Common Poetic Forms

Common Poetic Forms is an engaging, single-lesson introduction to a number of the most significant and popular poetic forms in the English Language. The lesson is centred on a pupil-led research activity where pupils create a poster of popular forms (sonnet, ballad, lyric, elegy etc.) across a double-paged spread in their books. The lesson can be taught as a stand-alone lesson or integrated as part of a unit of work on Poetry. It is intended for use in a Secondary School English lesson, for a KS3 audience (11-14 year olds) or KS4 audience (14-16 year olds), depending on ability.

The lesson includes:
• A starter activity assessing pupils’ current knowledge of poetic form with examples to follow and consolidate understanding
• A main research and design activity on common poetic forms in English
• A plenary activity with links to performance poetry by Kae Tempest and Dave, asking pupils to make links between traditional and more contemporary forms of poetry.

The 11-slide ppt is easy to follow with teaching notes and answers provided.