Free teacher web sites for English topic ‘Text - Poetry’

Simple writing frame to generate monster poems with lots of adjectives. Could be useful for reluctant writers.

External link: Describing Monsters Poem frame - adjective focus

Interesting collection of haikus from various sources. Presented in a slightly odd format but you will get around it okay.

External link: Haiku examples

• suitable for class use

Useful and simple PowerPoint file that outlines the rules for what a haiku is, there are examples about blossom, butterflies, snow and a pond and others about the weather. Please use Microsoft Internet Explorer to view this site and ensure you have Powerpoint installed on your computer.

External link: Haiku PowerPoint presentation

• suitable for class use

Kids on the Net has lots of writing from school-aged writers. The poetry section contains some useful haikus and other poetry forms to get your own class going. It's a big site, so if you go and visit them now, we may not see you back here for a while!

External link: Kids on the Net - poetry written by children

• suitable for teachers’ personal use

Six narrative poems including the Highwayman. Each is also downloadable as a Word document if you like. Useful flexible resource kindly gathered by Lancashire NGfL.

External link: Narrative Poems

• suitable for teachers’ personal use

Range of good quality animated poems and rhymes from the CBBC site.

External link: Online animated poems and rhymes for KS1

• suitable for class use

Complete Robert Browning poem available to read with a clickable glossary. Good range of follow-up suggestions and activities. Professional and useful, we love it. To use the site, click on the mouse graphic beside the section you wish to use.

External link: Pied Piper of Hamelin poem

• suitable for class use

• suitable for teachers’ personal use

Interesting poem about a tired caterpillar to put back in order. Requires a good understanding of rhyming couplets. Make sure you have the Java Plug-in for this to work - be patient!

External link: Poem to re-order: rhyming couplet test

• suitable for class use

A wild site of poems and stories that will inspire children to Laugh, Think, Explore and Believe. Fun and wacky, reflective and aspirational – there’s something for everyone.

External link: Poems and stories for kids

• suitable for class use

• suitable for teachers’ personal use

Astoundingly good site for poetry. Includes readings and poems from authors like Judith Nicholls, Valerie Bloom, Allan Ahlberg. Brilliantly comprehensive and frankly one of the most professional sites you will see this year.

External link: Poetry Archive - children's archive

• suitable for class use

• suitable for teachers’ personal use

Simple interactive device to explain and demonstrate the structure of these poetry types.

External link: Poetry engine - haiku, free verse, cinquain, limerick

• suitable for class use

• suitable for teachers’ personal use

Variety of powerpoints covering the following areas, An Overview of Poetry - Definitions and more, What are the different elements between poems with rhythm, rhyme, and alliteration? Free-Verse Poetry (alliteration), Rhyming Poems, Nursery Rhymes, Can you Haiku?, Haiku (ppt), Cinquains, Voice, Little Turtle: Summary - Critical Reading, The Land of Counterpane: Summary - Retelling, Shakespeare, Carl Sandburg's Grass, Carl Sandburg PowerPoint, Compare and Contrast using a poem and a fable, Who Has Seen the Wind? #1: Summary - Descriptive Words, Who Has Seen the Wind? #2: Summary - Discussing, The Wind and the Sun (Aesop's Fable), Compare and Contrast - Who Has Seen the Wind (poem, included).

External link: Poetry powerpoints

• suitable for class use

• suitable for teachers’ personal use

Useful on/offline writing frame with suggestions for the way the poem might go. Leads to an 'abstract noun' poem.

External link: Poetry writing frame

Pretty comprehensive set of resources and links for teaching poetry effectively in KS2. Set out year by year.

External link: Poetry writing resources

• suitable for teachers’ personal use

US author Jack Prelutsky gives us a poem to read (and hear), plus many useful bits of advice about writing poems that could be incorporated into your classroom practice. A winner!

External link: Poetry-writing advice with Jack Prelutsky

• suitable for class use

• suitable for teachers’ personal use

Poems and advice from US poet Karla Kuskin. Includes sensible brainstorming advice about overcoming the hurdles inherent in poetry writing with children.

External link: Poetry-writing advice with Karla Kuskin

• suitable for class use

• suitable for teachers’ personal use

This personal site by a young poet called Marinela Reka contains touching poems on all kinds of topics. Marinela seems to be a perfect role model for young poetry writers, as her poems are totally from the heart and reflect her thoughts on many subjects.
As she says, the site includes: "poems of all sorts, like: Short, Scary, Funny, Family, Friendship, Freestyle Poems, Seasons, Animals, Haiku, Cute, Cinquain, Limericks, Mask, Teen, Heart Broken, War Acrostic Poems, Nature Poems, Onomatopoeia Poems, Pantoum Poem, Quatrain Poems, Imagination and a lot more."

External link: Short Poems from Marinela Reka

• suitable for class use

• suitable for teachers’ personal use

We love the ghostly writing style and the way words have been tagged when you move you mouse over them to demonstrate; Alliteration is marked in blue. Metaphor is marked in green. Personification is marked in purple, Simile is marked in red, Vocabulary words (difficult or old fashioned words) are marked in yellow.

External link: The Highwayman poem for Ks2

• suitable for class use

• suitable for teachers’ personal use