Reading, responding and performing ‘My Heart is a Volcano’
I can read and respond to a poem, before performing it.
Reading, responding and performing ‘My Heart is a Volcano’
I can read and respond to a poem, before performing it.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- ‘My Heart is a Volcano’ is split into three verses with four lines in each; each verse follows an ABCB rhyme scheme.
- Through the use of metaphors, the poem conveys the atmosphere as it follows the speaker's emotional journey.
- Understanding a poem, its language, imagery and the impression it creates will help create an impactful performance.
- Performances can be improved by considering the rhythm and flow of the poem, use of voice, gestures and body language.
Keywords
Imagery - the use of language to create a mental picture or sensory experience for the reader or listener
Atmosphere - the mood created in a section or whole of a text
Pace - the speed or rhythm at which a poem is read or performed
Gesture - a movement that helps express an idea or meaning
Fixed verse - poetry with a specific structure, rhyme and meter
Common misconception
Pupils may find it challenging to attribute a feeling or emotion to a metaphor.
Some pupils could have visuals of the imagery contained in the poem, to support when attributing the change in emotional state of the speaker from verse 1 to verse 3.
To help you plan your year 5 english lesson on: Reading, responding and performing ‘My Heart is a Volcano’, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 5 english lesson on: Reading, responding and performing ‘My Heart is a Volcano’, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 2 english lessons from the Poetry about personal experiences unit, dive into the full secondary english curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
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.
Licence
Lesson video
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Starter quiz
6 Questions
Love is a rose, blossoming in the garden of the heart.
Love is like a beacon, guiding us through the darkness.
Love whispers secrets to the wind, carrying its message across the sky
Exit quiz
6 Questions
the use of language to create a mental picture or sensory experience
the mood created in a section or whole of a text
poetry with a specific structure, rhyme and meter