I am sat today on the Isle of Arran. Yesterday was beautiful sunshine and a clear sky as we watched the porpoises dart about ahead of the ferry on which we were making the crossing.
Today is lashing rain with foreboding clouds in the dark sky. There is no doubt that Autumn, in all her beauties, is upon us.
Both days have been wonderfully seasonal, exactly how we imagine Autumn. So, what better time to get out there and use it to inspire writing? And strangely, the writing that has been inspiring me this autumn is poetry. I say strangely as I never really enjoyed writing poetry – those who have enjoyed training with us will no doubt recall my stories of such. I just found it so hard, so difficult. And that meant, as a teacher, I also found it tricky to teach.
But I had no choice; I had to teach it. And I found little ways to help me. In this blog, I am going to share three different ways to create poetry, all are simple, and all make it achievable.
Type 1 – create a pattern
Mountain mist rises
Frosty icy air
Tingling fingers
Autumn is here
Swirling twirling dance
Orange, golds and reds
Crunching through leaf piles
Autumn is here
Berries ripe and full
Conkers falling down
Gardens go to sleep
Autumn is here
Shimmering sequins
Twirling contestants
Strictly come dancing
Autumn is here
Big cosy jumpers
Thick socks, comfy boots
Wrapped up cosy warm
Autumn is here
Fires are burning
Toasting marshmallows
Bang pop goes fireworks
Autumn is here
Ghosts, goblins and bats
Bobbing for apples
Ghoulish Halloween
Autumn is here
Spiders scurrying
Squirrels saving nuts
Hibernating soon
Autumn is here
Soups simmering low
Rich indulgent stews
Scrumptious aromas
Autumn is here
Sun setting early
Scarlet copper skies
Sunsets to savour
Autumn is here
Life is slowing down
Time to cosy in
The wheel is turning
Autumn is here
This is a wee poem I penned recently. As I said, I am no poet, but I felt comfortable creating this. Why? Well, because it had a clear pattern; lines one, two and three all have five syllables, with the last being only four and repeating throughout. Each verse also has a focus; I only had to think of one thing to write about in each. Then, when writing, I made sure to think about my senses. This, again, helped make it easy for me to find descriptive phrases. Finally, I had no set length to write to. I just did what felt right. Many success criteria could be taken from that. Just one or two would give your class something to focus on.
Type 2 – haiku
Keeping with the theme of syllables, we can look at haikus. These are short Japanese poems, often concerned with nature. They are only three lines long and have a set pattern, the first and last lines have five syllables, and the middle line has seven syllables, which do not need to rhyme.
Whirling leaves in winds
The storm is upon us all
The rain lashing down
Short, sweet, and simple.
This is lovely and brief and could easily lead to an art lesson where children are encouraged to create an image depicting the nature they have reflected on.
Type 3 – Acrostic
Amber, orange, red are the leaves
Under the trees they lay
Toasting marshmallows by the flames
Under skies of stars aplenty
Magnificent geese migrating
New shores abound
Acrostic poems are great; they can be as simple or complicated as you like. They might be a word, or could be a full line or even a verse; the key is they need to start with the letter of the word you are using. This can be tricky when your word has repeated letters, but dictionaries can be a great inspiration here.
To Sum it Up
Poetry can be simple to teach but still push the children and develop their learning. It can be fun, and it can be accessible. It can provide clear guidelines but also allow space for creativity to flow.
Getting outside on seasonal days helps inspire. It can also start a long project as you head out throughout the year to capture a seasonal day. This, in turn, can create a great bank of writing that shows progression and skill development. Though, for this, I would select one type of poetry and use it as the year progresses.
The greatest writers ensured they spent time outdoors; they found it inspirational and inspiring. So, instead of sitting at a desk, let’s get out and create some magic!
