New
New
Year 2

Reading and responding to 'The Magic Box' by Kit Wright

I can read and understand the poem and give a personal response.

New
New
Year 2

Reading and responding to 'The Magic Box' by Kit Wright

I can read and understand the poem and give a personal response.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Kit Wright is a poet and is known for writing imaginative poetry for children.
  2. ‘The Magic Box’ by Kit Wright is a poem about putting a variety of unique and wonderful items into a special box.
  3. The poem explores themes including: imagination, magic and wonder, childhood, family and memories.
  4. We can read with expression to show meaning and emphasise words.

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 think that the poet is limited to putting real items into the box.

Teach pupils that with poetry the possibilities are endless and a good poet is creative.

You may wish to add the poem to the slides to help with analysis.
Teacher tip

Equipment

You need a copy of the poem ‘The Magic Box’ which is in the 2013 Macmillan Children's Books edition of ‘The Magic Box’ written by Kit Wright 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.
Mandy Coe is a British ...
journalist.
Correct answer: poet.
vet.
Q2.
True or false? Mandy Coe's poetry has received many awards.
Correct Answer: True, true
Q3.
Which of the following words means having the ability to create vivid mental images or concepts that may not exist in reality?
factual
Correct answer: imaginative
festive
Q4.
Which of these poems is written by Mandy Coe?
'On the Ning Nang Nong'
'We're Going on a Bear Hunt'
Correct answer: 'If You Could See Laughter'
Q5.
True or false? A theme is a big idea, topic or message that recurs within a text.
Correct Answer: true, True
Q6.
'If You Could See Laughter' features which of these poetic themes?
the environment
science
Correct answer: imagination and wonder
Correct answer: the joys of childhood

6 Questions

Q1.
Kit Wright is a British poet born in ...
Correct answer: Kent.
London.
Canada.
Q2.
Which member of Kit Wright's family was a teacher at the boarding school he attended?
his mother
Correct answer: his father
his grandmother
Q3.
Apart from a short time teaching at a university in Canada, Kit has nearly always worked as a ...
gift-wrapper.
Correct answer: writer.
teacher.
Q4.
True or false? ‘The Magic Box’ is a poem about putting a variety of unique and wonderful items into a special box.
Correct Answer: True, true
Q5.
Which of these are themes explored in 'The Magic Box'?
Correct answer: imagination
science
Correct answer: childhood
Correct answer: memories
good vs evil
Q6.
Which of these are put inside the 'The Magic Box' in the poem?
the sound of a football hitting the net
Correct answer: the smile of a baby
the chuckle of a father