New
New
Year 1

Reading 'BEwARe!' by James Carter

I can listen to and discuss 'BEwARe!'.

New
New
Year 1

Reading 'BEwARe!' by James Carter

I can listen to and discuss 'BEwARe!'.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. James Carter tries to create pictures in the listener's head.
  2. Descriptions using onomatopoeia, verbs and nouns help to imagine how the bear sounds, looks and moves.
  3. These words can be spoken with expression and intonation.
  4. Poems feel different to read depending on their rhythm.
  5. The way we read a poem can make it entertaining for people listening.

Common misconception

Depending on the abilities of the pupils, Task B may be too challenging.

Have an adult read the poem out loud to the children and the children echo read while also adding some of the actions and voices.

Keywords

  • Onomatopoeia - a type of word that sounds like what it describes

  • Rhythm - the pattern of sounds that makes a poem flow and sometimes feel musical

  • Description - using words to help someone imagine what something is like

  • Imagination - forming a thought or picture of something or someone that is not actually there

Only share up to the end of verse four of 'BEwARe!' with children for the first learning cycle. Provide them with examples of the poem with the ending of the poem blocked out so that they can choose clues that help them guess the animal.
Teacher tip

Equipment

You need a copy of the poem ‘BEwARe!’, which is in the 2018 Otter-Barry Books Limited edition of ‘Zim Zam Zoom! Zappy Poems to Read Out Loud’ written by James Carter, 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).

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6 Questions

Q1.
What does James Carter do?
writes stories
plays in a band
Correct answer: writes poems
is a vet
Q2.
Which words have the same sound at the end.
Correct answer: stir
tick
Correct answer: her
part
Q3.
The words 'drip-drop' and 'whizz' are examples of...
repetition
rhyme
Correct answer: onomatopoeia
proper nouns
Q4.
Identify the example of onomatopoeia that best describes a loud sound.
tiptoe
drip
Correct answer: bash
music
firework
Q5.
Which of these titles is a poem written by James Carter?
'Hickory Dickory Dock'
'The Three Billy Goats Gruff'
'The Hungry Caterpillar'
Correct answer: 'Splish! Splash! Splosh!'
Q6.
How many syllables are in this word: 'jumper'
1
Correct answer: 2
3
6

6 Questions

Q1.
What animal is James Carter's poem 'BEwARe!' about?
snake
rabbit
Correct answer: bear
crocodile
Q2.
Which word contains the 'er' sound?
teach
Correct answer: teacher
school
red
Q3.
What does James Carter like writing poems about?
fruit
Correct answer: animals
maps
Q4.
How does James Carter help us to guess the animal the poem is about?
Correct answer: He gives us clues.
He tells us to read the poem in a whisper.
He tells us to clap the words as we say them.
Q5.
Count the syllables in this word: "snapper".
1
Correct answer: 2
3
7
Q6.
What helps make the rhythm of the poem feel quick and lively?
Correct answer: short lines
long lines
Correct answer: the words often end in the same sound
the words all rhyme