Teach-Primary-Issue-19.8

Techniques Techniques ● Alliteration ● Simile using ‘like’ ● Simile using ‘as’ ● Personification ● Hyphenated phrase ● Kennings ● Name it ● ...a silent, silver sunrise ● The sun set like dying flames ● ...as large as a bus ● The road groaned ● Snow-fur ● Whale-highway (the sea) ● FarmHill not road Possible openers I found / saw/ touched/ tasted/ heard/ wondered/ dreamed/ hoped for/ stopped/ walked/ gathered / captured/ caught/ noticed/ watched/ picked up/ collected... Fig. 1 The walk One of the reasons that this poetry idea works so well, is that the children have the chance to base their ideas on first-hand experience. Take a short walk from the school, following the usual safety procedures, and on the walk pause every so often for the children to gather ideas – they should bring all their senses to the occasion and be alert to details that they could use in their writing. Ideas session Back in class, it is worth spending 10 minutes or so doing a massive class idea session of things that they noticed or have seen before. Collect anything that possesses a sense of your locality, e.g. local animals, birds and water creatures, other things seen in your locality. Include local place names and landmarks, and favourite things that represent your place. The list should be made fast and furiously; so your handwriting on the flipchart might not be up to much! Children should jot down ideas that they might use in their journals at the same time. This means that no one can say, “ I don’t know what to write about ”. Short-burst practice Practise writing sentences; model how to make the ordinary sound special! For example: On Monday, I found a crisp packet. vs - On Monday, I found a discarded crisp packet glittering on Farm Hill like an empty promise. Children can take ideas from the initial class thinking session, or try new ones that pop into their minds. Remind them to use: * extended ideas * specific, local detail * their senses * alliteration and imagery * accurate punctuation Shared writing As a matter of principle, I always ‘do one together first’, before children write their own poems. I write rapidly and challenge pupils’ suggestions as, ‘ the first thought isn’t always the best ’. Get the class to generate ideas and choose with care, avoiding clichés, creating surprises and using local detail. See Fig. 1 for examples. 56 | www.teachwire.net