Year 3 English · Reading poetry and plays · Summary

Year 3 English Reading poetry and plays: summary and key words

Part of the Year 3 English reading poetry and plays chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page

Chapter summary

Skill	Method
Poem, verse and stanza	A poem is written in lines. A stanza is a group of lines, with a gap before the next group. Verse can mean poetry, or one stanza.
Rhyme	Lines that end in the same letters rhyme, such as hill and still. Check the spelling, not only the sound.
Rhythm and beats	A pattern of strong beats that repeats. In this book, the strong beats are bold, so you can count them.
Rhyme scheme	Label the lines with letters: AABB, ABAB and ABCB are common patterns.
Imagery and word choice	Words that help the reader picture a scene or feel an emotion. Ask why the poet chose the word.
Simile	A comparison using like or as, such as like someone who wants to come in.
Forms of poetry	A rhyming poem has rhymes; free verse has no fixed rhyme or beat; a narrative poem tells a story.
Performing a poem	Plan pauses, a tone, volume, intonation and an action. Read it through at least twice.
Play script	A cast list names the characters. Speakers come before a colon. Stage directions are in brackets and italics and are not spoken.
Reading in role	Take the voice of one character, think how they feel at each line, and choose a matching tone.

poem: a piece of writing that is often set out in lines, not full paragraphs
verse: poetry in general, or one stanza of a poem
line: one row of words in a poem; the poet decides where it ends
stanza: a group of lines in a poem, often separated from the next group by a gap
rhyme: lines that end with words that match in spelling, such as hill and still
rhythm: a pattern of strong beats that repeats
beat: a strong part of a line; in this book, the bold words
imagery: words that help the reader picture a scene or feel an emotion
simile: a comparison using the word like or as
free verse: poetry with no fixed rhyme or beat pattern
narrative poem: a poem that tells a story, with characters, a setting and events in order
tone: the feeling or mood in your voice when you read
cast list: the list of characters at the start of a play script
speaker: the character who says a line of speech; the name comes before a colon
stage direction: a note in brackets and italics that tells the actors what to do; it is not spoken aloud