Cut up and shuffle the images and verses. For National Poetry Day 2013 by Mandy Coe. Designed to encourage close-reading and collaboration, this activity of matching different bodies/forms of water with its corresponding poem can be done in pairs or groups. Adapt the game for different age-groups by deleting the more obvious titles!

Here’s a set of eight new poems for primary school children by five leading contemporary children’s poets. To keep in touch by Liz Brownlee Remembering by Liz Brownlee The Family Book by Brian Moses Poets are Photographers by Paul Cookson Remembering is our duty by Paul Cookson Dear Mug by Roger Stevens In an old dog’s memory by Brian Moses Whole body memory by Jan Dean

Cut out the jellyfish and fill it with words or a poem. Hang them up with string to make a display. For National Poetry Day 2013 by Mandy Coe. Goes with the Handfish and Jellyfish lesson plan for KS1.

National Poetry Day (October 4th, 2018) is an annual celebration of poetry and all things poetical. It is about everybody sharing poetry, reading poetry, writing poetry and enjoying poetry. Use this pack of tips and activity ideas and join in the celebrations – not only on National Poetry Day itself but all year round. It’s full of activities schools can do (primary and secondary) and also contains book recommendations.

Activities and lesson plans based on Rachel Rooney’s poem Russian Doll designed to get children thinking about their emotions and their response to the poem. Includes link to live performance of the poem by Rachel Rooney.

A complete KS2/KS3 lesson plan designed to teach students to write creatively in the past, present and future. Includes a copies of ‘Past’ and ‘Future’ by students from Leith Primary School in Edinburgh as inspiration.

A comprehensive lesson plan designed to get KS3 students to think about the use of different time frames in their creative writing, and then to write a poem based on past, present, and future changes. Includes a copy of Hafza Abdi’s poem ‘I Will Be’ as inspiration.

A comprehensive creative writing lesson plan for KS3 students, designed to teach them the value of drawing from personal experiences when writing creatively. Includes a copy of Joshua Siegal’s poem ‘The Both of Us’ and further resources from the National Literary Trust as inspiration. A National Poetry Day resource created by the National Literacy Trust.

Comprehensive KS4 lesson plan centered around Commended Foyle Young Poet of the Year Imogen Catsaras’ poem ‘Dawn in Dartmouth’. Students are encouraged to think, talk, read, and write in response to the poem. Includes a copy of the full poem.

Using Juris Kronberg’s poem ‘It’s Easy for Clouds’ as inspiration, KS2 students are invited to write their own poems and then attempt to illustrate them. Includes advice from Juris Kronbergs as well as a copy of his poem.

A complete lesson plan for KS2/KS3 students, using a poem by a 13 year old winner of the Betjeman Poetry Prize as a way of encouraging students to think more deeply about language. Includes a copy of Rebecca MacLean’s poem.

Activities and lesson plans for KS3 students based on Thembe Mvula’s poem ‘Moving House’. Designed to teach students different ways of responding to a poem and how to then relate that poem to personal experiences they may have had. Includes poem and detailed instructions for a lesson plan.

A comprehensive KS3/KS4 creative writing lesson plan using King Henry’s famous ‘Once more unto the breach’ speech from William Shakespeare’s ‘Henry V’ as inspiration. Includes extracts from the play, as well as an abridged version of the speech for younger students.

A comprehensive KS3/KS4 lesson plan designed to teach students how to respond to a poem, study the language of a poem, perform the poem, and then finally use that poem as inspiration to write something new. Includes a recording of Valerie Bloom reading her poem ‘Two Seasons’ as inspiration.

A comprehensive creative writing lesson plan for KS1/KS2 students, designed to teach them the value of drawing from personal experiences when writing creatively. Includes a copy of the poem ‘Blackpool Tower’ and further resources from the National Literary Trust as inspiration. A National Poetry Day resource created by the National Literacy Trust.

Use these posters to remember and to remind. These images, free to print out and share, make a great centrepiece for a poetry display on a wall. Or print out lots, use them in selfies and/or as the cover of a classroom/reading group anthology? Above all, share the results using #thinkofapoem, so that by the time National Poetry Day arrives, on October 2, you’re part of the biggest celebration of poetry ever held. Write out your favourite poem, print out a sticker, and even hold up the poster in Welsh.

A comprehensive poetry analysis lesson plan for KS3 English students that uses Casia Wiliam’s poem ‘Help’ to encourage students to think more deeply about poetic voices and different meanings a poet might be trying to convey. Includes a copy of Casia William’s poem as well as links to external websites which discuss climate change in more detail.

Classroom activities for KS1 and KS2 students based on Benjamin Zephaniah’s poem ‘Fair Play’. Designed to teach students about using humour and falsehoods in poetry to entertain their audience or readers. The activity encourages performance and group work.

A fantastic Welsh language resource written by Casia Wiliam, former Bardd Plant Cyrmu for National Poetry Day 2019. Featuring a poem from Karen Owen.

A comprehensive poetry analysis lesson plan for KS2 English students that uses Joseph Coelho’s poem ‘Gingerbread Man’. The poem deals with issues around being teased or picked on at school, and includes useful links and resources on how to broach this subject sensitively in the classroom. Includes a copy of Joseph’s poem as well as links to more of his work and free teaching resources from CLPE.