Year 6 English: Learning and performing a poem
Part of the Year 6 English reading poetry and non-fiction, and comparing texts chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page
Learning and performing a poem
A poem is set out in stanzas, which are groups of lines. To learn a poem by heart, learn one stanza at a time, and check the order of the lines. When you perform a poem, use intonation (the rise and fall of the voice), volume (loud or soft) and action (a movement or gesture).
Harvest Moon
The field lies silver, wide and still,
a quiet sea of ripened wheat,
and every stalk bends low to listen
to the owl's slow and patient call.
The farmer's cottage, dark and small,
keeps one lamp burning at its door,
as if the night could not be trusted
to bring the tired fields home.
By dawn the sun will climb the hill
and paint the stubble gold once more,
and the wheat, which whispered all night long,
will rest until the harvest comes.
Key ideas
- Learn a poem one stanza at a time.
- Intonation, volume and action help the audience hear and feel the poem.
- Plan where to pause, where to speak softly, and where to raise your voice.
Method. Count the groups of lines.
- Find the groups. Each group of four lines is a stanza.four lines each
- Count them. There are three groups of lines.three
- Write the answer. three
Check. The poem has three stanzas. ✓
Method. Look for the word cottage.
- Find the word. The farmer's cottage is in the second stanza.cottage
- Count the stanza. The second group of lines contains cottage.second
- Write the answer. second
Check. The cottage is in the second stanza. ✓
Method. Look for words that describe a quiet or calm feeling.
- Find the words. The owl's call is described as slow and patient.slow and patient
- Plan the voice. A slow, calm line should be spoken softly.speak softly
- Write the answer. slow and patient
Check. The quiet line is spoken softly. ✓
Watch out
Watch out: do not speed up at the end of a stanza. Pause at the end of each stanza, to let the audience take in the picture.
Exam tip
Grown-up tip. Ask your child to learn one stanza of the poem, to say it aloud twice, and to plan one pause and one quiet line.
Exercise 11B Practice: learning and performing a poem
Method. Count the lines in the first stanza.
- Count the first stanza. The first stanza has four lines.four lines
- Check the others. The other stanzas also have four lines.four
- Write the answer. four
Check. Each stanza has four lines. ✓
Method. Find the third stanza, then the line about resting.
- Find the stanza. The third stanza is about dawn and the wheat.third stanza
- Copy the line. The line about rest is the last line of the stanza.will rest until the harvest comes
- Write the answer. will rest until the harvest comes
Check. The line says the wheat will rest. ✓
Method. Think about the end of a line.
- Find the line end. The first stanza ends with the owl's call.owl's call
- Plan the pause. A pause here lets the audience picture the quiet.a pause
- Write the answer. Pause after the owl's call, so the audience can hear the quiet.
Check. The pause is planned with a reason. ✓
Method. Think about the mood of the stanza.
- Find the mood. The stanza is dark and small.dark and small
- Choose the volume. A soft voice suits the quiet mood.soft
- Write the answer. Soft, because the stanza describes a lamp and a quiet, dark night.
Check. The volume suits the mood. ✓
Method. Look for a word that describes the mood.
- Find the words. Dark and small describe the cottage.dark, small
- Choose the mood word. Dark suggests a quiet, still night.dark
- Write the answer. dark
Check. Dark suggests quiet. ✓
Method. Link the action to the image.
- Find the image. The sun paints the stubble gold.gold
- Plan the action. A slow lifting movement suggests the sun rising.lift your arms
- Write the answer. Lift your arms slowly, as if the sun is rising.
Check. The action links to the image. ✓
Method. Find the line, and count the stanza.
- Find the line. The line is in the second stanza.second stanza
- Check the number. The second stanza is the middle one.second
- Write the answer. second
Check. The line is in the second stanza. ✓
Method. Think about how memory works in small parts.
- Think about the parts. A stanza is a small part of the poem.small part
- Think about the memory. Small parts are easier to remember than the whole poem.easier to remember
- Write the answer. It breaks the poem into small parts, so each part is easier to remember.
Check. Small parts are easier to learn. ✓
Method. Think about how the voice changes.
- Think about the voice. The voice rises and falls.rises and falls
- Think about the meaning. This shows the feeling and meaning.feeling and meaning
- Write the answer. Intonation shows the feeling and meaning, so the audience hears the poem as the poet meant.
Check. Intonation shows meaning. ✓
Method. Find the word lamp.
- Find the word. Lamp is in the second stanza.lamp
- Copy the line. The line is keeps one lamp burning at its door.keeps one lamp burning at its door
- Write the answer. keeps one lamp burning at its door
Check. The line has the word lamp. ✓
Method. Choose the action and the volume, and link them to the stanza.
- Choose the volume. Soft at the start suits the calm field.soft
- Choose the action. A sweep of the hand suits the field.sweep
- Write the answer. Speak softly at the start, lift the voice on the sea, and sweep one hand across the field.
Check. The plan uses volume and action. ✓