New
New
Year 3

Joseph Coelho poetry: learning and reciting a poem by heart

I can learn and recite a poem by heart.

New
New
Year 3

Joseph Coelho poetry: learning and reciting a poem by heart

I can learn and recite a poem by heart.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Learning a poem by heart means you can say it from memory.
  2. Reciting a poem means to say it aloud after learning it.
  3. Saying the poem out loud many times will help when learning it by heart.
  4. We can follow four steps to learn a poem by heart: 'Hear it', 'Read it', 'Check it', 'Practise it'.

Keywords

  • Recite - to speak or perform a poem aloud from memory

  • By heart - to learn something in such a way that you can say it from memory

Common misconception

Pupils may think that the only way to learn something by heart is to keep reading it.

Teach pupils that they can also check their progress with cloze procedure exercises.

You may wish to focus on learning one poem as a class rather than children choosing their favourite. This way you can add the Joseph Coelho poem to the slides to be able to model and provide the missing words exercise for the pupils.
Teacher tip

Equipment

You will need access to the Joseph Coelho poems explored earlier in this unit for pupils to refer to. See previous lessons which provide details on how to find them.

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.
Which of these are poems by Joseph Coelho?
Correct answer: 'If All The World Were Paper'
Correct answer: 'I Am A Writer'
'On the Ning Nang Nong'
Correct answer: 'Miss Flotsam'
Q2.
Which of these is the definition of a 'theme'?
a way of describing and comparing something by saying that it is something else
Correct answer: a big idea, topic or message that recurs within a text
the use of language to create a mental picture or sensory experience
Q3.
Which of these is the definition of a 'metaphor'?
Correct answer: a way of describing and comparing something by saying that it is something else
a big idea, topic or message that recurs within a text
the use of language to create a mental picture or sensory experience
Q4.
Which of these is the definition of 'imagery'?
a way of describing and comparing something by saying that it is something else
a big idea, topic or message that recurs within a text
Correct answer: the use of language to create a mental picture or sensory experience
Q5.
Which of these is an example of personification?
Correct answer: The tree danced in the breeze.
The tree moved in the breeze.
The tree rustled in the breeze.
Q6.
Which of these objects are mentioned in the poem 'I Am A Writer'?
Correct answer: a rubber
Correct answer: a sharpener
a dictionary

6 Questions

Q1.
To learn something in such a way that you can say it from memory is called what?
learning by head
Correct answer: learning by heart
learning to read
Q2.
Which of these might a person learn by heart?
Correct answer: songs for a show
newspaper reports
instructions for toys
Q3.
True or false? Learning something by heart means you need to hold the text to read it.
Correct Answer: false, False
Q4.
True or false? Knowing something by heart means you can quickly and easily share it with others.
Correct Answer: true, True
Q5.
True or false? Knowing something by heart will help you to feel shy when sharing it.
Correct Answer: false, False
Q6.
Order these steps to help you learn something by heart.
1 - hear it
2 - read it
3 - check it
4 - practise it