Downloadable poetry lessons

Please help yourself to our free downloadable poetry lessons, created by poets with extensive experience of working in schools. The poetry lessons are listed below according to key stage. Please note that some of the lessons are appropriate across two or more key stages. Most of the lessons can be adapted to suit a wide range of age groups and to fit whatever time is available, be that an entire lesson or a short filler at the end of a class. 

You can also search these resources by tool or technique and by theme or subject, or you can read about the work and experience of the poets who created them on our poet biographies page.

The Poetry Society occasionally commissions poetry resources for special occasions, and some of these are included on our featured resources page.

If there is a subject, event or area that you'd like to see represented with a lesson plan, then do let us know! You can email your suggestion to us on this address, or let us know on our dedicated Twitter feed.

 

Early Years / Foundation stage


The Jumblies (PDF - opens in a new window)
Activities based around one of Edward Lear's best known nonsense poems, in celebration of his bicentenary on 12th May 2012.
Author:  David Harmer
Key stages:  Early Years / Foundation stage and key stage 1
At a glance: Edward Lear, celebrating difference, identity, humorous verse, group poems

Key stage 1

Tiny (PDF - opens in a new window)
How everyday things become extraordinary depending upon perspective.
Author:  Mandy Coe
Key stages:  1 and 2
At a glance:  The senses, structure, letter poems, experience, scale
   
The Jumblies (PDF - opens in a new window)
Activities based around one of Edward Lear's best known nonsense poems, in celebration of his bicentenary on 12th May 2012.
Author:  David Harmer
Key stages:  Early Years / Foundation stage and key stage 1
At a glance: Edward Lear, celebrating difference, identity, humorous verse, group poems
 
  

Cat in the Window (PDF - opens in a new window)
A poem about sounds - the ear of the poem is a cat's, but the point of the poem is the variety of sounds it hears, not the cat itself.
Author:  Brian Morse
Key stages:  1 and 2
At a glance:  Poetry of place, using verbs, using adjectives, personification, list poems

Key stage 2

 

 Climate Change Poetry (PDF - opens in a new window)
Using the concept of the 'Ditty Box' to explore what we treasure most about the planet
Author: Karen McCarthy Woolf
Key Stages: 2, 3, and 4
At a glance: Nature, Loss, Climate Change, List Poems & Poetic Forms
 

A Journey Through the Senses (PDF - opens in a new window)
Encourages children to use their sense and develop a fresh approach to writing, with an emphasis on imagination and attention to detail.
Author:  Valerie Bloom
Key stages:  2 and 3
At a glance:  The senses, redrafting, playing with language, feelings & emotion, patterns
 

Favourite Things (PDF - opens in a new window)
Converting lists into poems.
Author:  Phil Bowen
Key stage:  2
At a glance:  Feelings & emotion, friends & family, playing with language, memory, patterns
 

Tiny (PDF - opens in a new window)
How everyday things become extraordinary depending upon perspective.
Author:  Mandy Coe
Key stages:  1 and 2
At a glance:  The senses, structure, letter poems, experience, scale
 

Rhythm and Pace in Poetry (PDF - opens in a new window)
Using songs and popular music to familiarise students with the concepts of structure and movement in a poem.
Author:  Roshan Doug
Key stages:  2 and 3
At a glance:  Rhythm, iambic pentameter, war poetry, structure, syllables
 

A Way Into Metaphor (PDF - opens in a new window)
Stages to discover and develop imagery that will bring poems to life.
Author:  Andrew Fusek Peters
Key stages:  2 and 3
At a glance:  Using adjectives, simile & metaphor, nature, imagery, conceit poems
 

Messages from the Heart Scarab to the Heart (PDF - opens in a new window)
Working with truth and fiction to create poems.
Author:  Chrissie Gittins
Key stages:  2 and 3
At a glance:  Ancient Egyptians, history, experience, list poems, redrafting
 

The Button Jar (PDF - opens in a new window)
Create a character profile through an imagination exercise.
Author:  Roz Goddard
Key stages:  2 and 3
At a glance:  Creating characters, monologues, dialogues, writing in another voice, drama
 

Great Title Randomiser (PDF - opens in a new window)
Group work collecting abstract nouns, adjectives and concrete nouns, and the way imagination grows from change meetings of words.
Author:  Philip Gross
Key stages:  2 and 3
At a glance:  Group poems, juxtaposition, using nouns, using adjectives, sounds
 

Postcards Home (PDF - opens in a new window)
Writing about important places, special people and strong feelings.
Author:  Paul Hyland
Key stages:  2 and 3
At a glance:  Letter poems, short poems, imagery, writing in another voice, poetry of place
 
A Conceit Poem (PDF - opens in a new window)
The idea of a conceit poem is writing about one thing entirely in terms of another.
Author:  Pat Leighton
Key stage:  2
At a glance:  Simile & metaphor, imagery, conceit poems, sound, group poems
 
 

Inspiring Creativity (PDF - opens in a new window)
How to create your own inspiration.
Author:  Anjum Malik
Key stages:  2, 3 and 4
At a glance:  Music, memory, drama, group poems, performance
 

Cat in the Window (PDF - opens in a new window)
A poem about sounds - the ear of the poem is a cat's, but the point of the poem is the variety of sounds it hears, not the cat itself.
Author:  Brian Morse
Key stages:  1 and 2
At a glance:  Poetry of place, using verbs, using adjectives, personification, list poems
 
Cosmic Disco (PDF - opens in a new window)
Practical science teaching and creative activities using Grace Nichols' poem about a disco amongst the stars.
Author:  Grace Nichols
Key stages:  2
At a glance:  Science, Grace Nichols, dance, space, personification
 
 

Telegrams (PDF - opens in a new window)
Focus on drafting and editing.
Author:  Mario Petrucci
Key stages:  2 and 3
At a glance:  Short poems, redrafting, riddles, the senses, reluctant writers
 
How to Make a Poem (PDF - opens in a new window)
A Blue Peter style 'poem-making kit'.
Author:  Coral Rumble
Key stage:  2
At a glance:  Confidence, playing with language, literacy, structure, reluctant writers
 
 

Imaginary Words (PDF - opens in a new window)
A close look at language, sound and meaning.
Author:  Eva Salzman
Key stages:  2 and 3
At a glance:  Humorous verse, sound, alliteration, rhythm, rhyme
 

Developing the Individual Voice (PDF - opens in a new window)
Simile, metaphor, and the tension between invention and form.
Author:  Fiona Sampson
Key stages: 2 and 3
At a glance:  Simile & metaphor, structure, playing with language, riddles, group poems
 
Physical Poetry (PDF - opens in a new window)
Exploring the physicality of poetry, of memory and emotion.
Author:  John Siddique
Key stages:  2 and 3
At a glance:  The body, memory, dance, drama, Ted Hughes
 
 

Split Definitions (Make it New) (PDF - opens in a new window)
An exercise to get students to look at familiar objects and ideas in new and sometimes startling ways.
Author:  Mahendra Solanki
Key stages:  2 and 3
At a glance:  Confidence, reluctant writers, using adjectives, group poems, playing with language
   
Travelling with Edward Lear (PDF - opens in a new window)
Writing a nonsense story in verse.
Author:  Roger Stevens
Key stages:  2 and 3
At a glance:  Creating new words, Edward Lear, journeys, geography, rhythm
 
   
Making Monsters (PDF - opens in a new window)
The aim of this exercise is to draw attention to the power of similes.
Author:  Gavin Stewart
Key stage:  2
At a glance:  Creating characters, syllables, humorous verse, creating new words, simile & metaphor
 
 

Poetry Passport (PDF - opens in a new window)
This exercise enables a child to describe themselves in either idealistic or realistic terms - even the least confident child will have something to say about themselves.
Author:  Pauline Stewart
Key stage:  2
At a glance:  Experience, identity, friends & family, memory, short poems


Key stage 3

More resources for key stages 3-5, including Mario Petrucci's Ecopoetry packs and resources created through our Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award competition, can be found here (open in a new window).

 

 Climate Change Poetry (PDF - opens in a new window)
Using the concept of the 'Ditty Box' to explore what we treasure most about the planet
Author: Karen McCarthy Woolf
Key Stages: 2, 3, and 4
At a glance: Nature, Loss, Climate Change, List Poems & Poetic Forms
 
 

A Journey Through the Senses (PDF - opens in a new window)
Encourages children to use their sense and develop a fresh approach to writing, with an emphasis on imagination and attention to detail.
Author:  Valerie Bloom
Key stages:  2 and 3
At a glance:  The senses, redrafting, language play, feelings & emotion, patterns
   
Rhythm and Pace in Poetry (PDF - opens in a new window)
Using songs and popular music to familiarise students with the concepts of structure and movement in a poem.
Author:  Roshan Doug
Key stages:  2 and 3
At a glance:  Rhythm, iambic pentameter, war poetry, structure, syllables
 
 

A Way Into Metaphor (PDF - opens in a new window)
Stages to discover and develop imagery that will bring poems to life.
Author:  Andrew Fusek Peters
Key stages:  2 and 3
At a glance:  Using adjectives, simile & metaphor, nature, imagery, conceit poems
 
Messages from the Heart Scarab to the Heart (PDF - opens in a new window)
Working with truth and fiction to create poems.
Author:  Chrissie Gittins
Key stages:  2 and 3
At a glance:  Ancient Egyptians, history, experience, list poems, redrafting
 
 

The Button Jar (PDF - opens in a new window)
Create a character profile through an imagination exercise.
Author:  Roz Goddard
Key stages:  2 and 3
At a glance:  Creating characters, monologues, dialogues, writing in another voice, drama
 

Great Title Randomiser (PDF - opens in a new window)
Group work collecting abstract nouns, adjectives and concrete nouns, and the way imagination grows from change meetings of words.
Author:  Philip Gross
Key stages:  2 and 3
At a glance:  Group poems, juxtaposition, using nouns, using adjectives, sounds
 

Postcards Home (PDF - opens in a new window)
Writing about important places, special people and strong feelings.
Author:  Paul Hyland
Key stages:  2 and 3
At a glance:  Letter poems, short poems, imagery, writing in another voice, poetry of place
   
Simile and Metapor(PDF - opens in a new window)
Exploring similes and metaphors and encouraging pupils to think imaginatively.
Author:  Stephen Knight
Key stage:  3
At a glance:  Simile & metaphor, the sea, conceit poems, redrafting, nature
 
 

Inspiring Creativity (PDF - opens in a new window)
How to create your own inspiration.
Author:  Anjum Malik
Key stages:  2, 3 and 4
   
Poetry From Portraits (PDF - opens in a new window)
Uses visual stimuli as the basis for writing poems.
Author:  Cheryl Martin
Key stage:  3
At a glance:  Art, writing in another voice, history, celebrating difference, the senses
 
   
Telegrams (PDF - opens in a new window)
Focus on drafting and editing.
Author:  Mario Petrucci
Key stages:  2 and 3
At a glance:  Short poems, redrafting, riddles, the senses, reluctant writers
 
 

We'll Weather the Weather (PDF - opens in a new window)
Language exercise - personifying natural phenomena
Author:  Dave Reeves
Key stage:  3
At a glance:  Using verbs, feelings & emotion, personification, simile & metaphor, nature
 
Imaginary Words (PDF - opens in a new window)
A close look at language, sound and meaning.
Author:  Eva Salzman
Key stages:  2 and 3
At a glance:  Humorous verse, sound, alliteration, rhythm, rhyme
 
 

Developing the Individual Voice (PDF - opens in a new window)
Simile, metaphor, and the tension between invention and form.
Author:  Fiona Sampson
Key stages: 2 and 3
At a glance:  Simile & metaphor, structure, playing with language, riddles, group poems
   
Intensive Writing (PDF - opens in a new window)
A cumulative observational exercise.
Author:  Peter Sansom
Key stages:  3 and 4
At a glance:  Art, imagery, poetry of place, quick exercise, using adjectives
 
 

Physical Poetry (PDF - opens in a new window)
Exploring the physicality of poetry, of memory and emotion.
Author:  John Siddique
Key stages:  2 and 3
At a glance:  The body, memory, dance, drama, Ted Hughes
 

Free Writing (PDF - opens in a new window)
Working with timed writing (around specific subjects) to encourage fluency and practice writing without self-censoring.
Author:  Dorothea Smartt
Key stage:  3
At a glance:  Free writing, experience, redrafting, iambic pentameter, confidence

Personification List Poems (PDF - opens in a new window)
Lesson plan about list poetry using a 2012 Foyle Young Poet of the Year Award winning poem.
Author:  Ashley Smith
Key stages:  3 and 4
At a glance:  Personification, Sylvia Plath, comparing texts, prose poems, list poems
 

Poetry as Eulogy (PDF - opens in a new window)
Lesson plan about creating poems of remembrance using a 2012 Foyle Young Poet of the Year Award winning poem.
Author:  Ashley Smith
Key stages:  3, 4 and 5
At a glance:  Memory, the senses, friends & family, alliteration, literary heritage poets
 
 

Split Definitions (Make it New) (PDF - opens in a new window)
An exercise to get students to look at familiar objects and ideas in new and sometimes startling ways.
Author:  Mahendra Solanki
Key stages:  2 and 3
At a glance:  Confidence, reluctant writers, using adjectives, group poems, playing with language
 

Travelling with Edward Lear (PDF - opens in a new window)
Writing a nonsense story in verse.
Author:  Roger Stevens
Key stages:  2 and 3
At a glance:  Creating new words, Edward Lear, journeys, geography, rhythm

Key stage 4

More resources for key stages 3-5, including Mario Petrucci's Ecopoetry packs and resources created through our Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award competition, can be found here (open in a new window).

 

 Climate Change Poetry (PDF - opens in a new window)
Using the concept of the 'Ditty Box' to explore what we treasure most about the planet
Author: Karen McCarthy Woolf
Key Stages: 2, 3, and 4
At a glance: Nature, Loss, Climate Change, List Poems & Poetic Forms
 
 

 Writing a Monologue (PDF - opens in a new window)
Help students experience using language in ways which the poet does.
Author:  Sue Dymoke
Key stage:  4
At a glance:  Carol Ann Duffy, monologues, creating characters, drama, performance
   
Inspiring Creativity (PDF - opens in a new window)
How to create your own inspiration.
Author:  Anjum Malik
Key stages:  2, 3 and 4
At a glance:  Music, memory, drama, group poems, performance
 
 

'Bright Star' by John Keats (PDF - opens in a new window)
Full illustrated poem text of Keats' most famous sonnet with suggested approaches to exploring the poem in the classroom.
Author:  Prof. Nicholas Roe
Key stages: 4
At a glance:  John Keats, sonnets, feelings & emotion, love poetry, experience
   
Intensive Writing (PDF - opens in a new window)
A cumulative observational exercise.
Author:  Peter Sansom
Key stages:  3 and 4
At a glance: Art, imagery, poetry of place, quick exercise, using adjectives

Personification List Poems (PDF - opens in a new window)
Lesson plan about list poetry using a 2012 Foyle Young Poet of the Year Award winning poem.
Author:  Ashley Smith
Key stages:  3 and 4
At a glance:  Personification, Sylvia Plath, comparing texts, prose poems, list poems
 

Poetry as Eulogy (PDF - opens in a new window)
Lesson plan about creating poems of remembrance using a 2012 Foyle Young Poet of the Year Award winning poem.
Author:  Ashley Smith
Key stages:  3, 4 and 5
At a glance:  Memory, the senses, friends & family, alliteration, literary heritage poets
 


Key stage 5

Poetry and the Mind (PDF - opens in a new window)
Teaching suggestions using a 2011 Foyle Young Poet of the Year Award winning poem.
Author:  Ashley Smith
Key stages:  5
At a glance:  Mental health, music, experience, multimodal, poetic forms

Poetry as Eulogy (PDF - opens in a new window)
Lesson plan about creating poems of remembrance using a 2012 Foyle Young Poet of the Year Award winning poem.
Author:  Ashley Smith
Key stages:  3, 4 and 5
At a glance:  Memory, the senses, friends & family, alliteration, literary heritage poets
 
 

More resources for key stages 3-5, including Mario Petrucci's Ecopoetry packs and more resources created through our Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award competition, can be found here (open in a new window). Many of the lessons above can also be adapted to suit an older age group.


Poetry texts



The Owl and the Pussy-Cat by Edward Lear (PDF - opens in a new window)
 

The Jumblies by Edward Lear (PDF - opens in a new window)
 

The Dong with the Luminous Nose by Edward Lear (PDF -  opens in a new window)
 

 

The Poetry Society's Poetryclass project supports educators, poets and parents in using poetry for learning. Please browse below for the kinds of support we can offer.

Email: poetryclass@poetrysociety.org.uk
Telephone: 020 7420 9880