Learning and performing poetry by heart – a strand of KS2 English
Year 6 completed a two-week poetry unit in the Spring term. In Guided Reading, this included learning some classic poetry off by heart to stretch their thinking and understanding.
In Week One, the children learnt “The Jabberwocky” by Lewis Carroll. Here, Carroll plays with language, inventing his own nonsense words to describe the various creatures and environment where the Jabberwocky lives. The children quickly appreciated that, although dozens of words were made up, they were meaningful, and the reader was able to create impressions of what was described. They thoroughly enjoyed learning this one off by heart and performing it to their peers.
In Week Two, the children learnt a very different poem called “The Tyger” by William Blake. This is a very beautiful poem, where Blake tries to understand why God would create gentle creatures like lambs, as well as fearsome, deadly creatures like tigers. The poem contained many powerful images, like God as a blacksmith, and several changes in tone, which allowed the children to use their voices to evoke different moods. The children all learnt and performed the poem off by heart in groups, and some children even performed it solo.
Please enjoy the videos below of the children performing.
