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Monday, 3 February 2014

Featured Poem Feb 2014 - 'Teachers' by Terry Caffrey

'Teachers'

You see the Teachers
They rule the classroom
And in a classroom then the teacher's word is law
They give us homework
I get it all wrong - and
Then I'm standing in the corner near the door.

(CHORUS
I fainted, I panicked, my clothes were far too tight
I wobbled, I waivered
I gave the kids a fright
I went to pieces
At St. Teresa's
But then a dinner lady
Brought me back to life.)

You see the teachers are always shouting
And all that shouting doesn't get them anywhere
It hurts their voices
They wag their fingers
Stamp their feet and end up pulling out their hair.

CHORUS

You see Teachers they take the lessons
They teach us maths and art and english all the day
Say "get your books out"
Sit up and listen
But we're just kids and all we wanna do is play.

CHORUS

Tom cats and meeces
Some sheep wear fleeces
And it's so hard to balance peas upon your knife
Some chimpanzeezers
and cockney geezers
have took a dinner lady
home to meet the wife.

CHORUS

I fainted, I panicked
I kissed the cat goodnight
I tumbled, I bumbled
The dog put out the light.
I went to pieces
at St. Tereas's
But then a dinner lady
brought me back to life.

© Terry Caffrey 2014
Please do not use without the poet’s permission.

For further information about Terry and his work please visit Terry's page here.

Monday, 4 November 2013

Featured Poem for November 2013 - 'My First Funeral' By Gemma Lees

My First Funeral

There were no sing-along hits

Painstakingly picked for mix CDs

At the start of this sombre road trip

Just jabbering local DJs

Changing accents, same old chatter

As we crackled over each county’s boundary

From North West to South East

He driving and me counting junctions

Passing him pop

And squeezing his hand

As he rested it on his knee

At each red light

Travelling three hundred miles

To say goodbye

To a shut up box

With our friend inside

The cool countryside church was packed

With punks, Goths and freaks

Drawn to this village from countrywide

Disturbing the peace and quiet

Just how he would have liked

I managed not to cry

Until they brought him inside

Everyone as wearing his footie team’s sky blue

And once outside it was as if the sky knew

As even it obliged

And sky blue was all I could see for miles

Around the secluded field

Full of grey and white stones

And his box lowered into his hole

Surrounded by mounds of Earth

We stood in line

Under that blue sky

To say goodbye

To that shut up box

With our friend inside

After sing-alongs

And dancing down the motorway

We sat in his local

Toasting his memory

And reminiscing the rest of the day away

Drink blurred those unreliable memories we shared

Showing each other slightly more reliable

Memories we’d snapped up

In still-framed longevity

And we said goodbye

To an unlocked box

We could look inside

At any time

© Gemma Lees 2013
Please do not use without the poet’s permission.

For further information about Gemma Lees and her work please visit Gemma's page here.

Friday, 22 June 2012

Current Tours with Book a Poet

The Isle of Wight: The prize-winning children’s poet, James Carter, will be touring schools in the Isle of Wight from the 17th - 20th September. James is available for full days with KS1, KS2 and pupils from Year 7. He also runs Gifted & Talented days, as well as INSET poetry days for primary teachers (half and full days available). A full day is £500.

Somerset: From 26th to the 30th November, the talented and creative poet Terry Caffrey, is on his ‘Food for Thought’ tour. With emphasis on fun, Terry facilitates workshops for all ages and abilities – with over 3,500 school visits under his belt, Terry is a firm favourite across the UK. He can offer workshops for KS1, KS2, KS3, Special Schools, G&T plus INSET days for teachers. With Somerset’s economy centred around agriculture and food production, plus its historical sites this makes great inspiration for writing poetry! A full day with Terry is £550.

Oxford: In Spring 2013 poet and children’s author Kenneth Steven will be visiting schools in and around Oxford. Dates TBC – contact us now and we’ll email you with all the information as soon as it becomes available. A full day with Kenneth is £360, half days are £250 and 90 minute sessions are £180. As Kenneth is based in Scotland his visits to England sell out quickly, so do get in touch as soon as you can.

South Wales: James Carter and his guitar (called Keith) are available for workshops for KS1, KS2 and Year 7 for a handful of dates throughout June and July. Contact us for further information.

Other Workshops Planned

Drama & Poetry Workshops: the talented poet, Victor Richards, is running workshops throughout Cambridgeshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire. His unique method means children don’t have to use pen and paper; they can create their own poems, practice, memorise and perform it all at the same time! Half day workshop is £150, full days £250 per class (plus travel). Get in touch to book now to book a class for your school!

Further tour information for Roger Stevens and Mixy will follow shortly.

Visit our home page at www.bookapoet.co.uk to download further tour information or drop us an email at info@bookapoet.co.uk.

Sunday, 15 April 2012

Where does the weekend go?

It's been another busy weekend for the Book a Poet team, with more marketing to be done before the schools are back from their Easter Holidays. Shouldn't complain though - with the schools on holiday, we have had time to plan more lesson plans and school workshop ideas. It's gives us chance to get those creative juices flowing again!

Aside from plotting and planning our next moves, we did have chance to read some great books - more recommended reads for our teen section of the Book a Poet website. 'Mice' by Gordon Reece (what a thriller!), 'Twilight Robbery' by Frances Hardinge (couldn't put this one down) and 'Jane Austin Stole My Boyfriend' by Cora Harrison (the sequel to 'I Was Jane Austen's Best Friend'). All great reads - and you certainly don't have to be a teen to enjoy teen fiction! We were very well entertained with these reads.

Check out the book review section on the Book a Poet website for more reviews.

Last week one of our poets - Camilla McLean - sent through some new photos for publicity. They are absolutely brilliant - so we thought we'd share one with you!

Camilla recently performed at Stamford's poetry festival - Verse 2012. You can read more about Camilla by visiting her page on our poets' section.

Wednesday, 11 April 2012

Verse 2012 - a few photos we took

John Hegley, Joel Stickley, all the Stamford Laureate finalists with the mayor of Stamford (Cllr John Binder) and Joel Stickley plus a few photos of the amazing concrete poems the pupils from schools in and around Stamford created for the festival.

Winners of the Book a Poet & Term Times competition

In the December issue of Term Times we invited readers to 'Give Poetry a Sporting Chance' by writing a poem on the theme of sports to be in with a chance of winning a great prize – a family ticket to the Roald Dahl Museum and a selection of poetry books! Peterborough-based award-winning poet, Mark Grist, has picked the winners …

Congratulations to our under 7s category winner, Niamh Brown, aged 4, from Alconbury CE Primary School in Huntingdon.

'Running'

Running makes my legs ache

And makes me need some water,

Runners can be brothers, sisters, mums or daughters.

Judge Mark Grist said: “A very different take on athletics that’s as lovely as it is short. It also contains a wonderful 2- syllable rhyme that is very unconventional and really made me smile. I kept thinking back to it throughout the day – very original – well done, Niamh!”

Congratulations to our 8-11 years category winner Rebecca Hyde, aged 10, from William Stukeley CE Primary School in Holbeach.

'Bob’s New Sport'

There once was a fish called Bob,

That wanted to play a new sport.

First he tried football,

But he was so awful.

He needed some feet,

So he couldn’t compete.

Next he tried netball,

He got a foul whistle,

For using his head,

His fins were too short to shoot in the net.

He thought and he thought,

And found his number one sport,

He and Tom Daley,

Joined as a team,

It was the best synchro-diving,

That I’ve ever seen.

Judge Mark Grist said: “I really enjoy it when people use rhyme to tell stories, and Rebecca has told us a great one, that is also very funny. Some clever use of half-rhyme as well, which really adds to the comical tone of the poem. Very original as well.”

We’ve also chosen our favourite poems from the entries we received and Mark has commented on all the poems too ...

'100 Metre Race'

by Haytham Afittou, Aged 6

Bishop Creighton Academy School, Peterborough

The gun goes off,

The start of the race,

Run, run, run, fast as they can,

Passing the spectators as they’re cheering and having fun.

Running fast, fast, fast

The finish in sight

Run, run, run

They burst through the ribbon …

1st, 2nd, 3rd,

Hooray for team GB

Another 1st!

Mark Grist said: "Some excellent use of repetition and I like that you experiment with the use of an ellipsis. You present the race really well, and give us a fantastic boost at the end. I very much enjoyed it."

'Football'

By Ewan Brown, Aged 4

Alconbury CE Primary School, Huntingdon

If I were a footballer,

I’d run and score a goal,

And I’d be really happy

Unless it bounced off the pole!

Mark Grist said: "A lovely little rhyme in this that really made me laugh. Well done!"

'Swimming'

By Alice Kemp, Aged 10

Hemingford Grey School, Huntingdon

Under the water bubbles blow,

Turquoise waves stream and flow,

Panting, gasping, paddle along,

Got to keep speedy, got to keep strong,

Feel the water wave in your ears,

Getting my eyes stung is what I fear,

Kicking my legs up and down,

Spinning my strokes, not to drown,

Holding my breath as I dive deep,

The hard tiles is who I meet,

I feel the energy burst when I rest,

My heart pounds like a drum in my chest,

It’s keeping me sporty; it’s keeping me fit,

I’ll do every stroke, bit by bit,

I love my swimming; it’s so much fun,

I feel so brilliant once I’ve done,

I love the feel of swishing blue liquid,

I love the way I swim like a squid,

The best sport that helps you slimming

Is making you love enjoying swimming.

Mark Grist said: "Wow! What a fantastic and engaging piece about swimming. I loved it all, particularly the mention of the ‘squid.’ Some great rhyming couplets and your use of meter was exceptionally strong. Well done!"

'Sport is Great'

By Kyle Olley, aged 9

William Stukeley CE Primary School, Holbeach

Sport is great,

Sport is fun,

Sport can be played by anyone.

I like to watch,

I love to play,

It keeps me active every day.

Football, rugby, snooker, pool,

All of these are really cool.

Wear a hat,

Use a club,

Pot a ball,

Slam that good.

Play with a bat,

A rugby ball,

Back of the net,

Win them all!

Mark Grist said: "Some excellent rhythms in here, Kyle. You use rhyme effectively and I love the message that you’re sending to the reader."

'I Love Sports'

By Greta Domkute, aged 10

Ramnoth Junior School, Wisbech

Basketball is great,

A thing you will not hate,

Or football if you like,

Though some people prefer to ride on their bike,

Tennis is not bad,

But when they lose they’re sad,

In hide-and-seek they smiled,

Though some people got wild,

Do you like rugby?

It’s actually funky!

Mark Grist said: "I love the ending to this, and you cover a range of sports really well, Greta."

'On the Court'

By Jodie Tawn, aged 10

Murrow Primary School, Wisbech

On the court,

Hoop and ball,

Hope one of my players doesn’t have a fall!

Shoot and score,

Dribble that basketball around the floor.

The games with my class,

So gotta make sure I pass,

There’s no doubt people will jump and shout.

I’m not sure how

He just got a foul …

But that’s basketball for ya!

Mark Grist said: "This would make an excellent chant, it’s a very vocal piece. I can imagine your classmates chanting this to cheer you on in a sporting event. Well done!"

'The World Cup Shock'

By Charlie Moughton, aged 9

William Stukeley CE Primary School, Holbeach

I was in the World Cup Final

And we wanted to win

I looked at the World Cup trophy

And we couldn’t put this game in the bin.

We went on to the pitch

Our fans shouted with glory

There was so much pressure

And the game could go in a story.

We started the match

Our hearts were beating

Germany went on the counter-attack

And we were retreating.

The whistle blew

We were sweating

We looked at the manager

And he was fretting.

The second half started

And we just ran at them all

My friend Tom got a penalty

I stood on that spot nice and tall.

I went to the penalty

I scored with joy

My friends ran at me

Like a 10-year-old boy.

The whistle blew

I ran to my friend Sophie

I gave her a hug

And I held the heavy trophy.

Mark Grist said: "A good little story, here, with some effective rhymes – and a couple of two syllable ones in there as well."

'What Am I?'

By Emma Hunt, aged 11

Alconbury CE Primary School, Huntingdon

What am I?

I like to be kicked and chased after,

I can help people win a cup,

You try to kick me in a net,

In a game you can use any part of your body to move me, except your hands.

So, what am I … ?

I am a football!

Mark Grist said: "A fantastic little riddle, here. Well done, Emma!"

We hope you enjoy reading all the wonderful poems as much as we did. A big thanks to all the budding poets who entered and to our guest judge Mark Grist. Congratulations to Niamh and Rebecca - enjoy your prizes!

Friday, 6 April 2012

Stamford's Poetry Festival - Verse 2012

Well, what a week! Only a few days ago did the Stamford Poetry festival come to an end - and here at Book a Poet we're exhausted. But it's a good exhaustion - we've been left with the satisfied feeling that comes after being part of a brilliant event. And what an event it was - packed with school workshops, poetry takeaways, a cupcake decorating poetry session with Camilla McLean (The Tale of Candy Kate the Psycho Baker) , writing surgeries with the Lincolnshire Poet Laureate Joel Stickly, and an open mike session with Pint of Poetry. Not to forget of course, the amazing performance by the Dead Poets themselves - Mr Mark Grist and MC Mixy.

Central to the festival was the crowning of Stamford's first ever Poet Laureate - Darren Rawnsley.

Darren is the first person to hold the title of 'Stamford's Poet Laureate', and Book a Poet assisted with setting up the laureateship in the town.

'The Runner' is the poem Darren submitted to Stamford Arts Centre, and he then performed for the first time on Friday 30th March in front of a live audience and panel of judges, alongside 5 other Stamford poets who were shortlisted for the final. Darren was announced the winner on Sunday 1st April and the Mayor of Stamford, Cllr John Binder presented him with the title.

If you would like to get in touch with Darren, please email us at info@bookapoet.co.uk and we will pass the message along. 'The Runner' by Darren Rawnsley is our Featured Poem for April 2012 - you can read it by clicking here: http://www.bookapoet.co.uk/featured_poem/

We look forward to keeping you updated with Darren's first year as Stamford's Poet Laureate.

How to Write an Eddic Lesson Plan

Another free lesson plan from Book a Poet!

How to Write an Eddic Lesson Plan from Book a Poet Ltd.

Preparation Work

Eddic verse is a form of poetic style popular with the Vikings. It was simple in content and style and usually the subject of the Eddic verse was heroes or mythological creatures and folklore. One of the greatest stories surviving from Viking times is ‘Beowulf’ – the story of the warrior who fights the beast Grendel and then Grendel’s mother, before ruling in peace over his kingdom for some years. This is disturbed by a dragon who terrorises the kingdom, looking for the thief who woke it from its 300-year sleep. Beowulf, now an old man, dies and is given a hero’s funeral, to Valhalla he sails. A great book that re-tells this epic tale for modern times is ‘Beowulf - Dragonslayer’ by Rosemary Sutcliff. Read this to your pupils in advance. On the day of this lesson draw 3 columns on the board and write Simile, Metaphor, Alliteration as the column headings.

Introduction

Tell the class that they are going to write a poem called an Eddic. Beowulf is the subject of our Eddic, but you can choose a different hero, myth or legend to focus on, or let your pupils choose their own subject matter.

Main Teaching Activity

Explain to your class what alliteration, metaphors and similes are. Using the column headings on the board, write an example under each headings and then encourage your class to suggest further examples. Can your pupils explain to you what a hero is and what makes that person a hero? Next discuss Beowulf as a hero (or your chosen Eddic subject matter) and what other ideas and suggestions the pupils come up with. Can your pupils provide an example of a simile, metaphor and alliteration for Beowulf the warrior? (E.g. Simile: Beowulf is like a castle, protective, grand, powerful and strong. Metaphor: Cruelty and punishment were not friends of Beowulf. Alliteration: Beowulf battles and grapples with Grendel.) Ask your pupils to suggest further examples. Finally, working with the class, create a list of adjectives that describe a hero and write them on the board.

Your pupils are now ready to write their own Eddic verse.

Plenary

This activity takes 5-10 minutes. Pupils need to work in pairs or small groups. In turn they are to read their poem to their partner or group. Their partner or group needs to provide feedback; we suggest what they like about the poem and how they think the poem could be improved.

Differentiation

To challenge more able pupils by providing a list of adjectives that need to be included in the poem. You can also set them the subject matter they have to write about, another hero or mythical character to Beowulf.

With less able or young pupils ask them to write a modern Eddic, so the poem can be about someone they look up to as a hero. Set them key words to be used in their work. Should you wish to you can put pupils in pairs or small groups so they can write a collaborative poem.

Notes

This lesson plan is approximately a one-hour activity. You will need to allow additional time if you wish to read or learn more about Beowulf. You can extend the activity by asking pupils to re-draft and illustrate their poems. You can also reduce the time of this lesson by asking pupils to write their poem as homework once the introductory work has been completed in class.

Concrete Poem (Calligram or shape poetry) Lesson Plan for Key Stage 2

Concrete Poem (Calligram or shape poetry) Lesson Plan for Key Stage 2

Learning Objectives

Year 3 Strand 9 – Creating and Shaping Texts
• Select and use a range of technical and descriptive vocabulary
• Write non-narrative texts using structures of different text types

Year 4 Strand 9 – Creating and Shaping Texts
• Show imagination through the language used to create emphasis, humour, atmosphere or suspense
• Choose and combine words, images and other features for particular effects

Year 5 Strand 9 – Creating and Shaping Texts
• Adapt non-narrative forms and styles to write fiction or factual texts, including poems
• Reflect independently and critically on their own writing and edit and improve it

Year 6 Strand 9 – Creating and Shaping Texts
• Integrate words, images and sounds imaginatively for different purposes

Preparation Work

You can either set a topic or theme for the concrete poems, or allow the children to decide on the day. If you are picking a theme, a few images that relate to the theme should be prepared in advance and be displayed in the lesson. (We are using the theme of nature to base this lesson plan on, though this can easily be adapted to space, history, the Olympics etc.)

Introduction

Bring your class together and explain that today they will be writing a shape poem (also known as concrete poems or calligrams). Introduce your theme, which in our examples is nature. Ask the children to suggest ideas to write their poems about. Write them on the board. For example, you may have – the sea, butterflies, a tree, winter and fishing on a lake. Pick one to discuss in detail. Ask the class for descriptions and encourage them to think of ideas for each sense. Write them on the board.

Main Teaching Activity

Split the class into groups or pairs, and give each pair / group an idea that the class has just generated. The pupils then need to write a list of words that describe their subject, (we’re using the sea for our example). Allow 10 minutes for this. Once this is done, ask the children to create several descriptive sentences based on their ideas they’ve just come up with. For example, they may have ‘Roaring ocean sounds like a lion’, ‘Stormy seas swish and swash’, ‘Tiny waves lap the shore’, ‘Surfers ride the gigantic, rushing waves’, ‘Screeching seagulls hover over the gentle ocean looking for fish’, ‘Salty waves fill up rockpools’, ‘The sea is deep blue against the clear blue sky’. Next ask them to draw a basic outline of a shape that relates to their subject (or give them pre-printed artwork). For example, if the sea is their topic, they could draw a couple of cliffs, some waves of varying size and perhaps a boat on the horizon. Using the words they have generated they then write the words, or sentences on the lines they have drawn. Once completed a concrete poem has been completed.

Plenary

This is a 5-10 minute activity. Ask the children to work in pairs to read their poem to their partner. Their partner is to provide feedback; something they like about the poem and a suggestion on how it could be improved. You can also ask pupils to read their finished poems out to the class.

Differentiation

To challenge more able pupils ask them to write descriptive sentences before they write on their picture. They can even be challenged to write a poem, that they then can transform into a shape poem.

For less able pupils provide a list of key words they are to include. They can work in pairs or small groups to create a joint poem and have the support of an adult to assist them. You can also provide them with a pre-printed picture for them to write their words on.

Notes

This is a one-hour activity. Alternatively the introductory work can be done in class and the poem can be written as homework. This lesson plan is also suitable for after school clubs and extra curricular activities.

Copying for commercial use is strictly forbidden without prior consent of Book a Poet Ltd.www.bookapoet.co.uk info@bookapoet.co.uk

Monday, 3 February 2014

'Teachers'

© Terry Caffrey 2014 Please do not use without the poet’s permission.

For further information about Terry and his work please visit Terry's page here.

Monday, 4 November 2013

© Gemma Lees 2013Please do not use without the poet’s permission.

For further information about Gemma Lees and her work please visit Gemma's page here.

Friday, 22 June 2012

Sunday, 15 April 2012

Wednesday, 11 April 2012

Friday, 6 April 2012

Introduction

Plenary

Differentiation

Notes

Notes

© Terry Caffrey 2014
Please do not use without the poet’s permission.

© Gemma Lees 2013
Please do not use without the poet’s permission.