Reading and responding to 'Wide Open' by Rachel Rooney
I can give a personal response to the poem and give some evidence to justify my ideas.
Reading and responding to 'Wide Open' by Rachel Rooney
I can give a personal response to the poem and give some evidence to justify my ideas.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- Rachel Rooney is a poet and is known for writing imaginative poetry for children.
- ‘Wide Open’ by Rachel Rooney is a poem about a special eye that can see anything.
- The poem is imaginative and has themes of wonder and discovery.
- The poem explores themes of imagination, wonder and discovery.
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
Children can think that there is only one way to respond to a poem and you can have the right or wrong understanding of it.
Avoid posing questions which may lead children to the idea that there is a right or wrong answer when discussing the poem. Try to encourage open responses to the poem, celebrating each unique response from individuals.
Equipment
You need a copy of the poem ‘Wide Open’, which is featured on page 8 of the 2014 Frances Lincoln Children's Books edition of ‘Life as a Goldfish’ written by Rachel Rooney, for this lesson.