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Year 5

Writing a poem about a personal experience

I can write a poem inspired by a personal experience.

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New
New
Year 5

Writing a poem about a personal experience

I can write a poem inspired by a personal experience.

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Poems can be written in many different forms and structures.
  2. Poems about personal experiences can be based on emotions and feelings we have towards something.
  3. To help generate ideas, we can complete a mind map of actions and events that are associated with our experience.
  4. Creating a repeated line (anaphora) can support us when writing a poem.
  5. We can experiment with word order, punctuation and phrasing when developing our poem.

Common misconception

Pupils may find creating their own repeated phrase during Task A challenging.

Adults may wish to provide a scaffold for pupils with some example lines.

Keywords

  • Form - the way that a poem can be presented

  • Atmosphere - the mood created in a section or whole of a text

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

  • Anaphora - when a word or phrase is repeated at the beginning of multiple lines in a poem or speech

Depending on pupils' poetry experiences, you may wish to include more or less features for them to include in their final poem.
Teacher tip

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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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which of the following poetic devices uses repetition?
Correct answer: alliteration
metaphor
simile
Correct answer: anaphora
Q2.
Which of the following could be a theme that could be contained in a poem?
personification
Correct answer: sadness
Correct answer: love
Correct answer: anger
metaphor
Q3.
Which of the following best describes a fixed verse poem?
poetry that uses repetition to create musical effect
Correct answer: poetry with a specific structure, rhyme and meter
poetry that expresses personal emotions in a highly musical, imaginative manner
Q4.
Which of the following best describes a free verse poem?
poetry that expresses deep admiration for a specific object, person or idea
poetry that consists of 14 lines
Correct answer: poetry without strict rhyme or meter; it emphasises natural speech rhythms
Q5.
True or False? A poem's atmosphere is the mood created by the poet and reader.
Correct Answer: True, true
Q6.
A simile compares two things using which of these terms?
Correct answer: 'as'
'also'
Correct answer: 'like'
'furthermore'

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Match the following keywords to their definitions.
Correct Answer:atmosphere,the mood created in a section or whole of a text

the mood created in a section or whole of a text

Correct Answer:form,the way that a poem can be presented

the way that a poem can be presented

Correct Answer:imagery,the use of language to create a mental picture or sensory experience

the use of language to create a mental picture or sensory experience

Q2.
Anaphora is the repetition of ...
a word that we use in place of a noun.
Correct answer: a word or phrase at the beginning of multiple lines in a poem.
the same sound found at the start of words that come close together.
Q3.
True or False? Poetry about a personal experience must be in a fixed verse form.
Correct Answer: False, false
Q4.
The phrase 'poetry is the spark' is an example of which poetic device?
alliteration
Correct answer: metaphor
personification
simile
Q5.
True or False? You can experiment with word order, punctuation and phrasing of poetry to make improvements to a poem.
Correct Answer: True, true
Q6.
Which of the following effects does anaphora have on a completed poem?
Correct answer: It can enhance a particular point or theme.
It allows a poem to have different starting lines.
Correct answer: It can add a rhythmic pattern when the poem is read aloud.