Literacy - Poetry

This week we are going to think about shoes and what amazing experiences we can have when we go walking

Developed from:

Day 1 – WALT respond to images

Have a look at the pictures on slides 7-10 with an adult and talk about what you can see.

What clues can you see about what might happen in the book?

What might the book be about?

Where do you think the book is set?

What characters might be in the book?

What might the characters do?

What are your first thoughts about the book?

Read the text below with an adult.P11 Where My Wellies Take Me – Michael and Clare Morpurgo

“Where are you off to, Pippa?”

It’s what Aunty Peggy always asks me when I’m on my way out.

“Wherever,” I tell her with a shrug. “Where my wellies take me!”

“Pippa!” she says, giving me a look. She thinks I’m trying to be funny or a bit too poetic. I’m not.

Anyway, It’s her fault I like poetry so much. Every night before bed, she reads me one of her favourite

poems.

The other thing I love about staying with Aunty Peggy is going for walks. I never have any idea of

where I’m going. I just go. Proper, long walks. I don’t care if it’s raining, don’t care if it’s cold.

But it’s sunshiny this morning, sitting on the front step in the sun, pulling on my wellies.

“Four o’clock, Pippa,” Aunty Peggy calls after me. “Don’t forget it’s May Day. It all begins at four.

Don’t be late, dear. You don’t want to miss the fun, do you?”

I’m not mad about games and I hate races, so yes. I want to miss the whole horrible thing if I can. But I

know enough not to say it out loud. My wellies are off for a walk, and I’m going with them, so I just

give her a wave.

Re-read the text again and think about your answers on slide 6. What new

information do you have that help you see whether your predictions were

accurate?

Using the text on page 14, label the text to show anything that matched your

original thinking.

There is an example on page 13.

For example:

I thought the

author wanted to

be dramatic by

starting with a

question, so I have

labelled that.

Also I thought

there might be

some repetition

and there is, so I

have labelled

repetition too.

“Where are you off to, Pippa?”

It’s what Aunty Peggy always asks me when I’m on my way out.

“Wherever,” I tell her with a shrug. “Where my wellies take me!”

“Pippa!” she says, giving me a look. She thinks I’m trying to be funny or a bit too poetic. I’m not.

Anyway, It’s her fault I like poetry so much. Every night before bed, she reads me one of her favourite

poems.

The other thing I love about staying with Aunty Peggy is going for walks. I never have any idea of

where I’m going. I just go. Proper, long walks. I don’t care if it is raining, don’t care if it’s cold.

But it’s sunshiny this morning, sitting on the front step in the sun, pulling on my wellies.

“Four o’clock, Pippa,” Aunty Peggy calls after me. “Don’t forget it’s May Day. It all begins at four.

Don’t be late, dear. You don’t want to miss the fun, do you?”

I’m not mad about games and I hate races, so yes. I want to miss the whole horrible thing if I can. But I

know enough not to say it out loud. My wellies are off for a walk, and I’m going with them, so I just

give her a wave.

Now read the text again and use some evidence from the text to explain what clues/information it gives you about the text. (There is a bigger table on slide 15 for you to write on).

Text What does it tell me?

“Where are you off to Pippa?” The main character is a girl called Pippa.

Someone wants to know where she is going.

“Where my wellies take me.” The girl is wearing wellies.

The wellies are in charge and decide where the girl

goes.

Text What does it tell me?

Day 2 – WALT collect words and phrases that grab the reader’s interest.

Read the following extract that tells you about Pippa’s walk.

Underline all the good word choices that you can see.

White and Green Groups: Explain why the author has selected these word

choices. What impact do they have on the reader?

Complete the tenses table on slide 20, that shows what Pippa saw, heard, smelt, felt and tasted on her walk, using the text to help you.

DAY 3 – WALT build up and extend our vocabulary choices.

• Today’s task must be done with an adult.

• If an adult cannot do this task you, then do the task in your home garden or

in your home. You could even simply use your imagination.

Today you need to do your daily walk WITH AN ADULT. If you can’t go for a walk with an adult, you can use your garden or walk around your home. Alternatively you can use your imagination.• What shoes will you wear? (You can design an imaginary pair if you like).

• You are going to gather ideas for your poetry work later in the week. Your

poem might be called:

Choose

your

shoes.

•Whilst you are walking (or imagining your walk), keep all your

senses alert.

•Write down ( or ask your adult to write them down for you):

• All the sounds that you can hear.

• Every smell that you notice.

• Interesting/unusual things that you can see.

• How things feel to touch (no touching things without an adult’s permission.

Keep your hands away from your face and wash your hands properly

when you get in).

When you return, complete the word wall (slide 25) by adding powerful adjectives to make your observations more descriptive.

Uncomfortable,

cobbled pathway

Try to use the word choices to make short, descriptive sentences to describe your walk.

For example:

High above my head, the gentle breeze rustled the

emerald, green leaves.

Under my flimsy flip-flops, the uncomfortable, cobbled

pathway dug painfully into my feet.

Day 4 - WALT organise our ideas into a logical sequence.

• Yesterday you created some superb sentences about your walk.

• Today you need to organise them into a sensible order to help structure your

poem.

• Draw a map of your walk. If your walk was indoors or imaginary, you can still

draw the map.

• Label the parts of your walk and add any sentences in the correct place.

There is an example on slide 28.

Started at home,

putting shoes on at

front door.

Saw someone’s

washing on the line

and heard people

playing .

Passed lots of

cottages.

Walked up high

street and turned

into Clarence

Crescent.

Returned home

across the

overgrown

pathways at the

edge of the fields.

Tiptoed through the

mini forest towards

the field of sheep.

Stopped under the

blossom tree.

Walked between

the houses towards

the fields.

High above my

head, the

gentle breeze

rustled the

emerald, green

leaves.

Under my flimsy flip-flops, the

uncomfortable, cobbled pathway

dug painfully into my feet.

Day 5 – WALT apply our word choices to write a descriptive poem.

• Today you are going to use your word choices and the sentences that you

created earlier in the week to create a poem to describe where your shoes

took you. You can also use your map from yesterday so that you can write

your poem in the same order as your walk.

• You have two choices:

• You might wish to write a totally descriptive poem. If you choose this version, have a look

at slide 30, where I have developed my ideas as an example.

• You might prefer to write a narrative poem to describe the journey that your shoes have

chosen. If you choose to do this, have a look at slides 31-35 where I have developed my

ideas as an example.

Where My Flip Flops Take Me!High above my head, the gentle breeze rustles the emerald, green leaves,

Under my flimsy flip-flops, the uncomfortable, cobbled pathway digs painfully into my feet.

Emerald, green leaves,

Tall, thin trees,

Delicate, yellow flowers,

Outstanding blossom trees.

Quaint, white cottages,

The distant sound of a steam engine,

The smoky, barbecue aroma,

Moist, summer air,

This is where my flip flops take me.

My poem starts with the

sentences that I prepared

and I’m going to continue

using some ideas from my

map and some ideas from

my word choices.

“High above my head, the

gentle breeze rustled the

emerald, green leaves.”

“Under my flimsy flip-flops,

the uncomfortable, cobbled

pathway dug painfully into my

feet.

In order to write my poem, I am going to use a selection of my word choices and some

of my sentences to match the different sections of my journey, which I can see on my

map.

These are the choices that I have made before I start my poem:

• It is going to start when I put on my shoes.

• It will be in the present tense and I must remember to keep it in the present tense throughout the poem.

• The poem will not rhyme.

• It will have verses.

• It will tell others the story of my walk.

• I will choose sentence lengths and styles to suit me.

Before you start, decide what your poem is going to be like.

Sliding my toes into my stone-studded flip flops,

I open the door with anticipation.

Flinging wide the bold, red front-door,

I exit excitedly into the street.

A deafening sound of silence hits me as

I leave the house.

Outside, the street is silent.

Not a soul in sight.

I am using these two boxes to help

me write my first section.

Under my flimsy flip-flops, the

uncomfortable, cobbled

pathway dug painfully into my

feet.

Sliding my toes into my stone-studded flip flops,

I open the door with anticipation.

Flinging wide the bold, red front-door,

I exit excitedly into the street.

A deafening sound of silence hits me as

I leave the house.

Outside, the street is silent.

Not a soul in sight.

Turning slowly, I head up the high street towards Clarence Crescent,

Under my flimsy, flip-flops, the uncomfortable, cobbled pathway

Digs painfully into my feet.

All around me,

The moist, summer air fills my nostrils

With happiness.

“High above my head, the

gentle breeze rustled the

emerald, green leaves.”

“Under my flimsy flip-flops,

the uncomfortable, cobbled

pathway dug painfully into my

feet.

I continue in this way until my poem is complete.

Before I show anyone, I check that it makes sense and says what I would

like it to say.

I hope you enjoy my narrative poem. It is on slide 35.

Sliding my toes into my stone-studded flip flops,

I open the door with anticipation.

Flinging wide the bold, red front-door,

I exit excitedly into the street

To see where my flip-flops take me.

A deafening sound of silence hits me as

I leave the house.

Outside, the street is silent.

Not a soul in sight.

Turning slowly, my flip-flops head up the high street

towards Clarence Crescent,

Under my flimsy, flip-flops the uncomfortable, cobbled

pathway

Digs painfully into my feet.

All around me,

The moist, summer air fills my nostrils.

Passing, numerous cottages my flip flops keep going.

The distinct whistle of a steam engine

Echoes distantly in the air.

Still empty.

No one else around.

Standing under the beautiful, pink blossom tree,

My flip flops want a rest.

Becoming aware of the delicate chirping of tiny birds,

I also look up at the exquisitely, crafted spider’s webs

Dangle precariously from the branches,

Glistening against the sparkly raindrops.

Tiptoeing silently, my flip flops head towards the luscious,

green fields,

I hear sounds of laughter .

Someone is having fun.

Smoky, barbecue aromas tantalise my taste buds.

Washing sways gently on the line.

The mini forest covers me.

High above my head, the gentle breeze,

Rustles the emerald, green leaves.

My flip flops don’t stop,

Heading towards the field of docile sheep,

Crunchy, crumbly bark crackles under my feet.

Delicate, yellow petals bob about on the heads of the wild

flowers

Bare, dead branches stand proudly on the lightning tee.

Deciding it’s time to return home,

My flip flops allow me to walk along the overgrown pathways

Around the edges of the farmer’s field,

Finally home is in sight.

Flicking themselves onto their shoe rack,

My flip-flops decide to sleep.

Me?

I snuggle down into the armchair

And think about where my flip flops take me.

Where My Flip-Flops Take Me!

When you have finished your poem, read it out to an adult.

When you are happy with it, you might wish to send it to someone in the post or to record it so you can

listen to it yourself.