New
New
Year 2

Reading and responding to 'If You Could See Laughter' by Mandy Coe

I can give a personal response to the poem and give some evidence to justify my ideas.

New
New
Year 2

Reading and responding to 'If You Could See Laughter' by Mandy Coe

I can give a personal response to the poem and give some evidence to justify my ideas.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Mandy Coe is a poet and is known for writing imaginative poetry for children.
  2. ‘If You Could See Laughter’ by Mandy Coe is a poem about what laughter would look like if you could actually see it.
  3. The poem is imaginative and creates vivid imagery in the reader’s mind.
  4. The poem explores themes of the joys of childhood and imagination.
  5. We can read with expression to convey a sense of fun and joy.

Keywords

  • Theme - a big idea, topic or message that recurs within a text

  • Imaginative - having the ability to create vivid mental images or concepts that may not exist in reality

  • Imagery - the use of language to create a mental picture or sensory experience for the reader or listener

Common misconception

Pupils may find it hard to read the poem aloud and with expression.

Ensure pupils have an understanding of what the poem means and some of the key vocabulary that they may not know. Model reading the poem aloud with expression for the children to get ideas and talk through the different ways to use your voice.

Read and display other poems by Mandy Coe for pupils to enjoy.
Teacher tip

Equipment

You need a copy of the poem ‘If You Could See Laughter’, which is in the 2010 Salt Publishing's edition of ‘If You Could See Laughter’ written by Mandy Coe, for this lesson.

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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6 Questions

Q1.
After reading poetry, we often give our initial responses to a poem. What are 'initial responses'?
Correct answer: our first thoughts
our last ideas
a summary of the poem
Q2.
The poem 'Wide Open' by Rachel Rooney is about a special ...
mouth
nose
Correct answer: eye
Q3.
Which of these things does the special eye see in the poem 'Wide Open'?
an old bird
an empty nest
Correct answer: a baby bird
Q4.
Which of these things does the special eye see in the poem 'Wide Open'?
Earth
Jupiter
Correct answer: a "planet" with no name
stars
Q5.
Which of these themes does the poem 'Wide Open' explore?
love
family
science
Correct answer: imagination
Q6.
Fill in the blank. Imagery is the use of language to create a mental __________ or sensory experience for the reader or listener.
Correct answer: picture
sound
smell

6 Questions

Q1.
Fill in the blank. Mandy Coe is a __________ poet.
French
American
Correct answer: British
Q2.
True or false? Mandy Coe is a famous British poet who writes poetry for adults only.
Correct Answer: false, False
Q3.
Fill in the blank. Mandy Coe's poem 'If You Could See Laughter' is about imagining what laughter would __________ like.
smell
taste
Correct answer: look
sound
Q4.
Which inflatable object does the poet describe as laughter looking like?
Correct answer: balloons
boats
chairs
Q5.
Which part of a theatre does the poet describe as wriggling with colours during a pantomime?
the floor
Correct answer: the roof
the walls
Q6.
The poem contains which of these themes?
the joys of adulthood
Correct answer: the joys of childhood
the environment