Performing the poem 'London' by William Blake
I can perform the poem ‘London’ by William Blake, learning some sections by heart.
Performing the poem 'London' by William Blake
I can perform the poem ‘London’ by William Blake, learning some sections by heart.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- After we have taken time to understand a poem’s meaning, themes and structure, we can learn a poem off by heart.
- Learning poetry by heart offers a range of benefits, both emotionally and academically.
- Hiding certain words in a poem engages readers in active retrieval practice, strengthening our memory recall.
- Understanding a poem, its language and the impression it creates will help us to create an impactful performance.
- We can improve our performances by considering the pace, the atmosphere and our own use of voice and movement.
Keywords
By heart - to learn something in such a way that you can say it from memory
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
Common misconception
Pupils may find learning the entire poem off by heart challenging.
The lesson focuses on learning the first two verses by heart. If pupils are successful, they could try committing the entire poem to memory.
Content guidance
- Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
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).
Lesson video
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Starter quiz
6 Questions
Exit quiz
6 Questions
to learn something in such a way that you can say it from memory
the mood created in a section or whole of a text
the speed or rhythm at which a poem is read or performed