Choral Speech
‘Choral Speech’, by P. W. R. Foot, 12.3 (1961) A case study in which Foot experiments with a choral performance of a poem with a class of secondary school children.
Learning By Heart
‘Learning by Heart’ by Richard Gill, 34.3 (1983) Reasons for learning poetry by heart, Gill says, include memorability (that some lines stick, unbidden, in our minds, and therefore learning poems by heart responds to something deep in the nature of the poem itself), privilege and possession (that learning a poem by heart is a way…
The Sounds of Poetry
‘The Sounds of Poetry’ by Edwin Webb, 37.1 (1985) How giving voice to a poem can empower students to take ownership of a text, exploring all the possible meanings of a poem by speaking them aloud and experimenting with the sounds: To experiment with the poem in this fashion, producing and modifying alternative versions of…
Doing Things With Poems
‘Doing Things With Poems’ by Julie Blake and Tim Shortis, 70.1 (2018) A reflection on six years of the Poetry By Heart poetry recitation competition, with a view from Kathryn McAllister, a teacher whose school has participated in PBH since the competition’s inception: Verses are given new life through new interpretations and pupils practise skills…
The Problem with Poetry
‘The Problem with Poetry’ by Margaret Matheison, 31.2 (1980) An exploration of the relationship between teaching, examinations, and poetry. Choice and preparation [when teaching poetry] are often much more important than analysis. We should take more care to vary the familiar and the new, and to read poems several time to ourselves until we can…
Repeat After Me: A Defence of Learning By Heart
‘Repeat After Me: A Defence of Learning By Heart’ by Malcolm Hebron, 57.3 (2006) Why (and how) learning by heart can help students ‘savour rather than solve the strangeness’ of poetry.
Newsletter 234 Autumn 2023
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Update from the Primary and Early Years Education Committee (October 2023)
Book recommendations Our Rights! Stories and Poems about Children’s Rights Edited by Jake Hope Illustrated by Ruthine Burton, Chih-an Chen and Habiba Nabisubi Otter-Barry ISBN 9781913074210 £12.99 Inspired by the various different rights of the child, as declared by the United Nations, these stories and poems are by host of well-known writers such as Cathy…
Rain and Shine A Flip-Flap Book of Weather by Molly Littleboy
This bite -sized flip-flap board book is a perfect book of weather for young children. Little children will enjoy turning the split pages and discovering stunning illustrations which take them through a world of weather. Readers can watch the weather change before their eyes. There is accessible weather information and wildlife to spot. An educational…