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Poetry

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Literacy tasks

  1. Read the poem to yourself.
  2. Read the poem out loud to someone else.
  3. Find all the rhyming words and join them with rhyme lines.
  4. Make up your own rhyming spell to turn your teacher a different colour. You may like to use rhymezone.com to find rhyming words!

5. Write a numbered list in your Literacy book of all the purple things you can think of!

How to Turn Your Teacher Purple!

By James Carter, 2011.

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  • Read the poem to yourself.
  • Read the poem out loud to someone else.
  • Find all the rhyming words and join them with rhyme lines.
  • Write the meaning of the following words in your Literacy book:
    • embrace
    • wedged
    • objection

6. Have a go at drawing an octopus or ocean animal. Scan a QR code below:

Realistic Octopus Cute Squid

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  • Read the poem to yourself.
  • Read the poem out loud to someone else.
  • Find all the rhyming words and join them with rhyme lines.
  • There are lots of compound words hidden in this poem. Write a list of all the ones you can find.
  • Create your own sea creature by making a compound word, eg Octohorse. �Draw a picture of your creature and add labels to describe its parts and what they do.

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She comes by night, in fearsome flight

In garments black as pitch,

The queen of doom upon her broom,

The wild and wicked witch

A cackling crone with brittle bones

And desiccated limbs.

Two evil eyes with warts and sties

And bags about the rims.

A dangling nose, ten twisted toes

And folds of shrivelled skin.

Cracked and chipped and crackled lips

That frame a toothless grin.

She hurtles by, she sweeps the sky

And hurls a piercing screech.

As she swoops past, a spell is cast

On all her curses reach.

Take care to hide when the wild witch rides

To shriek her evil spell.

What she may do with a word or two

Is much too grim to tell.

Wicked Witch - Jack Prelutsky

  • Read the poem to yourself.
  • Read the poem out loud to someone else.
  • Find all the rhyming words and join them with rhyme lines.
  • This poem is full of adjectives! Make a list of all the WOW words you can find.
  • Choose a villainous character and write a verse describing them using your best WOW words. Use one of the picture villains below, or choose your own!

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Tasks:

  1. Read the poem out loud to yourself or a friend
  2. Circle the rhyming words and connect them with ‘rhyme lines’.
  3. Write an acrostic poem in your Literacy book for the word “ATHLETICS”. Remember that the first letter of each line spells out the theme word - athletics.
  4. Record as many WOW words as you can to do with athletics - these might be descriptive words about the events or Athletics day as a whole.

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Mother Doesn’t Want a Dog

by Judith Viorst

Mother doesn't want a dog.

Mother says they smell,

And never sit when you say sit,

Or even when you yell.

And when you come home late at night

And there is ice and snow,

You have to go back out because

The dumb dog has to go.

Mother doesn't want a dog.

Mother says they shed,

And always let the strangers in

And bark at friends instead,

And do disgraceful things on rugs,

And track mud on the floor,

And flop upon your bed at night

And snore their doggy snore.

Mother doesn't want a dog.

She's making a mistake.

Because, more than a dog, I think

She will not want this snake.

  • Read the poem to yourself.
  • Read the poem out loud to someone else.
  • Find all the rhyming words and join them with rhyme lines.
  • The mother in the poem has lots of reasons why she doesn’t want a dog. What are some reasons why someone would want a dog? Write 4 in your Literacy book.
  • What happens next? �Draw a picture of what �mum does when she �sees the snake.

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  1. Read the poem to yourself.
  2. Read the poem out loud to someone else.
  3. Find all the rhyming words and join them with rhyme lines.
  4. This is a ‘riddle poem’. Each verse gives clues to the answer to the riddle - which sport? Write the 5 sports described in the poem in your literacy book.
  5. Create your own 4 line verse about a sport of your choice. Try to have a rhyming word on the 2nd and 4th line. When you have finished, read it to a buddy and see if they can solve the riddle!

Check out www.rhymezone.com to help you out with some rhyming words.

Which Sport?

Dribble and pass, dribble and pass.

Kick a black and white ball.

Boot it straight for the goal.

Watch for mud and don’t fall!

Dribble, dribble, shoot the ball.

Watch it soaring high.

If it misses the basket,

Give it another try!

A cartwheel here.

A backflip there.

You’re flipping and turning

In the air!

You smack the ball.

You run, run, run.

You touch every base

For your first home run!

Dive from the side and hold your breath.

The water is very cool.

Arms turn, legs kick,

in the lovely light-blue pool.

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Te Marama

Tonight I can’t sleep.

Te Marama

floods my room

with silvery light.

Outside, the moana swells

high upon the shore

- ngā tai a Kupe.

Koro fished and planted

by the phases of Te Marama.

Koro told me that she is

the tamaiti of Rangi,

sibling of Te Rā and Ngā Whetū.

Together they make

a whanau of light.

Koro always said, “Titiro whakatau! Look carefully!

In the atara, I remember him.

Te Marama - new, waxing, full, waning, new again.

Endlessly crossing the sky.

  1. Read this poem out loud to yourself �or a friend.
  2. How many verbs can you find in the poem? Make a list in your Literacy book.
  3. Make a GLOSSARY by finding the te reo words in the poem to match the words below:�Grandad, sea, the stars, sky father, child, the moon, the sun, look, family.
  4. How many words can you think of to describe Te Moana / the sea? Make a list of at least 10 in your literacy book.

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  • Read this poem out loud to yourself or a friend.
  • Find 5 pairs of rhyming words and write them in your literacy book.
  • How many different vegetables do you know the names of? �Make a list of as many as you can.
  • Design your own vegetable garden. �Draw the vegetables you want to plant and add labels.��Print version

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The Little Plant by Kate Brown

In the heart of a seed,

Buried deep, so deep,

A dear little plant

Lay fast asleep.

"Wake!" said the sunshine,

"And creep to the light."

"Wake!" said the voice

Of the raindrops bright.

The little plant heard,

And it rose to see

What the wonderful

Outside world might be.

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  • Read this poem out loud to yourself or a friend.
  • Find 5-6 pairs of rhyming words. Underline them.
  • Word Hunt - how many adjectives and verbs can you find?

  • Create your own animal in your Literacy book.
  • Label its features (strong arms, short neck)
  • Write two sentences about what your animal likes to do.

The Kangaraffe by Judi Billcliff

Whenever I see a Kangaraffe

All I can do is sit and laugh.

His arms are short, his neck is long,

His legs are muscly and very strong.

He’s fast as a cheetah when playing sport

Zipping along the basketball court.

Reaching the hoop so easily

Scoring goal after goal speedily.

He gets red spots when he is hot,

A few on his tum but lots on his bot!

After a game he climbs in his car

With his head out the sunroof - how bizarre!

An adjective is a descriptive word.

A verb is an action word.

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  • Read this poem out loud to yourself or a friend.
  • Find 3-4 pairs of rhyming words. Underline them.
  • Word Hunt - how many adjectives and nouns can you find?

An adjective is a descriptive word.

A noun is a person, place or thing.

4. Record all of the habitats listed in this poem. Write a list of all the animals that may live there.

Optional - You might like to research then draw the correct habitat for each animal. Think about what each animal needs to survive.

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The Flustards

  1. Read this poem out loud to yourself or a friend. Make sure you read it with rhythm and pace.�
  2. Find 6 pairs of rhyming words.�Here is the first one to start you off

met, yet

  • A verb is an action word. How many verbs can you find in this poem? Record them in your Literacy book�
  • How many contractions can you find? Underline them.�
  • Write three short sentences about what you think the Flustards might be waiting to see. Remember to use rhyming words

e.g. They stand and watch for things like these:

Icecream cones dancing happily down the street

Carrots dressed up with tutus on their feet

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Olympic Race

  • Read this poem out loud to yourself or a friend�
  • Find the meaning of these words, using a dictionary. Write the word and its meaning into your literacy book:

pounding:

podium:

  • A verb is an action word. How many verbs can you find in this poem? Record them in your Literacy book�
  • Draw an athlete at the Commonwealth Games. Label what they see, think, feel, hear etc…

For example: heart racing, legs pumping, determined, resilient

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A Gust of Wind.

  • Read this poem out loud to yourself or a friend - can you identify all four seasons?
  • Find the meaning of these words, using a dictionary. Write the word and its meaning into your literacy book:

pale:

Ivory:

Chorus:

gust:

  • A verb is an action word. How many verbs can you find in this poem? Record them in your Literacy book

E.g. Verbs in “A Gust of Wind”

water, crunch, gather, …

4. Make a helicopter spinner!

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  1. Read the poem out loud to yourself, can you do it in one breath?
  2. Read the poem out loud to someone else.
  3. Rework this poem, to include full stops and capital letters.
  4. Can you find 3 similes in the poem? Similes compare one thing to another and use the words like or as.
  5. Draw and label your favourite place or places to swim. What do you like doing in the water?

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Week 8, Term 2.

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Hoiho

by Janice Marriott

JJ43

  • Read the poem out loud to yourself.
  • Read the poem out loud to someone else.
  • Can you find any rhyming words in the poem? Circle and draw rhyme lines to match them.
  • Who is the author talking to in the poem?
  • Can you find at least 5 pairs of words that are repeated? Why has the author done this?
  • Fill in this table for each verse:

Week 7, Term 2.

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Big Blue Whale

by Kathryn Apel

JJ41

  • Read the poem out loud to yourself.
  • Read the poem out loud to someone else.
  • Can you find any rhyming words in the poem? Circle and draw rhyme lines to match them.
  • Can you find up to 10 nouns (names of things)? Write them down in your book.
  • How many contractions can you find? Underline them. Tell a friend what the difference is between it’s and its.
  • Can do: Find out more about the blue whale. What are krill? Do whales migrate? What part of the world can you find them? How long do baby whales stay with their mother? Are blue whales threatened? Draw and label a whale.

Week 6, Term 2.

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Adjectives

Verbs

Personification

Sea Seasons by Moira Andrew

  1. Read the poem out loud to yourself.
  2. Read the poem out loud to someone else.
  3. What language features can you find? �Fill in the table below.�- Adjectives / WOW words �- Verbs - action / doing words�- Personification - non-human things performing human actions, �e.g. the sun smiled at me.
  4. Write your own sentence about the sea: The (adjective) sea (personification), (verb) and (verb), on a (adjective) day. �E.g. The sparkling sea dances merrily, skipping and leaping, on a frosty winter day.

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Plastic Planet

By James Brown.

  • Read the poem out loud to yourself.
  • Read the poem out loud to someone else. Discuss the problem with plastic on our planet - what do the last two lines of the poem mean?
  • Can you find the rhyming words in the poem? Record them neatly into your Literacy book.
  • Then write down as many plastic items that could be replaced with wood, metal or sustainable materials like bamboo or recycled paper. i.e. Use a metal drink bottle instead of a single-use plastic one. Use recycled paper bags instead of plastic bags.
  • Optional - Design a poster with a positive message about recycling or reducing plastic.

Week 4, Term 2.

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Wanted

by Gail Whitten

  • Read the poem out loud to yourself.
  • Read the poem out loud to someone else.
  • Can you find any rhyming words in the poem?
  • Can you find 6 or 7 adjectives or WOW words that describe the mouse or girl? Circle them and then write them down in your book.
  • Have a go at writing an acrostic poem using the letters WANTED (for a pet) or MOUSE.

OR

Week 3, Term 2.

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Cats Sleep Anywhere

by Eleanor Farjeon

  • Read the poem out loud to yourself.
  • Read the poem out loud to someone else.
  • Find pairs of rhyming words, circle and draw ‘rhyme lines’.
  • Can you find 10 nouns or words that name things (eg. pencil) in the poem? Circle them and then write them down in your book.
  • Have a go at drawing cartoon cats on Artforkidshub - Cartoon cat and then draw some cats sleeping on or in different things in your book.
  • Tell a friend about your cat, if you have one!

Week 2, Term 2.

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The Strangest Time by Judi Billcliff

There’s a time when birds swim upside down,

When goldfish fly all through the town.

When dogs meow and cats bark

But it only happens after dark.

When wolves cluck and chickens howl

When bears buzz and bees growl.

When frogs hiss, and snakes leap

But it only happens when you sleep.

When monkeys moo and cows shriek

When mice chirp and crickets squeak.

When crocs jump and roos bite

But it only happens late at night.

When lambs oink and piglets bleat

And giraffes run wild along the street.

It’s the strangest thing I’ve ever seen

But it only happens on Halloween!

  • Read the poem out loud to yourself.
  • Read the poem out loud to someone else.
  • Find all the rhyming words - circle them and connect them with a rhyme line.
  • Have you ever seen something strange? Write about it or make a sentence up about an animal doing something strange.
  • Choose one of the lines in the poem and draw it, eg a leaping snake or a howling chicken.

Week 10

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  • Read the poem out loud to yourself.
  • Read the poem out loud to someone else.
  • Find at least 4x pairs of rhyming words, and highlight or record them down in your Literacy Book in a colourful way.
  • What sort of monster do you have under your bed? Is it friendly? Messy? Scary? Does it steal your snacks or hide your shoes? Write a sentence describing your monster and draw a picture of it in your Literacy Book.

There’s a monster in my bedroom,

There’s a monster under my bed.

There’s a monster in my bedroom -

Look! It’s standing on its head.

There’s a monster in my bedroom,

There’s a monster on the floor.

There’s a monster in my bedroom -

Listen! Did you hear it roar?

There’s a monster in my bedroom

It’s eating all my food,

It’s finished off my muesli bar,

That monster’s very rude!

I need to escape from my bedroom

I’m ready, one ... two ... three,

My feet must not touch the floor

Or that monster might get me!

I leap onto the bookcase,

I leap onto the chair,

I leap onto a pile of clothes -

Look! I’m leaping everywhere.

One last jump. I made it,

I escape out through the door.

Now that monster’s gone to sleep -

It can’t get me any more.

There’s A Monster In My Bedroom

by Judi Billcliff

Week 9

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River Journey

By Moira Andrew

I was born high in the hills,

jumped over stones,

chuckling and laughing.

I listened to winds playing

in the heather.

I grew into a bubbling burn,

wandering through fields,

yellow with buttercups.

I made music, singing songs, in the sunshine.

I became a shining stream,

wound my way among stones,

silver with darting fish.

I danced with long shadows

in the evening.

I hurried over rocks, under bridges, grown-up at last,

my waters wide and deep, till

I tumbled into the open arms

of the sea.

Personification is when you give an animal or object qualities or abilities that only a human can have.

Listen to the Personification song.

  1. Read the poem out loud to yourself.
  2. Read the poem out loud to someone else.
  3. Make a list of all the words used in the poem to describe the river that are human qualities or actions.
  4. Make your own example of personification: Choose a non human thing and give it a human quality, like speech, emotion or action. Eg “The tree waved it’s branches at the sky”.
  5. Draw a picture to go with your example of personification.

Week 8

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Crazy Hair By Judi Billcliff

Help me, I’ve got crazy hair

With a mind all of its own,

It seems to get even crazier

At the sight of a brush or comb.

It’s really curly when it’s dry,

It’s worse when it gets wet.

When Mum appears with the brush

I call out, “No Mum, not yet.”

At times I look like a unicorn

At times I look like a moose.

It’s bad enough when it’s tied up,

It’s a disaster when it’s loose.

Sometimes people tease me,

They say, “Your hair’s a mess.”

But Mum says, “They’re just jealous,

You’re the one who’s blessed.”

  • Read the poem out loud to yourself.
  • Read the poem out loud to someone else.
  • Find at least 4x pairs of rhyming words, and highlight or record them down in your Literacy Book in a colourful way.
  • Draw a picture of a crazy hairstyle in your Literacy Book.

Week 7

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Funky Monkey

By Judi Billcliff

My Dad took us out for a special treat

He took us to the zoo,

Where we saw a cheeky monkey

Wearing bright green sparkly shoes.

He was wearing funky sunglasses

And a red and blue striped shirt.

He was munching on bananas

And yoghurt for dessert.

When he saw us watching him

He offered us a bite,

But sharing food with a monkey,

Didn’t seem quite right.

  • Read the poem out loud to yourself.
  • Read the poem out loud to someone else.
  • Find all the rhyming words - circle them and connect them with a rhyme line.
  • Can you draw a picture of the funky monkey using the descriptions in the poem?
  • What adjectives / WOW words can you find? Write a list of them in your book, then choose another zoo animal and use the WOW words to help to describe their outfit.

Week 6

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“Missing”

  • Read the poem out loud to yourself.
  • Read the poem out loud to someone else.
  • Find at least 3x pairs of rhyming words, and record them down in a colourful way.
  • Draw a picture to go with this poem. You may like to use an Art for Kids hub mouse video! Or, draw a map for the lost mouse to find its way home.

Week 5

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“Wind on the Hill”

  • Read the poem out loud to yourself.
  • Read the poem out loud to someone else.
  • Draw a creative picture of everything you can think of that is powered by the wind. Label what you have drawn, and give your page a title.
  • Find the 5x pairs of rhyming words (in lines 2 and 4 of each paragraph) and record them down in a colourful way.

Week 4

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“At the Zoo”

by A.A. Milne

  • Listen to the poem (click this video )
  • Read the poem out loud to yourself.
  • Read the poem out loud to someone else.
  • Find at least 4x pairs of rhyming words, and highlight or record them down in your Literacy Book in a colourful way.
  • Make a creative map of a zoo - include as many animals as you can from the poem. You might like to research then draw the correct habitat for each animal.

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