds, flowers, leaves, cars, bir to explain in etc. Ask them are changed what ways they f autumn. by the arrival o ht be: Some ideas mig ng, cobwebs windows misti sparkling etc
Objectives
en-ended To write an op using the list poem piece of given very minimum structure. develop To extend and standing childrens under asons. of changes in se
The Next Step

You should by now be gathering some useful vocabulary. T he above is best tackled in groups. Now, ask child ren to consider what arrivals th ere are in autumn, as opp osed to simply listing objects which are affected. You could consider frost, dew, fire works, ice, conkers, fog, et c. Ask them to list an action word for each: fog falls, firew orks shoot etc
. Read my poem rk through the children to wo rs in the box connecting pai their initial and add these to ropriate and, ideas. As app ility, the according to ab e able to children may b eas into extend their id similes: r coughing Autumn is a ca man first ........ like an old rning. thing in the mo ady to write! They are now re
y ... And Finall Get the
Andrew Collett
Autumn Is A shadow tall ld, A splash of go , A day cut short , cold. d n One playgrou A conker race et, A crunch of fe A lazy wasp eat. One fireside tr A tree left bare right, A classroom b g A flower foldin white. One morning, A sinking sun d, A painted worl A robins song , curled. One hedgehog A silver mist own, A cowbwebs cr A magic dressed wn. In autumns go
birds cars chimneys puddles people fog flowers clocks cobwebs children bonfires conkers coats shadows
die stretch sneeze blaze fall sparkle go back appear shiver hangs go home smoke choke freeze
To Do! See if you can join up each of the pairs of words in the box above. The first one is done for you. There are not necessarily any right answers. Now, with your first thoughts see if you can choose your best ideas and write these out with the starting title of Autumn Is Remember new idea, new line.
Andrew Collett
Water Words
Theres no sub situte for being able to observe the rain falling prior to attempting this poem. Howev er, as the weather is rare ly likely to oblige, I have in cluded an extension shee t to help develop ideas to wards the end of the activity.
rt Before You Sta

all the things Make a list of ything to do which have an with water: m engines, saucepans, stea es, drains, clouds, hosepip the extended boats etc. Use ith this. sheet to help w
Objectives
of To develop use similes using a cture. prescribed stru
The Next Step

Look at the pu pil sheet. Ask children to try and match up those words in the circle which best wo rk with those in the square. There should be scope for dis cussion and argument over this. Use plenty of p hotographs and pictures to generate ideas. ideas from Add those inital ing session to the brainstorm eet. those on the sh nsion sheet, try Using the exte ries of simile to develop a se sentences.
And Finally ...
Andrew Collett
Water r d then disappea an h as cr es av W ear, e no one can h er h w le d ad p giants low e stars shooting k li ce ra s p ro d rain go. with nowhere to and rivers rush e sea k down under th Shipwrecks crea a, le just before te saucepans sizz spin like snakes in a s is h es ip p se ho in. le under their sk and drains gurg hot l steaming and Baths bubble al ot, om out of its p coffee pours fr ay, to warn you aw ar ro s ll fa er at u say. w to hear what yo t ai w ls el w g wishin oor en left by the d Buckets tip wh onto the floor, umbrellas drip into the ground t el m en m w o sn er sound! lash like no oth sp s n to g n li el and w
snow taps soap kettles clouds hosepipes pipes ice waves rivers wellingtons
tears
waterfalls saucepans ducks
slides gurgle roar
drip bubble splash To Do! steam melts rumble foam swim thunder
See if you can match up the circle words to those in the square. There wont be answers for every one, so see if you can add words of your own. Use the EXTENSION sheet to complete your ideas.
twist
gush hiss
float burst race roll drizzles
Andrew Collett
If Children Ruled THE WORLD.
rt Before You Sta
em which can This is a fun po serious issues. also work with ssion about all Initiate a discu ren are the things child the world. unhappy with in that they can Try to set a rule and one have one fun tion. So, serious sugges uld be as suggestions co g to eat simple as havin e number of vegetables or th e world. wars around th
The danger is th at suggestions made by childre n will not be balanced or co nsidered. There will be th e usual get rid of all schoo ls or ban adults. Thes e ideas can be edited-out at th e selection stage. Howev er, do encourage off-b eat and unusual - if im practical ideas like centr al heating for playgrounds or snow in July!
Objectives
st To develop a li poem. ssion To initiate discu on issues of oung importance to y people.
The Next Step

Suggest to chil dren that they are going to be in charge of the world for a day. There will be immed iate enthusiasm for this idea with suggestions of free sweets, banning of sch ool etc. Using the one fun and one serious rule as k them to develop a TOP TEN of rules they would mak e. Try to encourage fres h ideas for rules rather than simply a ban on those made by adults!
e line If Starting with th the world, children ruled dren to list encourage chil his is best their ideas. T tively. Spindone collabora uld be a offs from this co h children board game wit h their own working throug with penalties ideas and rules ese. This for breaking th od way into a activity is a go le playing wide range of ro activities.
And Finally ...
Andrew Collett
All schools would be close to the seaside.
If Children Ruled The World If children ruled the world vegetables would be banned and adults sent to bed at eight right across the land. Teachers would wear uniform and be told what to do, theyd have to sit in rows all day with no trips to the loo. Weekends would be sunny school dinners would taste great, grannies wouldnt try to kiss and parents wouldnt be late. Things would be much better, if only for a day, so come on children everywhere its time to get our way.
No more pollution of our atmosphere
PE Lessons EVERY DAY!
An END to BULLIES
MORE FUN science experiments!
To Do! You are going to write a list of all the things you would like to see in the world - all the things which might change it for the better. From stopping cruelty to animals to having more PE lessons, you should have plenty of ideas. Silly ideas like central heating for playgrounds are a good choice too! Try to choose one sensible for every silly idea!
SNOW in July
We would SAVE THE WHALE
Andrew Collett
Wongastare What A Save!

In any football poem piece it is too easy to g et distracted with talk of T HE GAME. There are gener ally very few problems with this activity. However, the h umour of the piece relies on the children collecting odd-b all items for their poem. S o they will need to choose these very carefully.
rt Before You Sta
and fun This is a simple off by activity. Start s some reading the clas . See football poetry t 10. extension shee of scope There is plenty usion of here for the incl l chants, simple footbal e on the claps and debat team in the best football , of course, world. Which nited! is Newcastle U
Objectives
st To develop a li poem. To dren encourage chil to think out imaginatively ab useless objects.
The Next Step

Were looking to collect a list of as many odd things as possible - the st ranger and the more usele ss the better! This could incl ude empty pop cans, flat footb alls even second-hand fi reworks ... childrens sugg estions do not have to exist. Encourage children to INV ENT their own useless ob jects like fireproof match es or an inflatable dart board.
s struct Using the poem eed to replace children will n their own. my ideas with nds itself This activity le a work with readily to dram ng their own children creati aim the adverts to procl own virtues of their ags or waterproof teab ocks. As a silent alarm cl ng adverts, see way into creati RTISING A ways of ADVE sion 5. POEM - Exten
And Finally ...ure,
Andrew Collett
What A Save Our school goalie saves beer mats and little bits of chalk, he saves old rubber bands and parrots which wont talk. He saves double-sided playing cards and doughnuts with no hole, its just a shame our goalie cant ever save a goal!
MORE CRAZY IN VENTIONS Self-stick frying pan Umbrella with a skylight Unsinkable subm arine Waterproof spon ge Silent alarm cloc k Waterproof teab ags Underwater hair dryer See-through blin ds A cordless bung ee jump Black highlighter pen Inflatable dartbo ard
IONS CRAZY INVENT skimos A freezer for E eads Combs for bald-h Diet celery r helicopters Ejector seats fo es Fireproof match -belts at Motorcycle se tape Non-stick Sello water Reduced calorie works Second-hand fire
To Do! Make a list of as many useless objects as you can think of: empty pop cans, flat footballs etc. However, to make your ideas more interesting, look at my list of crazy and really useless objects. See if you can come up with some of you own. Use these to re-write my poem about a goalkeeper who saved EVERYTHING except GOALS!
Andrew Collett
Attention
There should b e few problem s here, although some children will need to be steered away from examples which could perhaps be con sidered as silly. Humour, of co urse, is always welcomed. Th ere is plenty of scope for humo ur within this piece.
Start Before You make a list
Get the class to s which they of all the thing to do. Get would not like er such areas them to consid would not as clothes they wearing, want to be seen uld not want people they wo , places they to be seen with etc. The would never go the examples more extreme riginal the then the more o ely to be. end piece is lik
Objectives
mple list To develop a si iven poem using a g structure.
Get the childre n to share their ideas. Workin g in groups, ask them to pu t on their editors hat to decide which ideas might be worth including in th e piece. Encourage the use of rhyming couple ts, as appropriate. H owever, do not make this a requirement. As in all poetry efforts, rhyme will com e with confidence wh en the writer is ready to includ e this.
The Next Step
And Finally ...

ould now The children sh ection of have a raw coll to look at ideas. Get them of my cture the simple stru to place the poem. Ask them within eas best of their id the first and the structure of In other last two lines. r own ideas in words, put thei n. place of my ow
Andrew Collett
Attention Seeker My brother will: stand on his head, try to play dead, pull funny faces, wear coloured braces, climb a tall tower, get dressed in the shower, hang upside-down, dress like a clown, in fact, anything you mention, just to get Mums attention!
To Do! Try to think of all the things you would never want to do. Your ideas could be to do with places you would never want to visit, people you would never want to be seen with or even clothes you would never want to wear. When you have your ideas, see if you can replace some of my own ideas in this poem.
Andrew Collett
Revolting Recipes
rt Before You Sta

ildren in Immerse the ch e. Roald revolting rhym ious choice Dahl is an obv you might here. Though e work of also consider th om an ex-teacher fr Children Lincolnshire!! e the always welcom cuss the freedom to dis s of cow unmentionable cks. pats and dirty so

The obvious pro blem here is that this activit y could develop into a session devoted to bod ily functions. Ground rules n eed to be set and the point m ade that humour needs to be subtle and not too ob vious. This activity is theref ore something I would only at tempt with a group of childre n I knew well.
Objectives
drens To develop chil wide awareness of a uage: variety of lang f the the language o mote recipe. To pro the fun factor in writing.
The Next Step

Writing revoltin g recipes requires a lot o f maturity from the childre n. They need to decide betw een what ingredients are horrible but funny and what are simply plain rude. S o, ask them to collect together as many horrible items as they can: green socks, old earwax ... try to get them to pair these up with different k inds of foods: cowpat cake! See Extension shee t 6.
And Finally ...

have a good Children should olting food selection of rev got mincemeat ideas, from mag at ffings. Look to dandruff stu to explore the cookery books cipe. See the language of a re suggested pupil sheet for ow children vocabulary. N er y to put togeth should be read e or more of a recipe for on dishes .... they their revolting e them! could even mak
Andrew Collett
mer m i s sea son
scr amb le
flav our l boi ste
st roa pick le w stu ff
Revolting Recipes
Pour in a pimple, squeezed freshly today with two maggots still juicy and fat, then drop in some dandruff, fluffy and light, from the hair of a flea-covered rat.
ve a w ro mic poa ch
batter
Then bring to the boil, for ten minutes or more, adding two toenails to make it a treat, then stir in a sock, going green down below from the smelliest of dirty great feet. Flick in a fingernail, drip in some dung, dice-up the dead skin from your toes, before whisking it up with a dozen wasp wings and the dribble from a dogs nose. Then serve it all with blisters and boils and bluebottles which havent been fed, and after a mouthful youll work-out why they call this best belly-burn spread.
bake
To Do! Read as many revolting rhymes as you can find. See extension sheet 7 for examples. See if you can invent some ideas for revolting recipes. See extension sheet 6 for some ideas on this. Choose one of your revolting ideas and, using the cookery language on the pupil page, see if you can invent a recipe to turn your teachers faces green!
ste am
barbe cue
Andrew Collett
sky eyes hot dogs pets rockets
Firework Night
hands
bonfire toffee apples
The best way in ren to have had is for the child iate recent or immed onfire Night. experience of B asion which As this is an occ ve, then there most children lo obstacles to should be few ait until the inspiration. W re Night day after Bonfi an impromptu before inciting childrens chat about the evening.
Start Before You to this poem
dren begin to co llect their bonfire nig ht words together, they w ill automatically add words to cl arify these. Those sausages could be sizzling and th ose rockets racing. This is an on-going process so enco urage this. They may wan t to invent thei r own sound wo rds and onomatopoeic words.
Possible Proble m A As the chil reas
Objectives
OUD To develop a L rmance poem for perfo at of two using the form words per line.
Children will so on be spilling over w ith tales, exaggerated an d otherwise, of their own bo nfire experiences ... the biggest rocket, brighte st catherine wheel, loudest cracker etc. Get them to m ake a list of all the things they can remember. Fro m cheers to chattering teeth , bonfires to baked potatoes - there should be plenty to wri te about.
The Next Step
elo In order to dev se the FIVE ideas further, u se to help SENSES exerci ng list of develop a stro and action onomatopoeic ups, operate a words. In gro ion as system of select pair their children try to with these. bonfire words e as children Encourage nois h reading and experiment wit e as part of performing thes Extension 9 their selection.
lly ... And Finap childrens
Andrew Collett
soar
bang
shriek
dazzle
fizz
Firework Night
shoot
scatter
explode
Bonfires blazing children gazing fireworks flashing, people dashing, jumps gymnastic colours fantastic planet-chasing rocket-racing faces glowing crowds all growing! Stars in flight, on firework night.
whiz
To Do! Write down as many things as you can remember about bonfire night. Try giving one or twoword answers. Ideas might include catherine wheels, rockets, stars, bonfire, toffee apples etc. Now, see how many SOUND & ACTION works you can collect. Try whiz, bang, whirr, shriek, roar etc Try to match your words with those in your first list. .
Andrew Collett
Maths Kennings
rt Before You Sta

ildren to make Ask the the ch things they can a list of all the have a think of which h maths. This connection wit large sheets of is best done on ing space scrap paper leav ord. around each w broad and as These can be as ildren like. general as the ch

Children will h ave no problem in list ing items connected with maths. Where they mig ht find problems is in the concept of listing properti es of items. Whilst they wil l be able to list the basic funct ion of an object, they mig ht find it difficult to exte nd this.
Objectives
words in To juggle with away order to explain ematical common math uipment concepts and eq new way. in a novel and
The Next Step

The children ar e now going to list the prop erties of some of their objects as well as the jobs that they p erform and their overall im portance. These can be sc ribbled on the large paper aro und the chosen word. For example, on time, proper ties and uses might include - keeping a date or for bein g the mostwatched item in the last half an hour of scho ol.
And Finally ...

ildren to read In pairs, get ch tions to each out their descrip er child will other. The oth hat this item need to guess w an exercise might be. Such ten the writers serves to heigh ses as he argues descriptive sen as to exactly with the other ed and what has what he intend . It should been described write! now be time to
Andrew Collett
Maths Kennings
Scales ure pboard-creat u c a e r y e h T her, weights-teac recipe-maker diet-breaker cake-mixer fixer and postage-
Maths Problem Its a brain-teas er mind-squeezer, pencil-stopper head-popper patience-tester, and number wre stler!
Money Its a happiness-spre ader problem-shedder power-giver luxury-liver life starter its paper barter!
To Do! Make a list of as many mathematical objects and concepts as you can possibly think of. Leave plenty of space around each of these. Now, around your objects and concepts, try to list some of the jobs these perform. The more off-beat or unusual the job the better. Read the above poems - its now time to have a go yourself!
Andrew Collett
Look Twice
SEE EXTENSION SHEET EIGHT
rt Before You Sta

ing the sheet Start with shar LUSIONS. on OPTICAL IL asers should These visual te n into a prompt childre ifferent ways discussion on d bjects. Pupils of looking at o ese and will always enjoy th some off-beat often throw up for the interpretations courage this. drawings. En
This is a difficu lt piece to tackle and will need plenty of pre-work. Ho wever, once children under stand the idea their imaginatio ns will usually run riot with su ggestions. There will be so me who cant see anything. Remind them that they are no t necessarily looking for the whole object they must fill in any gaps with their imaginatio ns!
Objectives
To encourage k at children to loo s everyday object in a new light.
The Next Step

Read the poem EVERYDAY OBJECTS. A s you get to the second or th ird verses, children should be getting some notion of what will be required of them . Prompt them for their own suggestions bef ore reading those in the po em. Now ask them to make a quick note of as many animals, object s etc as they can think of. al/obje Using the anim to get listing, in order sider looking children to con jects through at everyday ob animal or the eyes on an creature. gsaw puzzle To a mouse a ji g or an is crazing pavin st the big aeroplane is ju d. brother of a bir your to Extend this cts. See the inanimate obje further ideas. pupil sheet for
. And Finally .. ct
The
Andrew Collett
Look Twice
the o p s a r e els. r d n i a R ng ps of a teardro
A street light is a spaceship just landed with one foot on the ground, two halves of a cymbal with none of its sound. Thats what a street light is. An old woollen sock is a snakes sleeping bag one half of a pair, a nose-bag to niff if ever you dare. Thats what a woollen sock is. A bathroom sink is a swimming pool for midgets an ocean of one, a wet waterfall quickly undone. Thats what a bathroom sink is.
nts is a gia d n i w the The ooling c , h t a bre world.
A telegraph pole is a toothpick for giants a man long and thin, a tree straightened out, one very large pin. Thats what a telegraph pole is. A letter box is a man without teeth a metal suitcase, a person whos gone all red in the face. Thats what a letter box is. All things are giants and dragons, or tiny white mice, in fact, anything you want, if you care to look twice!
The moon is a silver button: one push and night time is over
To Do! Make a list of animals or objects. Using EXTENSION SHEET 8 you are going to try and imagine one thing your animal or object can see. However, you are not looking at this one thing through YOUR eyes, but through the eyes of your animal or object. What do you think it could suggest - think SIZE:
The stars are tiny windows opening and closing in the night sky.
Andrew Collett
In A World Without Maths
rt Before You Sta

think of all Ask children to e use maths the times that w ry to get them in our lives. T e of the less to consider som les, such as obvious examp hs in major the role of mat , predicting sporting events nning the weather, ru the massive computers and ave on our impact these h lives.
ld be few prob lems here. Its help ful to have plenty of visual pompts to really get them to consider that maths contribu tes to the most mundane as wel l as the more spectacular asp ects of our lives - from the read ing of a gas meter to how m issiles find thei r targets.
Possible Proble m A There shou reas
Objectives
that To demonstrate gral maths is an inte f our and vital part o lives. To put le list together a simp t this. poem to reflec
The Next Step

By now, childre n should have a good stock o f ideas. If not, encourage them to browse through inform ation books in your library to really get a good cross-sec tion of ideas. Notes can be ta ken in the form of the obje ct/event etc and the role mat hs plays in this. For exam ple, fitting carpets = know ledge of area. Carpenter - kn owledge of measurement.
And Finally ...

. to the children Read my poem to borrow the They are going piece, structure of this beginning, hout maths In a world wit .............. theyd be no .... r this poem can The formula fo ed to other readily be appli d without areas ... a worl , roads etc .... science, history
Andrew Collett
In A World Without Maths

In a world without maths theyd be no maps to plot no pyramids to climb, no shapes to spot. Theyd be no money to spend no trains on time no graphs to shade, no rhythm to rhyme. Theyd be no bills to pay no roads to plan, in a world without maths wed all be in a jam!
Whats the lon gest piece of furni ture in a school?

To Do! Consider all of the ways in which maths is used in our lives. Try to imagine some of the more unusual and perhaps more powerful uses of maths. Read my poem. Using the structure, In world without maths .... add some of your own thoughts of what a world without maths would really be like.
The multiplica tion table!
Andrew Collett
Maths Epitaphs
rt Before You Sta

y epitaphs as Dig-out as man the pupil sheet you can. See al examples. for some gener ily lend These will read me themselves to so ma work. improvised dra hs should be Writing epitap r group plenty fun so give you erse of time to imm e language of themselves in th these.

Epitaphs use p uns and wordplay as part of their appeal and humour. These can be difficult to exp lain. A good way around this might be to start the sessio n with the sharing of som e jokes from the children - al ways a rich source of puns and plays on words.
Objectives
me of the To consider so and characteristics hs qualities of mat ply these concepts and ap morous to a piece of hu verse.
The Next Step

Write down a li st of mathematical v ocabulary. Write beside ea ch word a possible cause of its imagined death . Money - fancied a change. Clockwise - bec ame foolish. Now, look agai n at the example epitap hs. These should provide a framework and structure fo r some of the childrens idea s.
And Finally ...

uck, a good If someone is st ent a way in is to inv maths birthplace for a e lies the concept .... Her from York/ body of a cube this allows Hull/Greece ... ming patterns. for endless rhy
Andrew Collett
No one can believe it its broken the nation, for it is the death of multiplication. am The body of the kilogr d has been finally foun r good after being beaten fo by the English pound! Everyone thought, being so clever, that multiplication co uld go on forever.
A number passed away without any fuss, when it was deleted by a large abacus.
General Epitaphs
den Traffic War rave ic wardens g f f a tr e th t A to pine, no-one stops f the meter on account o ellow line.! and double-y Rosehip Rosehip, the fortune-telle r, here lies dea d, she could ha ve saved her self if shed only looked ahead !
To Do! Read the maths and general epitaphs. In pairs, see if you can act-out one or more of these. The more over-the-top you are with these, the funnier they will appear. Make a list of as many maths concepts as you can. Write down ways in which they might have met their maker. Now, have a go yourself at writing a maths epitaph!
Green Fingers Here lies the body of a gardener from Leeds, so do please take a cutting if youre after some seeds!
Andrew Collett
Weights & Measures
rt Before You Sta

s, grams, From kilogram etres, metres, centim . perhaps even millimetres .... ..... jot down a imperial units ays in which list of all the w re the world we try to measu around us.
ill occur if children dont know the value of various weig hts and measures. Pre -work on this is obviously im portant. Children migh t simply list things that are a centimetre/ metre long. T hey need to think imaginat ively about their ideas. A centimetre might be a a fa irys wink, a spiders smile etc ....
Possible Proble m reas ProblemsA w
Objectives
eightened To develop a h l sense of spatia extend awareness. To arning mathematical le of into the realms inations. childrens imag
The idea for th is activity is simple. You w ill be asking th e children to con sider all of the things which m ight be the length of a cen timetre, metre etc or weigh a gram, kilogram and so on. Ask children to consider some of the less obvious examp les. Prime them with som e poetry which relies heavily o n imagery and point them in th e direction of the possible th emes for these on the pupil pag e.
The Next Step
And Finally ...

f ge some sort o Try to encoura ss with ideas selection proce l inevitably as children wil llection of have a large co suggestions. fairly obvious y general Borrow the ver poem to structure of my ample for each generate an ex . unit of measure
Andrew Collett
Weights & Measures
POSSIBLE THEMES animals the sea ice taps waves jewels frost waterfalls clouds
THEMES USE THESE U THINK TO HELP YO UP A WIDE OF SELECTION IDEAS!
rivers snow
A millimetre is a distant star, a spark from a firework or a door left ajar. A centimetre is a bee standing still a gentle snowflake or a giants pill. A metre is nearly a leap, or how wide I stretch when fast asleep. And a kilometre is too far to run, a breath of wind and one step to the sun.
stars
To Do! Jot down all the units of measure you can think of. These will include kilograms, grams, metres, millilitres etc. Read the poem. This lists a handful of objects, sometimes real, sometimes imagined, that correspond to centimetres, metres etc. See how many ideas you can think of for each unit of measure.
Why did the n umber pull a silly fa ce? It was trying to do some mental m aths.
Andrew Collett
Shapes
Possible Proble m Areas Children
Take the childre e playground, classroom to th ct anywhere the field - in fa ht be where there mig see a wide opportunity to ings, trees and variety of build interest. Tell other points of are all being them that they - they are shape detectors es or bits of looking for shap in everyday shapes hidden items.
Start Before You n out of the
can find imagin ative work difficult. They may complain that th ey cant see anything. Mu ch pre-work w ill have to be don e if they are to challenge and re-examine the world around th em. First suggestions are likely to be fairly basic: tria ngle in roof eaves, rectangle gardens etc. These are fine as a starting point.
Objectives
ildren To encourage ch atively to think imagin ating whilst consolid e about their knowledg f given the properties o shapes.
Get them to jo t down some basic shapes: sq uare, circle, rectangle etc. Around these, they wil l need to write down all that they can see which use all, or part of these shapes. So, they may not be able to sp ot anything with a full trian gle, but may note that, perh aps, two edges of a grass border might look like a triangle which, perhaps, has been half eaten.
The Next Step
And Finally ...

a very simple My poem uses h verse will structure. Eac ever the begin with what to be. As shape appears ortant to steer stated, its imp from looking children away es - prime for whole shap r suggestions them to look fo them to look of shapes. Get different at objects from down etc to angles, upsideidden shape. try and spot a h
Andrew Collett
star octagon semicircle polygon trapezium
pyramid
Shapes A triangle is a tent to explore, a shiny sharks tooth or an odd-looking door. A circle is a face without fun, a round-a-bout or simply, the sun!
cube cuboid cylinder cone
rhombus kite
A rectangle is a square too wide, a letterbox or a place to hide. And a cone is a lighthouse at night, some arms open wide or half of a kite.
triangle square rectangle pentagon hexagon
To Do! Think of as many different shapes as you can. There are many on this page to help you. Jot some of these down. Find a spot from where you can observe the world around you. See if you can spot some or part of these shapes in objects you can see. Be imaginative - you dont have to see the whole shape ... see my poem!
Andrew Collett
What Parents Say
poem This is a simple performance designed for a eryone a few piece. Give ev e up with a minutes to com questions that couple of daft e always their parents ar By this we asking them. s which really mean question y meaning. have a secondar ink Im made EG Do you th ning, of of money, mea t have any. course, you can
rt Before You Sta
This is not an ex ercise for young children . I have used this with Year 5/6 and beyond. Beyond the ag e issue, there should be few problems with this activity.
Objectives
on To get children their feet and r performing thei own simple list fa poem as part o group.
The Next Step And Finally ...

Get them to sh are these questions with one another. There should b e plenty of common groun d amongst youngsters her e and discussion will quickly throw-up more daft questions that parents lik e to ask. e, give out Use a large spac er and big poster-sized pap to borrow pens. Get them y poem and the format of m n three insert their ow ce they have questions. On rm they this in poster fo be able to put should readily le sketch to together a simp eir poem. demonstrate th
Andrew Collett
What Parents Say

u stop a When will yo cting like a c hild?
Are you listening?
What Parents Say Its funny the things that parents say like: What do you look like? What kind of music do you call that? What time do you call this? Its funny the things that parents say. All questions. No answers.
hands? got six pairs of Do you think Ive
Do I have to repeat my self?
To Do! Parents are always asking questions. See how many you can think of. Put together a short sketch to demonstrate one or more of your parent questions. For example, WHAT TIME DO YOU CALL THIS, could involve you coming home late one evening together with a short confrontation. Now use some of your questions in the poem as above
Andrew Collett
The Recipe
w Get the class to out the sorts few headings ab ey enjoy of things that th r time. This doing with thei ing from could be anyth g, football to cycling to fishin to avoid the alldancing. Try sponse of too common re ision. watching telev many, this Although, with response. may be the only
tart Before YouriS te down a
One of the sten gths of this activity is that it is pupil-lead and children ar e allowed to demonstrate th eir expertise an d knowledge in th eir chosen subject. There will be a minority who ar e unable to demonstrate an interest in very much of anyth ing. Broaden th e scope of this to include Playstation gam es or television prog rammes.
Objectives
ct, any To take a subje rite about subject, and w recipe. it as if it were a
p With a few sug gested heading s, there should be scope for plenty of ideas. In discussion, try to focus on one or two common activit ies and ask children to sug gest what really makes their ac tivities successful. It might be that a good party nee ds plenty of friends, loud m usic, no parents etc. Or a great fishing outing might require a calm day, a certain type of rod ..... ? Get them to choose their subject.
The Next Ste
ooking words Read out the c at eet. Discuss th on the pupil sh sed outside the these are also u n ing - people ca k o co f o t x te n co er e, an interview boil with rag litician or you can grill a po e sun. can bake in th eed to divide a Children will n add cooking page into two, de and the words on one si our e qualities of y h (t ts n ie d re g in ) on the other. chosen subject
And Finally ...
Andrew Collett
st roa scr amb flav le our er pick m m si le l oi b sea ste son w uff t s fry
A Recipe for a Magical Day at The Seaside
ave w o r mic poa ch

batter
Take one beach, soak in sunshine, gently drip jewels into rock pools, add the promise of buried treasure. Season with sand castles and the sound of a seagulls song. Mix in melting ice-cream, sinking sand, stories of mermaids and one old shipwreck. Finally, add children. Then watch and wait.
bake
To Do! Choose an activity. Write down all the things which go together to make this successful. If its a football match, it might be that it needs fans or having David Beckham on your team! Divide a page into two. On one side write down these qualities, on the other see if you can match some of these to the cooking words as above.
ste am
barbe cue
Andrew Collett
Letter Shapes
Possible Proble m A In every cl reas
Explain to the to be shape they are going e a large letter detectives. Hav oard, but drawn on the b lack paper. concealed by b move the paper Slowly start to to put up away. Ask them on as they spot their hand as so emerging C; a shape. So, an l bridge, train could be a smal oon or, finally, tunnel, a half-m ng! half a giants ri
u Start Before Yo children that
ass there alway s seems to be a m inority of children who ca nnot see anything other than the letter; theyre unable to extend their imaginations in this way. Prework is clearly the answer starting with so me very simple shape poems, su ch as those in the appendix. A prelude to this can also be the use of those trick MAGIC E YE pictures.
Objectives
refine To develop and l sense chldrens natura agery. of image and im To relate their of this to understanding d of the wider worl poetry.
tep Keep repeating the above. Ask children to mo ve around the room to look at their emerging shape from dif ferent angles, upside-down o r through halfshut eyes. So , a capital A could be a space capsule, a forgotten pylon , the tip of an iceberg or a flo oded valley. Remind childre n that they do n ot have to see th e whole shape .... it could be that B is only one half of a snowm an or F is a flag with its tummy missing!
The Next S
ht answer There is no rig kier the ideas this and the wac e activity will the more fun th to consider the feel. Get them giants, pixies, wider world of discussions as goblins in their ing might to what someth f. Follow-up remind them o h passages the activity wit ery to help strong in imag s between this define the link etry. See activity and po appendix.
And Finally ... in
Andrew Collett
This Page Illustrated by Steve Weatherill
www.babygoz.dabsol.co.uk
Illustrator and Author
Letter Shapes
To Do! Scribble down some letters on a sheet of paper. Try turning these upside-down, left and right to see whether one part of their shape reminds you of anything. Have a look at the shapes on this page. See if you can use these ideas to help you with your own letter shapes.
Andrew Collett
The Wind
SEE EXTENSION SHEETs 2/3
The best stim sly a windy poem is obviou le, show the day! If possib casts from the children broad raphic archive National Geog . All children on this subject ience of will have exper ask for windy days, so w this examples of ho their street, affected them, neighbours etc.
ou Start Before Yu lus for this
require a good deal of pre-wo rk and is usual ly best tackled as part of an over all project on wea ther. However , children alway s have a deep fascination for the weather an d so will have much to draw on from their own exper ience and enthusiasm. Use extension sheet 2! Impre ss on children that there is no right answer.
Possible Proble m reas This poem dA oes
Objectives
mple list To develop a si iven poem using a g structure. ort To perform a sh s. poem to the clas Brain-storming could be the next step with children collecting toget her as many windy words as possible. However, as su ch an activity can soon run o ut of steam, as k for a list of all the things children might find outside anything from telegraph poles, trees, people, fe nces etc ... Making this in to a competition of who can collect the most usually helps. Now read the p oem, WIND.
The Next Step
a nsion sheet as Using the exte ildren to add prompt, ask ch cts are affected how their obje aves TWIST, by the wind: le c. We now doors SLAM et nings of a list have the begin the second poem. Using t (Number 3) extension shee tended these can be ex hor and simile: through metap ke a ballerina; Leaves twist li a clap of doors slam like thunder
And Finally ...
Andrew Collett
The Wind
Wind It pulls at your clothes it tugs at your hair, it whispers on windows to make people stare. It rattles your rooftop it creaks past each tree, it charges down chimneys and roars with the sea. It climbs with each cloud it dives down below, for wind is with you wherever you go.
tle Windows Rat

To Do! Make a list of as many objects as you can which you can see outside - these could include telegraph poles, fences, trees etc. Spend about ten minutes on this as the list is obviously endless. Now, read my poem WIND. Imagine yourself on a windy day and try to add one word to each word in your list to describe how your object is affected by the wind.
Use extension sheet 2/3
Water Ripples
Doors Slam
Clouds Race
Cupboards Clatter
Andrew Collett
Funny Folk
SEE EXTENSION SHEET ONE
rt Before You Sta

urally wellChildren are nat thm and disposed to rhy se them in rhyme. Immer nsense poems, lots of short no , mime the play rhyme snap ick out names rhyme etc. P the from children in y tr to find classroom and for these. rhyming pairs (Master/ Using surnames sually amuse! Miss ....) will u

The greatest ob stacle to succes s is usually that of managing th e childrens enth usiasm for this activity. See ex tension sheet 1 to support this piece. Some children can fi nd it difficult to collect names, so dish out a fe w phone books an d they can work on their referen ce skills at the same time.
Objectives
ildrens To build on ch to love of rhyme ction le compose a se yming of nonsense rh couplets.
The Next Step

Rhyming child rens names with words is al ways popular, despit e this being such a simple ac tivity. In such an oral ex ercise, children will q uickly begin to extend their no nsense pairs to sentences .... Miss Sally Patch loved to scratch ..... Master Pike at e his bike. The subject of near-rhymes will emerge. E stablished poets use them .... so, their use is acceptab le here.
And Finally ...

as children Almost as much their own love to rhyme joy creating names, they en es. Extend names themselv ctor, Sir, Lady titles using Do them to come etc Encourage y nonsense up with as man le: Miss names as possib Sir Higglebottom, hey can use Squeezealot. T own some of the my suggestions.
Andrew Collett
Funny Folk
SEE EXTENSION SHEET ONE
Cousin Ross was ALWAYS CROSS!
Master Mule was just SO COOL!
Jimmy Dare lost all his HAIR! Arthur Needy was always GREEDY. Cousin Fred fell out of bed
Sir Golfer Great was overweight
To Do! See how many names of people you can collect ... you can use some from this page or make-up ones of your own. Now you have your list of names, try to rhyme each name with a rhyming word. They dont have to make sense were doing NONSENSE POETRY. Now try putting these in sentences .... like the ones on this page.
Johhny Coke went up in SMOKE.

Andrew Collett
Before
rt Before You Sta e a
n to mak Ask the childre ings they list of all the th e always been consider to hav on man-made in the world - n e could objects. Thes ins, lakes, include mounta rainbows, stars, animals, es, scent, snowflak rns etc. A earthquakes, fe ection of traditional coll rence books poetry and refe ulate ideas. may help to stim
Any problems usually revolve around childre n choosing inappropriate ex amples for their piece. Str ess that examples must be things which everyon e can identify with. So, Bef ore Mum did the washing-up /Dad built a shed/I got a rail way set .... and other simil ar contributions w ould obviously be d iscouraged.
Objectives
The Next Step

Now ask the ch ildren to consider all the MAJOR man-made obje cts, inventions or ev ents. To avoid a list of T V, computer etc I find it use ful to exclude anything from the 20th century - at leas t for the first 10 minutes. A good list might include the pyramids, Roman baths, the flushing toilet, canals, th e steam engine, the prin ting press etc
st To develop a li poem. To dren encourage chil to think out imaginatively ab at some of the gre events and h inventions whic ur have affected o lives.
eed to select Children now n amples. some of their ex defining the Extend this by ject or event. role of each ob of describing Look for ways inative and this in as imag as possible. colourful way Before: w painted The first rainbo e sky itself across th inked down at The first star w a new world
And Finally ...
Andrew Collett
ntions Timeline of Inve & Discoveries:

Pottery: 7900 BC 0 BC Wheel: 3200-350 BC Toothpaste: 300 D A 5 10 Paper: 50 Printing Press: 14 65 15 Pencil: Microscope: 1674 Light Bulb: 1879 Battery: 1790 Internet: 1973 CD: 1980 DVD: 1995
Before spacemen reached for the stars.
Before
Before music sang its first tune
Before mountains found their place and raindrops knew their way. Before questions had an answer and children ran to play. Before oceans knew their name and sunshine filled each dawn. Before the world began to spin, Magic was born.
Before Concorde s reached for the skie

ackled Before radio cr into life.
Before the fi rst snowfall painted the w orld white.
To Do! Make a list of as many things in the world which you consider to have always been with us. This could include the sea, cliffs, sky anything. Now, make another list of man-made objects, inventions or major events - see examples around this page. Look at the poem. Starting each line with Before ... add your own ideas & my last line.
he first Before t ade bicycle m e . tar people s

Andrew Collett
Friends
Possible Proble m Areas Fri
tart Before You Sp en a
. O Read the poem hat discussion on w iend. fr makes a good e will be a Hopefully ther we all consensus that d that it need friends an sy to stay isnt always ea meone. friends with so the Try to develop nd what it discussion arou to have no might feel like friends at all.
endships are al ways a sensitive issue for young children. In ev ery class there is usually at leas t one child who senses that he/she is isolated from th e mainstream of friends. M ake it a condition that names are not mentioned in y our initial classroom discu ssion. Children are al ways too eager to tease victim s.
Objectives
ren to To enable child ue of consider the val o friendships. T ork w E promote PS sroom. within the clas st To develop a li given poem around a structure.
The Next Step

Ask the childre n to consider all of the thing s that they would never w ant to do or would never da re to do. It could be that th ey wouldnt want to eat a ce rtain food, watch a certain TV programme, w ear certain clothes, kiss th eir sister goodnight etc. Encourage off-beat and od d ideas here! Their suggestio ns do not have to come from th eir own experience.
And Finally ...

. em, Friendship Look at the po ure of this Using the struct eed to borrow children will n st two lines. the first and la ge rhyming Try to encoura select their couplets as they they would own things that o. This can never want to d a Certificate be developed in - written to an of Friendship nd in the anonymous frie class.
Andrew Collett
Friends
If youd be my friend,
Id paint myself blue live in a shoe, ride up to space run any race, stay up all night take on a fight, share my last sweet have nothing to eat, and smile without end if youd be my friend!
To Do! Think of ALL the things you would NEVER want to do. This could include places you wouldnt want to go, scary people or animals you wouldnt want to meet, TV programmes that you dont like etc. Dont just put watching news .... try, watching the News for two months ..... Now, add your ideas to the poem.
Andrew Collett

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A Teaching Resource from Childrens Poet,

Andrew Collett. www.wackyverse.com

Poetry Points from Childrens Poet

Its As Easy As ....

rt Before You Seta a list of

Possible Proble m Areas

The Next Step

And Finally ...

Now think of your own ideas!

Start Before You n two pieces

The Next Step

And Finally ...

Poetry Points from Childrens Poet

Being told off.

Waiting for a parcel.

Talking to your friends.

When Im waiting for my mum to get off the phone.

When Im having my teeth pulled out! When Im eating cabbage yuck!

Poetry Points from Childrens Poet

u Start Before Yo to write down

ally ... And Finig ht like to

Poetry Points from Childrens Poet

could What one thing our never go with y object?

ht you How often mig ? see your object

would Say where you r never find you object.

ed Draw a disguis object r picture of you elow. in the square b

Poetry Points from Childrens Poet

rt Before You Sta

Possible Proble m Areas The w

The Next Step

And Finally ...

Poetry Points from Childrens Poet

Poetry Points from Childrens Poet

tart Before You S ng an

The Next Step

And Finally ...

It stands like a .....

Its wider than a .....

It makes a noise like .....

Its taller than a ...

Its rough like a.....

Poetry Points from Childrens Poet

rt Before You Sta

The Next Step

And Finally ...

Poetry Points from Childrens Poet

A face with two noses A feather duster A puff of smoke

Poetry Points from Childrens Poet

u Start Before Yo to make a list

The Next Step

And Finally ...

Plants Flowers and Your Body

Poetry Points from Childrens Poet

rt Before You Sta

The Next Step

y ... And Finall Get the

Poetry Points from Childrens Poet

rt Before You Sta

The Next Step

And Finally ...