New
New
Year 5

Exploring themes of love in 'You Are' and 'Mum Says She Loves Me'

I can read and reflect on poetry about love.

New
New
Year 5

Exploring themes of love in 'You Are' and 'Mum Says She Loves Me'

I can read and reflect on poetry about love.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. ‘You Are’ &‘Mum Says She Loves Me’ are both poems written by Valerie Bloom; each poem is accompanied by an illustration.
  2. Metaphors are used in the poem ‘You Are’; they are a way of comparing something by saying that it is something else.
  3. ‘Mum Says She Loves Me’ is a poem that offers a different perspective on the theme of love.
  4. One way we can reflect on a poem and its themes, is to think about our own personal response to it.

Common misconception

Pupils may initially think that 'Mum Says She Loves Me' is a poem which conveys a negative emotion.

'Mum Says She Loves Me' depicts love in a different family structure. This does not mean that the love is any less than the love depicted in 'You Are'.

Keywords

  • Theme - a big idea, topic or message that recurs within a text

  • Imagery - the use of language to create a mental picture or sensory experience for the reader or listener

  • Metaphor - a way of describing and comparing something by saying that it is something else

You may wish to have some visuals for pupils to annotate to support them during their metaphor creation in Task A.
Teacher tip

Equipment

You need a copy of the 2021 Otter Barry edition of ‘Stars with Flaming Tails’ written by Valerie Bloom, illustrated by Ken Wilson Max for this lesson.

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of sensitive content

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

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 is a poem?
a factual account of events
a formal report written in a formal, structured manner
Correct answer: writing that uses creative, rhythmic language to express thoughts/feelings/ideas
Q2.
True or false? Poems always rhyme.
Correct Answer: False, false
Q3.
Which of the following are examples of poetic devices?
Correct answer: simile
fronted adverbials
subheadings
Correct answer: personification
Correct answer: imagery
Q4.
What is a group of lines in a poem called?
rhyme
Correct answer: verse
alliteration
Q5.
What is a poet?
people who read poetry
Correct answer: an individual who writes poetry
an individual who illustrates texts
Q6.
Which of these are poetic forms?
Correct answer: cinquain
syllable
Correct answer: ode
Correct answer: pantoum
fairy tale

6 Questions

Q1.
‘You Are’ and ‘Mum Says She Loves Me’ are both poems written by ...
John Lyons
Correct answer: Valerie Bloom
Grace Nichols
Q2.
Which of the following are true?
Correct answer: A poem Valerie wrote in primary school was published in a newspaper.
Valerie was born in the UK.
Correct answer: Valerie’s poems often include Caribbean dialects, humour and storytelling.
Q3.
What is imagery?
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
a way of describing and comparing something by saying that it is something else
Q4.
What is a metaphor?
Correct answer: a way of describing and comparing something by saying that it is something else
the repetition of the same sound found at the start of words close together
a way of describing a non-living thing as if it acts or feels like a human
Q5.
Which of the following is an example of metaphor?
Correct answer: He's the compass of our friendship.
He is like the wind.
Together, we share moments of joy and triumph.
Q6.
What is the common theme explored through the poems, 'You are' and ‘Mum Says She Loves Me’?
nature
science
Correct answer: love