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Deliver Literacy without Handouts Using Poems

Teaching and Learning Ideas by Maureen Russell, WEA West Midlands

Poems in Literacy Classes


Why use poems in literacy classes? Here are some reasons:

It makes a change from prose introducing something different to your sessions keeps your classes fresh and stimulates your students Its important for students to see that literacy comes in different forms literacy is not just about spelling, writing letters, reading recipes or newspaper articles. Or passing exams. Literacy students should be exposed to a wide variety of literary forms e.g. short stories, diaries, plays & poetry Rhyme and rhythm can help students with pronunciation and develop confidence in reading aloud Poetry techniques such as alliteration can help to develop vocabulary Poetry can help students to develop a love of language and gain confidence in using it

The 3 poems included here: The Listeners by Walter de La Mare Television by Roald Dahl The British (serves 60 million) by Benjamin Zephaniah Each poem is printed in full and accompanied by ideas for activities to develop all 4 skills. These include: discussion using dictionaries and Thesaurus pair and small group work on poetry techniques presentations Internet research writing exercises expressing your opinion, writing a basic essay, creative writing, comprehension exs, writing a letter

The activities are for students working at all levels, from E1/2 to L2. Many of the activities can be undertaken by mixed groups, while others may be more challenging and designed for higher level learners.

The Listeners by Walter De La Mare


Is anybody there said the Traveller, Knocking on the moonlit door; And his horse in the silence champed the grasses Of the forests ferny floor: And a bird flew up out of the turret, Above the Travellers head; And he smote upon the door a second time Is anybody there? he said. But no one descended to the Traveller; No head from the leaf fringed sill Leaned over and looked into his grey eyes, Where he stood perplexed and still. But only a host of phantom listeners That dwelt in the lone house then Stood listening in the quiet of the moonlight To that voice from the world of men: Stood thronging the faint moonbeams on the dark stair That goes down to the empty hall, Harkening in an air stirred and shaken By the lonely Travellers call. And he felt in his heart their strangeness, Their stillness answering his cry, While his horse moved, cropping the dark turf, Neath the tarred and leafy sky; For he suddenly smote upon the door even Louder, and lifted his head: Tell them I came, and no one answered, That I kept my word he said. Never the least stir made the listeners, Though every word he spake Fell echoing through the shadowiness of the still house From the one man left awake: Ay, they heard his foot upon the stirrup, And the sound of iron on stone, And how the silence surged softly backward When the plunging hoofs were gone.

The Listeners
Activity 1: a) Read the poem aloud. Students should just listen at this stage to get an overall feel of the poem. It is better that they dont worry about following a text, so dont give out the text until after this first activity. b) After students have listened to the poem, ask them in pairs/small groups to discuss and jot down anything they remember from the poem it could be words or phrases, an image or a feeling the poem conjured up. c) Ask groups to feedback to the whole class. Write the students responses on a flipchart/whiteboard. By this point you will have got many key words/ideas e.g. moonlight, traveller, forest, silence, ghosts and perhaps even some adjectives to describe the atmosphere of the poem e.g. mysterious, spooky, strange, moody etc Activity 2: Give out a copy of the poem to students and read it again. This time students can follow the text while you read. Then ask students in pairs/small groups to note down any words they dont know and use a dictionary/thesaurus to find definitions or homonyms. They should feedback their words & definitions to the whole class. The tutor to note down new words on the flipchart/whiteboard. Words like smote , champed and spake will not be in the dictionary. Ask students to guess from the context what those words could mean. Activity 3: Techniques- Explain that rhyme and alliteration are 2 techniques that poets use. Ask students to find 3 examples of rhyme in the poem. Give the example of the alliterative F in line 4 Of the forests ferny floor.. Ask students to find 3 more examples of alliteration in the poem. Activity 4: What does the poem mean? Ask students if there are any phrases/ideas they dont understand e.g. the sound of iron on stone or the one man left awake, then encourage students to think what they might mean. Finally, ask students what they think the story is behind the poem. Who is the traveler? Who was he expecting to meet in the old house? What promise had he made? Who are the Listeners in the house?. Additional activities: 1. Ask students to write their views on the poem. E1/E2 learners could perhaps answer questions in full sentences e.g. Did you like the poem? How did the poem make you feel? Was there anything in the poem that struck you/ made a big impression on you? Did you learn any new words? E3 learners could write a more detailed piece based on those questions. L1/2 learners could be encouraged to write a more discursive piece of at least 2 paragraphs, including a brief summary of the poems content, their responses to the poem and the techniques the poet uses. 2. Ask students to write a piece of creative writing based on the poem e.g. an outline of events that led to the Traveller coming back to fulfill his promise; a first person diary entry on what the Traveller did after he left the forest.

3. Techniques: Rhyme & Alliterative exercises: a) Rhymes in the poem include door/floor can you think of other words that rhyme with those? E.g. more, saw, roar, tore. Do the same with head/said; cry/sky; then/men. b) Find pairs of adjectives beginning with the same letter to describe something e.g. a grey and gloomy sky; a wild and windy day; soft, swirling sand. Give students different topics to choose from : the seaside, my garden; the city at night; the countryside in the autumn etc. 4. Read another poem Walter de La Mare Silver

Slowly, silently, now the moon Walks the night in her silver shoon This way and that, she peers and sees Silver fruit upon silver trees; One by one the casements catch Her beams beneath the silvery thatch; Couched in his kennel, like a log, With paws of silver sleeps the dog; From their shadowy cote the white breasts peep Of doves in silver feathered sleep; Harvest mouse goes scampering by, With sliver claws and silver eye; And moveless fish in the water gleam By silver reeds in a sliver stream

Television by Roald Dahl


The most important thing we've learned, So far as children are concerned, Is never, NEVER, NEVER let Them near your television set -Or better still, just don't install The idiotic thing at all. In almost every house we've been, We've watched them gaping at the screen. They loll and slop and lounge about, And stare until their eyes pop out. (Last week in someone's place we saw A dozen eyeballs on the floor.) They sit and stare and stare and sit Until they're hypnotised by it, Until they're absolutely drunk With all that shocking ghastly junk. But did you ever wonder what This does to your beloved tot? IT ROTS THE BRAIN INSIDE THE HEAD! IT KILLS IMAGINATION DEAD! IT CLOGS AND CLUTTERS UP THE MIND! IT MAKES A CHILD SO DULL AND BLIND HE CAN NO LONGER UNDERSTAND A FANTASY, A FAIRYLAND! HIS BRAIN BECOMES AS SOFT AS CHEESE! HIS POWERS OF THINKING RUST AND FREEZE! HE CANNOT THINK -- HE ONLY SEES! 'All right!' you'll cry. 'All right!' you'll say, 'But if we take the set away, What shall we do to entertain Our darling children? Please explain!' I'll answer this by asking you, 'What did the darlings used to do? 'How did they keep themselves contented Before this monster was invented?' Have you forgotten? Don't you know?

We'll say it very loud and slow: THEY USED TO READ! They'd READ and READ, AND READ and READ, and READ and READ! Books piled high beside the bed, Books just waiting to be read! Such wondrous, fine, fantastic tales Of dragons, gypsies, queens, and whales And treasure isles, and distant shores Where smugglers rowed with muffled oars, And pirates wearing purple pants, And sailing ships and elephants, Oh, books, what books they used to know, Those children living long ago! So please, oh please, we beg, we pray, Go throw your TV set away, And in its place you can install A lovely bookshelf on the wall. Then fill the shelves with lots of books, Ignoring all the dirty looks, The screams and yells, the bites and kicks, And children hitting you with sticksFear not, because we promise you That, in about a week or two Of having nothing else to do, They'll now begin to feel the need Of having something nice to read. And once they start -- oh boy, oh boy! You watch the slowly growing joy That fills their hearts. They'll grow so keen They'll wonder what they'd ever seen In that ridiculous machine, That nauseating, foul, unclean, Repulsive television screen! And later, each and every kid Will love you more for what you did.

Television by Roald Dahl Activity 1: Read the poem aloud. Students should just listen at this stage to get an overall feel of the poem both the content and the rhythm. It is better that they dont worry about following a text, so dont give out the text until after this first activity. After students have listened to the poem, ask them in pairs/small groups to discuss and jot down anything they remember from the poem it could be words or phrases, an image or how they felt about the poem. Ask groups to feedback to the whole class. Write the students responses on a flipchart/whiteboard. By this point you will have got many key words/ideas and perhaps some adjectives to describe the poem. Activity 2: Give out a copy of the poem to students and read it again. This time students can follow the text while you read. Then ask students in pairs/small groups to note down any words they dont know and use a dictionary to find definitions. They should feedback their words & definitions to the whole class. The tutor to note down new words on the flipchart/ whiteboard. Draw students attention to adjectives in the poem. What adjectives does Dahl use to describe television? Which adjectives are associated with reading books? Write down all the adjectives, then ask students in pairs to choose 2 or 3 from then list, and use a Thesaurus to find homonyms for them. Activity 3: Techniques- Explain that rhyme, repetition and alliteration are 3 techniques that poets use. Ask students to find 3 examples of rhyme in the poem that they like. Explain that the poem is written in rhyming couplets - AA, BB, CC etc. Give an example of repetition e.g. All right you cry, all right you say . Ask students in pairs to find 3 examples of repetition in the poem, and ask what the effect of the repetition is. Give the example of the alliterative L in line 9: They loll, and slop and lounge about.. Ask students to find 3 more examples of alliteration in the poem. Activity 4: Ask students to write their views on the poem. E21/E2 learners could perhaps answer questions in full sentences e.g. Did you like the poem? How did the poem make you feel? Was there anything in the poem that struck you/ made a big impression on you? Did you learn any new words? E3 learners could write a more detailed piece based on those questions. L1/2 learners could be encouraged to write a more discursive piece of at least 2 paragraphs, including a brief summary of the poems content, their responses to the poem and the techniques the poet uses. Activity 5: Discussion on the topic of TV versus books as a way of educating/stimulating children. Do you think Roald Dahl is right or is he just old fashioned? Do you think he exaggerates? Do your children watch a lot of TV? Do they read? This could be followed by writing exs on the debate. Learners at E1/2 could write sentences in response to questions on their own views and those of Roald Dahl. Learners at E3/L1 could be asked to write amore detailed piece, giving reasons for their views, using their own experiences. Learners at L2 could write a letter to a newspaper on the topic. Or they could

write a simple essay of at least 3 paragraphs: starting with a brief summary of the poem, followed by the case for Dahls views, then the case against, and finishing with the writers own views. Additional activities: 1. Techniques: Rhyme exercises: a) Rhymes in the poem include let/set can you think of other words that rhyme with those? E.g. bet, net, sweat. Do the same with know/slow ; pray/away; head/said . List the words on a flip chart/whiteboard. b) Ask students to guess the missing words in these rhyming couplets: He hadnt gone a yard when BANG! With open jaws a lion ( sprang) And hungrily began to eat The boy beginning at his .... ( feet) Now just imagine how it feels When first your toes and then your ( heels) Are slowly eaten bit by bit Now wonder Jim detested it! Taken from Jim, who ran away from his nurse and was eaten by a Lion by Hillaire Belloc 2. Alliterative exercises: a) Find pairs of adjectives beginning with the same letter to describe something e.g. a wild and windy day; a violent and vicious dog. Give students different topics to choose from: a book, a TV programme; a toy etc. Students could also do the same with verbs e.g. as in the poem it clogs and clutters up the mind though this may be more difficult. 3. Rhythm: draw students attention to the metre of the poem tee TUM tee TUM etc. Encourage students to read the poem aloud. Here is another poem with the same metre: One day the fox in humour fine Invited Madame Stork to dine Though dining out should be a treat There wasnt very much to eat: There was no main course, meat or fish Just clear soup in a shallow dish. The stork tried hard with her long, slender bill But got no soup. Fox has his fill. The stork appearing not to care Then asked the fox to dine with her. And he arrived on the very dot And smelt delicious food, all hot. He said nice things to Madame Stork Although he yearned to eat not talk. But when the meal was served alas! It came to table in a glass. A narrow, long necked vase antique

Just perfect for a storks long beak. Alas, poor fox he moaned and whined His mouth was differently designed. With drooping tail and dejected air He went back sadly to his lair. Dont play mean tricks, for if you do The joke may sometimes be on you!

The British (Serves 60 million )

by Benjamin Zephaniah

Take some Picts, Celts and Silures And let them settle Then overrun them with Roman conquerors. Remove the Romans after approximately 400 years Add lots of Norman French to some Angles, Saxons, Jutes, Vikings, then stir vigorously Mix some hot Chileans, cool Jamaicans, Dominicans Trinidadians and Bajans with some Ethiopians, Chinese, Vietnamese and Sudanese. Then take a blend of Somalians, Sri Lankans, Nigerians And Pakistanis Combine with some Guyanese And turn up the heat. Sprinkle some fresh Indians, Malaysians, Bosnians Iraqis and Bangladeshis together with some Afghans, Spanish, Turkish, Kurdish, Japanese And Palestinians Then add to the melting pot. Leave the ingredients to simmer,. As they mix and blend allow their languages to flourish Binding them together with English. Allow time to be cool. Add some unity, understanding and respect for the future. Serve with justice And enjoy. Note: All the ingredients are equally important. Treating one ingredient better than another will leave a bitter, unpleasant taste

Activity 1 : How English is England? Apart from developing speaking & listening skills, this activity is intended to celebrate the diversity of the UK and look at all the different reasons people have had in the past for coming to the UK. Ask students to work in small groups to discuss the questions. A) Can you think of at least 5 groups who at some point in history have migrated to England? If you know roughly when they came here, make a note of that. B) Why did these groups come to England? For the feedback you could draw a time line on piece of flip chart paper you will need at least a couple of sheets side by side, laid sideways and mark on it the different groups and dates/centuries when they came e.g. Vikings, Romans, Normans, Jews, Poles, Caribbean & Indians, Chileans etc. It doesnt matter if this is not complete or if dates are not exact the purpose is to give a visual overview of migration to the UK, to show that immigrants/asylum seekers etc are nothing new, and that migration is part of the human experience. The key reasons for emigration are poverty, war, religious or political persecution. Activity 2: The British ( Serves 60 million ). Rt/E3.1; SLd/E3. 1 -3 Benjamin Zephaniahs poem gives a good overview of the different groups that have settled in Britain, and uses the metaphor of a recipe which needs a mix of ingredients to make a wholesome dish. Students could read the poem and discuss questions such as: what is the poem telling us? What image of Britain does the poem portray? What is the message at the end of the poem? If some of the groups are unfamiliar e.g. Picts, Silurians, Bajans, ask students to research on the Internet for homework, take notes and report back what they have found the following week. Students could be given one group each to research. Activity 3: i) Vocabulary & Grammar

Ask students in pairs or small groups to note down any words they dont know, and to use a dictionary or thesaurus to find definitions or alternatives. Ask students to feedback to the whole group and write new words on a flipchart/whiteboard. Draw students attention to different parts of speech e.g. verbs, adverbs, proper nouns . Give students a couple of examples, then ask them to find other examples in the poem. Draw students attention to English words that have come from other languages/cultures, as a result of people moving to England. E.g. The Romans: Sub is the Latin for under. Can you think of 2 English words beginning with

ii)

iii)

Sub that suggest something is under something else, that may have come from Latin words? There are many words which have - port in them. For example, transport. Port comes from French via Latin and it means move or carry. Can you think of 5 words in English with port that have something to do with moving or carrying things or people from one place to another?

Activity 4: Writing a Poem Draw students attention to the idea of a recipe vocabulary, imperative form of verbs, instructions in sequence etc. Ask them to write a similar poem in groups on a topic e.g. a happy marriage. Ask students to read out the poems to each other. Students could then work in pairs to proofread and edit poems to put them together in a book/ create a display. Additional activities 1. Ask someone who migrated to England to speak to the group about their experiences of moving to England. The group could prepare questions in advance and/or take notes. 2. Read another Benjamin Zephaniah poem

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