Kate Williams

FIRE-UP FRIDAY!

Tips and ideas to fire up your class of poets!

Today’s idea:

Ditch pens and paper!
Use exciting alternatives for your class poem!

Spice up your whole-class poem creation by using novel alternatives to pen and paper!

Chalk on flagstones? Why not? Washable chalks will fade away  in the next downpour. If your football pitch is looking squelchy, get your children into their wellies, hand out pre-collected writing twigs and a theme, and let them write their words in the mud.

Or if you have a soggy sandpit, use this for your writing medium. For a whole poem, note down or photograph the children’s words then, back in the classroom, build them into a joined-up poem together. This could then be printed or copied out, perhaps with illustrations, and presented as an attractive audio/visual creation in assembly.

Any reluctant poets now? Of course not!

Staying put in the classroom?

Invite the children to write their words, lines or verses another intriguing and informal way. This might involve letter blocks, words cut out of newspapers and magazines, pale wax crayons illuminated with a wash of paint; fine-brush paint strokes on paper plates, poster paints on fabric strips, marker pens on coloured card, engraving tools – sharp pencils or (Juniors upwards) tooth picks in soft clay or plasticine.

Invisible ink on a treasure map could top all other options – but be warned: you won’t be able to get them to stop at lunchtime.  Incidentally, low-cost invisible ink recipes can be found online, but if you have any school cash available, it might be worth investing in some invisible ink pens.

You’ll probably come up with some cool pen and paper alternatives of your own, and whichever you pick, it’s sure to get your young poets fired up!

More Fire-Up Friday tips and ideas every week.

Meanwhile, here are some free poetry resources – a bunch of 1-minute video-poems on my YouTube channel, Poetry Fizz: 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO_w75QsEJYLsH6ickyeI0g

Kate