New
New
Year 3

Reading and responding to 'There are things that lurk in the Library' by Joseph Coelho

I can give a personal response to the poem and read it aloud.

New
New
Year 3

Reading and responding to 'There are things that lurk in the Library' by Joseph Coelho

I can give a personal response to the poem and read it aloud.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Joseph Coelho’s poems are easy to read and engaging, with playful rhythms and subjects that young readers can relate to.
  2. Joseph Coelho often writes poems with imaginative themes.
  3. The poem ‘Things that Lurk in the Library’ is about the magic and wonder of libraries, books and reading.
  4. The poet uses personification to create vivid imagery and a sense of the mystery and magic of libraries.

Common misconception

Pupils may find it difficult to find examples of personification and explain the impact of using this.

You could show the whole poem on the slides and work as a class to find different examples, before children work in pairs to find more examples at their tables.

Keywords

  • Personification - a way of describing a non-living thing as if it acts or feels like a human

  • Figurative language - the use of metaphors, similes and personification to create imaginative and symbolic meaning

You may wish to play a game in your classroom to explain personifcation where pupils can select objects and come up with a fun way to describe that object in a human-like way.
Teacher tip

Equipment

You need a copy of the poem ‘There are Things that Lurk in the Library’, which is in the 2017 Otter-Barry Books edition of ‘Overheard in a Tower Block’ by Joseph Coelho, 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.
True or false? Joseph Coelho studied archeology at university.
Correct Answer: true, True
Q2.
True or false? His poetry book 'Werewolf Club Rules' was the second book he released.
Correct Answer: false, False
Q3.
Coelho's poem 'Miss Flotsam' was inspired by which group of people?
his family
Correct answer: his teachers growing up
his favourite superheroes
Q4.
True or false? 'Miss Flotsam' is described as being very well-travelled.
Correct Answer: true, True
Q5.
Finish the sentence. When the speaker is being bullied by a boy, Miss Flotsam steps in and ...
ignores the boy.
shouts at the boy.
Correct answer: glares at the boy.
Q6.
What does Miss Flotsam do when the speaker's mother is late to collect them after school?
sends them to the office
tells them to wait in silence
Correct answer: reads to them

6 Questions

Q1.
Which of these is the name of Joseph Coelho's second published book of poems?
'Overheard on the street'
'Overheard in a house'
Correct answer: 'Overheard in a tower block'
Q2.
What is the name of Joseph Coelho's poem written about the wonder and mystery of libraries?
'There are Books in the Library'
Correct answer: 'There are Things that Lurk in the library'
'There are Things in the Library'
Q3.
Joseph Coelho describes books as having which of these?
feet
Correct answer: bones
skin
Q4.
Fill in the blank. In the poem, Coelho says the sounds of “parables” are like the rustling of ...
Correct answer: leaves
clothes
shoes
stones
Q5.
True or false? Joseph Coelho’s poems often explore the theme of imagination.
Correct Answer: true, True
Q6.
Fill in the blank. __________ is a way of describing a non-living thing as if it acts or feels like a human.
alliteration
Correct answer: personification
simile