Imagery
Hands around the Christmas Tree
Children's poet and storyteller A.F. Harrold explores the theme of friendship through poetry, focussing on the Trafalgar Square Christmas tree, given by the city of Oslo as a symbol of thanks and friendship each year. You can use A.F. Harrold's two exercises and poem structure to create your own Christmas Tree poem and think about friendship at this festive time. This is a great Christmas activity for all settings, from schools and community groups to home.
For added inspiration, read A.F. Harrold's own poem 'The Friendship Tree', commissioned as part of The Poetry Society's annual Look North More Often programme
Write Yourself an Escape Plan
Explore the National Poetry Day 2017 theme of 'Freedom' with this resource for Key Stages 1-2. After reading Brian Bilston's poem 'The Great Escape', create imaginative ways of escaping from particular places.
Climate Change and Adventures in Writing
Helen Mort uses Romantic poetry as a springboard into exploring climate change and poetic landscapes, discussing images and key texts to build towards the final ‘challenge’: a self-portrait poem.
Making poetry with my mother
This lesson plan by Teacher Trailblazer Kate Brackley looks at Letitia Chan’s ‘Making Glutinous Dumplings with My Mother’, a winning poem in theFoyle Young Poets of the Year Award 2016.
Does this smell like a good poem?
This lesson plan by Teacher Trailblazer Joanne Bowles involves exploring some of the ideas in Cyrus Larcombe-Moore’s poem ‘my ghost’ (see page 8 of this resource), one of the winning poems in the Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award 2016.
‘Dulce et Decorum est’ and intertextuality in Wilfred Owen
Peter Olive & Xavier Murray-Pollock use Wilfred Owen’s ‘Dulce et Decorum est’ as a springboard for discussion about the role and implications of allusion in poetry, also involving a discussion of Roman poet Horace's Odes.
Poetry in History: The Battle of Agincourt
Steve Ely challenges young people to explore exactly how and why we commemorate conflict. This resourcewas created to accompany the Agincourt 600 Poetry Competition. At a glance: war poetry, memory, history
The Battle of Agincourt: Dreaming history
John Lindley challenges young people to explore the history and legacy of an extraordinary conflict. It was created to accompany the Agincourt 600 Poetry Competition. At a glance: the Battle of Agincourt, imagery, sensory language, descriptive writing.
Yeats: An Irish Airman Foresees his Death
Jane Anderson explores a poem Yeats wrote in response to the death of a friend’s son during the First World War, as well as the poet's attitude to writing about war. At a glance: W.B. Yeats, war poetry, loss, literary heritage.
'The Big Push' - modern WWI poetry
Poet John Glenday explores his poem 'The Big Push' and guides through creating their own First World War poems. At a glance: First World War poetry, film, visual art, contemporary responses the conflict.