Session 1

Focus objectives

• To talk about how the poet uses language to create images
• To reflect on the poem through discussion and making notes

Teaching approaches

• Reading aloud and rereading
• Discussion
• Making notes

Introducing the anthology

Explain to the children that you will be sharing a range of poems from one collection over several days and that they will be listening to, reading, talking about, performing, writing and presenting poems and choosing their favourites.

As part of their work, they will be asked to keep their own 'poetry journal'. This can take the form of a separate exercise book or stapled sheets. The children could decorate the cover of the journal.

Reading aloud and discussion: 'The Magic of the Brain'

'The Magic of the Brain' is the first poem in the collection and discusses all of the senses.

Without disclosing the title or displaying the text, read the poem aloud, asking the children to close their eyes and visualise the poem as you read. You might suggest that they try to run what they hear as a film in their heads.

Ask the children to work with a talk partner and discuss their initial responses to the poem, for example: a part that they particularly remember or liked about the poem, or the kinds of pictures they saw in their heads.

Discussion and rereading

Record the feedback from the discussion by making notes on a large sheet of paper or in a class poetry journal.

Ask the children to describe any pictures that they saw in their heads. Ensure that your questions are asked in an open way - there is no 'right' answer. The children need to feel confident that their contributions are valued.

Then read the poem again, this time displaying the text, and ask the children to join in with you. Ask them to notice in detail as they read any words or phrases they think are particularly striking. During the discussion, record two or three points in the class reading journal. Then give out copies of the poem and ask the children to work with a partner to note in their own poetry journals any words or phrases that they identify.

Record feedback by making notes in the class poetry journal or on a large sheet of paper. The children may identify phrases such as 'It cleared my head as water refreshes the skin' or 'Smooth-on-tongue soup'.

Alternative titles

The poem is called 'The Magic of the Brain'. Ask the children whether they can think of an alternative title. Ask the children to work in pairs, then in groups of four, to compare their titles. Share some of their titles at the end of the lesson.