Sessions 4 and 5: Reading and performing

Focus objectives

• To explore the meanings of poems through performance
• To explore how poets use rhythm and rhyme
• To discuss ways that different poets present poems on a similar theme

Key teaching approaches

• Reading and rereading
• Discussion
• Poetry performance
• Shared writing

Reading and rereading

Prepare the text of 'Ears Hear' (Lucia M., and James L. Humes Jr) and 'Louder than a clap of thunder' (Jack Prelutsky) on an OHP, IWB or flipchart - try to present the poems side by side. Have copies available for children to work in pairs, and with the poems presented side by side.

Read the poems to the class. Then ask the children to join in with rereading them. Discuss with the children what the poems tell us about sounds.

Class and group performances

Introduce the class to two ways of performing the two poems.

A simple way for the whole class to perform 'Ears Hear' initially is to divide the class into three groups, with each group reading one verse, but the whole class reading the last line.

A simple way to perform 'Louder than a clap of thunder' would be to divide the class into eight groups, with group 1 reading the first line and then adding a group with each line (second line groups 1 and 2, third line groups 1, 2, and 3, fourth line groups 1, 2, 3 and 4, and so on).

Repeat this with the second verse. Ask the children to try to start each verse quietly and increase the volume.

Discuss with the class if they have any ideas for ways of performing the poems - for example, using different numbers of people, or varying the volume to enhance the meaning.

Divide the class into groups of four. Ask the children to prepare their own performance of 'Ears Hear' or 'Louder than a clap of thunder', taking decisions about ways of performing the poem to reflect meanings.

Groups can then take it in turn to perform the poem to the class.

Discussion

Ask children to reflect on the two poems in groups of four.

Ask them to discuss which poem they think works best - and why they think this is. Children may refer to:

• the rhythm
• the poets' use of rhyme
• humour.

Record some points of the discussion in the class poetry journal, and then ask the children to record some of their thoughts in their poetry journals.

Extension activities

Performances by different groups can be recorded using a digital video camera or webcam. The video can be included in the Microsoft PowerPoint® anthology.

At the end of the session, ask the children to write their own verse in the style of 'Ears Hear' for homework. Ask for suggestions for things that make noises and write a verse together. One approach would be to ask the children to listen for noises that they hear in the classroom and beyond, for example:

• Children shuffle
• Teachers talk
• Shoes tap
• People walk