For illustrations of our Water theme, print out these posters – of mermaids and handfish – by film-maker Leo Crane, the creator of an unmissably gorgeous 30 second animation of watery poetry (http://vimeo.com/73483775). Inspired by Handfish by Roger McGough.

Here is a sheaf of glorious lesson plans and activities on the theme of Remember. There is something for every age group and really excellent poets are involved, so download and read through them all when seeking inspiration. If you like any one in particular, let its creators know: all the NPD poetry partners – from England, Scotland and Wales – have been involved.

National Poetry Day's theme is Water, water everywhere. Celebrate with this poster of a Shirley Hughes poem.

Flotsam, Jetsam and the Deeps: reading and writing activity for KS4. For National Poetry Day 2013 by Mandy Coe. Based on a poem by Michael Symmons Roberts

The theme for National Poetry Day this year is WATER. Please print and share these posters, illustrated by Grace Hawes.

Everything Touches: a reading and performance activity KS2 For National Poetry Day 2013 by Mandy Coe Based on poems by Roger McGough and Wes Magee

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.