Year Group 6 Poetry Yr 6 P1 Unit The Power of No.

of Weeks 2 Core Text

Imagery The Sea by James Reeves
City Jungle by Pie Corbett
Curricular Target: Write a range of sentence types, including expressing subtle distinctions of meaning, including hypothesis, speculation and
supposition, by constructing sentences in varied ways.

Speaking and Listening (S 1 – 4) Text Level – reading (S 7 / 8) Text Level – writing (S 9 / 10)

• Use a range of oral techniques to present
persuasive arguments and engaging
narratives
• Use the techniques of dialogic talk to
explore ideas, topics or issues
• Understand underlying themes, causes
and points of view
• Understand how writers use
different structures to create coherence
and impact
• Select words and language drawing on
their knowledge of literary features and
formal and informal writing
• Use varied structures to shape and
organise text coherently

• Analyse and evaluate how speakers • Read extensively and discuss personal
present points effectively through use of reading with others, including in reading
language and gesture groups

• Understand and use a variety of ways to • Compare how writers from different times
criticise constructively and respond to and places present experiences and use
criticism language

• Consider the overall impact of a live or

recorded performance, identifying
dramatic ways of conveying characters'
ideas and building tension

Sentence Level (S 11)

Word Level (S 6)
• Use a range of appropriate strategies to edit, proofread and correct spelling in their own work, on paper and on screen

Presentation (S 12)
• Use different styles of handwriting for different purposes with a range of media, developing a consistent and personal legible style
• Select from a wide range of ICT programs to present text effectively and communicate information and ideas

Key Outcome To write a poem which conveys strong images (through personification)
Learning overview: I can…

• Use a range of spoken techniques to present a

Familiarisation/Immersion in text/Analysis powerful image
• Use talk to explore ideas, topics or issues
Book Talk: Personal response to the poem “The Sea” by James Reeves. Come to a • Analyse and evaluate how speakers present
collective agreement of the meaning. Encourage ch. to extend their responses and poems effectively through use of language and
give a critique. How does James Reeves portray the sea? How do we know gesture
whether the sea is rough or smooth? • Understand and use a variety of ways to give
and receive feedback in a positive way and
without upsetting anybody or getting upset
Drama: Explore the themes through freeze frame. myself
• Consider the overall impact of a live or recorded
Writer Talk: What type of poem is it? Who might want to read it? (purpose and performance, identifying dramatic ways of
context) How did a certain part of the text make you feel and how did the writer conveying characters' ideas and building tension
achieve this? • Understand underlying themes, causes and
points of view
• Understand how writers use different structures
Warming up the Word: Vocabulary generation (create lists of great words!). to create impact and let the poem flow
“Usual words in unusual combinations” – give children a collection of nouns and • Read extensively and discuss personal reading
powerful verbs. Put them in piles faced down and randomly pick one. Children must with others, including in reading groups
find a way of putting this into a poetic sentence. • Compare how writers from different times and
Develop imagination and imaging: Ch. re-imagine a part of the poem so that they can places present experiences and use language
‘see’ it clearly and hold an image in their head so they can ‘look’ at it carefully. • Select words and language drawing on my
knowledge of personification and using ideas
“Tell me more about…” Ch. develop characters/themes from the working wall
• Use varied structures to shape and organise my
Sentence Level work: Extending simple sentences. (Adding adverbial, poem so that it makes sense and flows well.
alliteration/assonance, strengthening the verb, expanding nouns, similes/metaphors)
“magpie” words and phrases from a collection of poems.
Create sentences using noun and word grid and then play with changing the order.
Teach, practise and apply purposeful, related sentence level objectives (from the
text)

How is this text organised? Explore organisational features of various poems

What is special about the text? (Language features etc)

Learning and remembering the text:

“Hear it, map it, step it, say it”. Learn the poem “The Sea” by James Reeves. Split
the class into 3 groups (one for each verse). Children can then do a class
performance of the poem.

Summarise the purpose, organisation and language features (specifically

imagery/personification) in order to generate a success criteria for their poems.

Capturing Ideas:

Generate ideas to write about:

Expanding ideas – to ‘say’ or ‘daydream’ what might happen. “Tell me more

about…” Ch. develop the characterisation of their inanimate object in order to come
up with a “personality” which they can convey with the use of powerful verbs in their
poems.

Working through ideas to get a clear picture: Use of talk and drama. Generate
short pieces of writing. Children can become their inanimate object and write a diary
entry, portraying why they are like they are. (eg why is the storm so angry?)

Oral Rehearsal and refinement: Ch. practise telling their poem, drawing on ideas
from the working wall to improve and refine it.

Planning writing: Ch. apply knowledge of structures and language features to plan
their poem (Success criteria)

Key Learning Outcome : To plan, draft, and improve a poem with strong imagery
All children must be able to say… Most children should be able to say… Some children could say…
I can use simple metaphors and personification to I can generate and experiment with powerful I can use language imaginatively to create surreal,
create a poem based on a real or imagined imagery surprising, amusing or inventive poetry
experience