Enthusiastic young creatives at Chilton Primary in Ramsgate launched themselves into an exhilarating National Poetry Day (October 5).
Children from all age groups embraced a range of interesting and exciting activities.
The school’s English Lead Helen Rowland-Hill set the tone where she read funny rhyming narrative The Wonky Donkey by storyteller Craig Smith and her favourite verse Chocolate Cake by acclaimed poet and former Children’s Laureate Michael Rosen.
Year 3 took time to find their favourite poetry books in the school’s new library and wrote poetry recommendations for other children to find. They also wrote their own shape poems.
Year 6 children explored William Blake and his poem ‘Little Girl Lost’ that was linked to their class text – Floodland. They spent some time looking at William Blake’s illustrations, and then created their own poems and used water colour paints in the Blake’s style. Finally they performed a year group version of his classic work The Tyger.
Year 4 performed the poem ‘Strict’ which is about a very strict teacher, working in groups projecting their voices and using their fabulously strict teacher poses.
Researching rap music and its performers from the 1990s were the centre of activities for Year 5 children who wrote their own rap and performed it with their teacher Mr Abel.
Year 2 explored Michael Rosen poetry and then wrote their own funny narrative poems, while, while younger pupils in Year 1 had fun taking turns exploring rhyming words and reading rhyming poetry.
Mrs Rowland-Hill said: “As a school, we focus greatly on reading for pleasure and poetry is very much part of that at Chilton. Pupils explored a wide variety of poetic styles and both children and teachers thoroughly enjoyed an exciting day of creative and fun learning.”