I thought this books was a very universal teaching resource. This book can be used in a variety manors to allow children of all abilities and interests to engage with the poems. The book is a high-quality text that could can be used to read aloud to the class or independently. It is a book that could be taught along side guided reading comprehensions as well as may other activities. This book has no limitation to only be taught in English, as the title states they are 'poems to perform' so using the poems to act out as small groups or a class would be a great inclusive activity. Allow children to work in groups to decide how to perform a poem of their choice, which they liked when read aloud. When they heard the poem, how did it make them feel? How could they explore this in their performance? How will they use the volume, tone and pace of their voices to convey the emotions? If they work in a group will they all perform at once? Take turns to do different parts? A mixture of both? Man’s, woman’s, child, youth’s, wife’s, husband’s, mother’s, father’s, young man’s, young woman’s poems, These Inspirational Poems for Children are perfect to display in your classroom to provide children with words and images of hope, kindness and happiness. Why are inspirational poems for children important?

The Highwayman could also be the inspiration for children producing different types of writing e.g. Bess’s diary entries, a love letter from The Highwayman to Bess, a play depicting the meeting between Tim the ostler and the soldiers prior to the final shooting. A switch in perspective would also be intriguing, perhaps the poem could be re written as a story through the eyes of The Highwayman himself.What can allusion tell us? Like many of the poems on the list, this piece would be great for a group performance. The mounting frustration of the speaker, who awaits the coming of a peaceful and just world and “a rebirth of wonder,” is captured, often humorously, in twisted snippets of popular rhetoric. Ferlinghetti weaves biblical, mythological, literary, and historical allusions into a litany against tyranny and cultural hegemony. How might these allusions be brought to bear on the text? How would the strategic line breaks, particularly those between well-known sound bites of American speech and the speaker’s ironic response to them, sound with multiple voices, as in the lines “and I am waiting for the war to be fought / which will make the world safe / for anarchy”? The growing anxiety of this speaker cries out for a human voice as much as the text cries out for hyperlinks. It is important for children to understand and be able to recognise the difference between a story and a poem. By children being able to tell the difference, this will help them to understand how they would be presented differently, helping them to deepen their understanding and knowledge. Not only can this book be used in teaching aspects in English and Drama it could also be used in Art (get children to illustrate the poems themselves) and Music (get children to compose a music piece to add meaning to the poem).

Some of the actions you can use in your performances are also covered, and there are a few example videos at the end by Benjamin Zephaniahand Joseph Coelho. What is Performance Poetry? Have fun with traditional action rhymes, rounds, songs and nursery rhymes. Explore verbs and sentence punctuation. Improvise dramas based on nursery rhymes. Write in roles.One of my television songs, A SQUASH AND A SQUEEZE, was made into a book in 1993, with illustrations by the wonderful Axel Scheffler. It was great to hold the book in my hand without it vanishing in the air the way the songs did. This prompted me to unearth some plays I’d written for a school reading group, and since then I’ve had 20 plays published. Most children love acting and it’s a tremendous way to improve their reading. I would also use this book to help children understand the difference between a story and a poem. This is in regard to how they are written, rhyming, the meaning of the poems etc. From knowing this they can take into consideration how it might be performed differently to a story, expanding their mind and knowledge. Secondly, it boosts confidence and self-belief. Our Inspirational Poems for Children provide words of wisdom to help children remember that they can achieve anything. Their dreams can become reality, all you need is a little bit of hope and inspiration to get there. Sometimes children need reminding to celebrate that they're unique, so you might also like this lovely poem poster. Or this worksheet teaching children to celebrate themselves. Or how about this factastic Sports poems acrostic template? What can attitude tell us? To help students find out, begin by asking who owns the action of each stanza in this poem. This will help a performer trace the speaker’s transformation from line to line and stanza to stanza. Then ask about shifts in the speaker’s attitudes toward women, the loose gown–wearing ones in particular. How does the speaker feel about women by the end of the poem? Be warned: If you plan to teach “They Flee from Me” to high school students, they’ll probably groan when they first encounter the archaic language. But entice them by telling them that this provocative poem is rated PG-13, and assure them that after close reading they will understand it perfectly.