Writing poetry allows pupils to explore and develop their use of language. Using this resource pack, pupils in KS1 will create their own alphabet poems. Each line begins with a letter of the alphabet, in a similar style to an acrostic poem. The theme of the model text is ‘At the Zoo’, with opportunities to explore the use of adjectives with pupils. This poetic style does not have to follow any rhyme or rhythmic pattern so is an excellent way to introduce younger children to writing poetry.
The resources are based around the theme of zoos and animals. When writing their own poems, pupils can list things using a different theme, such as ‘In the Garden’, ‘At School’ or ‘Under the Sea’. A selection of image cards showing different themes is included to inspire writing.
This KS1 writing resource includes:
- Alphabet poem model text: At the Zoo - this model text is an alphabet poem that uses each letter of the alphabet to write about an animal that might be found in a zoo
- Alphabet poem writing sheet - this contains success criteria for writing an alphabet poem as well as examples of verbs and plural nouns
- Alphabet poem inspiration cards - a set of PDF images to use as inspiration for the themes of pupil’s alphabet poems; teachers could choose one theme for all or allow pupils to look at the images and choose one that inspires them
- Alphabet poem planning sheet - this worksheet allows pupils to draw or write examples of animals (or other themes) for each letter of the alphabet.
- Themed writing paper - the writing paper can be used for pupils to present their work
- Teacher notes - guidance on how the resource could be used within the classroom
National Curriculum English programme of study links:
Year 1
- Pupils should develop a pleasure in reading, motivation to read, vocabulary and understanding by listening to and discussing a wide range of poems…
- Pupils should be taught to write sentences by saying out loud what they will write about and composing sentences orally before writing.
- Pupils should be taught to add prefixes or suffixes: using the spelling rule for adding -s or -es as the plural marker for nouns and the third person singular marker for verbs
Year 2
- Pupils should develop a pleasure in reading, motivation to read, vocabulary and understanding by listening to, discussing and expressing views about a wide range of classic and contemporary poetry…
- Pupils should be taught to develop positive attitudes and stamina for writing by writing poetry.
- Pupils should learn how to use the present and past tenses correctly and consistently including the progressive tense