Chapter Graphic
 : Trend Task: Lively Poems
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Approach: Team Level: Year 4 and year 8
Focus:   Expressive oral reading of poems 
Resources: Instruction card, 4 poetry booklets
96Kb
Questions/instructions:
This activity is called Lively Poems. Lots of poems can be fun to read, and fun to listen to.
To make them fun to hear, they need to be said in ways that help others to enjoy them.

Each person in your team is going to have a turn at reading a poem aloud, so that it sounds lively and interesting for the others to listen to.

I’m going to give each of you a booklet of poems and I want you to do the three things which are written on this card.

Show and read instruction card.

If you have trouble with any of the words in the poems, just ask me and I’ll help you.
It doesn’t matter if more than one person reads the same poem.

Give each student a booklet, then allow sufficient time for preparation.  
Lively Poems
1. Read the poems quietly to yourself.
2. Choose one poem for reading out loud to the group.
3. Practise your poem to yourself several times.
Remember to make it really interesting for everyone to listen to.
Spaghetti Spaghetti
by Jack Prelutsky
Spaghetti! spaghetti!
I love you a lot,

you’re slishy, you’re sloshy,
delicious and hot.

I gobble you down
oh, I can’t get enough,

spaghetti! spaghetti!
you’re wonderful stuff.		 Ways
By Bea Hamer
In the dark my cat goes out
to walk
to talk
to stalk
to LEAP!

In the light my cat comes home
to drink
to blink
to purr
to s l e e p .....		 My Sort of Bike
by Riley Dunn
Std 2, Onerahi Primary Sch
It’s a panther, big and black,
With fire bursting out the back,
Sort of bike.

It’s a shimmering and shiny,
Smooth but whiny
Sort of bike.

Hooning down the highway
Late at night.
That’s my sort of bike.		 A-choo!
by Danielle Meinrath (age 9)
You can feel it coming,
That tickle in your nose,
That shiver up your spine,
That tingle in your toes.
You do not have a tissue,
Oh no! what can you do?
Prepare for an explosion –
A-CHOO!
My Puppy
by Aileen Fisher
It’s funny
my puppy
knows just how I feel.
When I’m happy
he’s yappy
and squirms like an eel.
When I’m grumpy
he’s slumpy
and stays at my heel.
It’s funny
my puppy
knows such a great deal.		 A Song Sung by
Te Rauparaha
I sing,
I sing,
I sing of Kupe,
The man
Who cut up
The land.
Kapiti stands apart,
Mana stands apart,
Arapawa stands apart.
These are the signs
Of my ancestor,
Of Kupe,
Who explored
Titipua.
It was I explored
The land!		 Skipping Rhyme
by Gwenyth Jones
Mane, Mane, one, two, three
Türei, Türei, skip with me.
Wenerei, Wenerei, turn around,
Täite, Täite, touch the ground.
Paraire, Paraire, touch the sky,
Rä Horoi, rope swings high.
Rä Tapu, you’re too slow —
End of the week, so out you go!
(Pepper)		 Caterpillars
by Aileen Fisher
What do caterpillars do?
Nothing much but chew and chew.
What do caterpillars know?
Nothing much but how to grow.
They just eat what by and by
will make them be a butterfly,
But that is more than I can do
however much I chew and chew.
Dark Places
by Desna Wallace
It’s dark and wet,
with slimy, slithery creatures,
in the deepest, darkest corner
of the ocean.
It’s dark and wet,
with spooky, shadowy shapes,
in the deepest, darkest corner
of the forest.
It’s dark and wet,
with soggy, smelly sandwiches,
in the deepest, darkest corner
of my brother’s schoolbag.		 If You Should Meet a Crocodile
If you should meet a Crocodile,
Don’t take a stick and poke him;
Ignore the welcome in his smile,
Be careful not to stroke him.
For as he sleeps upon the Nile,
He thinner gets and thinner;
And whene’er you meet a Crocodile
He’s ready for his dinner.		 The Big, Black Whale
by James K. Baxter
I wish I were a big, black whale
Out in the deep, green sea.
He blows like a hose
Through the top of his nose
As happy as a whale can be.
And the sailors look pale
When they hear his tail
Go smack, smack, smack,
On a big wave’s back
Out in the deep green sea.		 Not Again!
by Desna Wallace
You’re a pain.
Say that again!
You’re a pain.
Say that again!
QUIET, the pair of you!
He started it.
No, I didn’t.
Did so.
Did not.
Did so.
ENOUGH!
But, Mum…
But nothing!
Get to bed!
Under the covers,
in the dark of the night,
my little brother whispers,
“You’re a pain.”
Oh no –
not again!
The Owl and the Pussy Cat
By Edward Lear
The Owl and the Pussy-Cat went to sea
In a beautiful pea-green boat,
They took some honey,
and plenty of money,
Wrapped up in a five-pound note.
The Owl looked up to the stars above,
And sang to a small guitar,
“O lovely Pussy! O Pussy, my love,
What a beautiful Pussy you are,
You are
You are!
What a beautiful Pussy you are!”		 The Paddle Song of the Aotea Canoe
Translation by James Cowan
Aotea is the Canoe,
And Turi is the Chief.
The ‘Roku-o-Whiti’ is the Paddle.
Behold my paddle!
It is laid by the canoe-side,
Held close to the canoe-side.
Now ‘tis raised on high — the paddle!
Poised for the plunge — the paddle!
Now we spring forward!
Now it leaps and flashes — the paddle!
It quivers like a bird’s wing,
This paddle of mine!
This paddle whence came it?
It came from Kahu-nunui,
From the Kahu-roroa.
It came from the Great-Sky-above-us.		 So Mad!
By Pauline Cartwright
I’m so mad
that I’m never coming out of
my room again!
Never, ever, ever, EVER!
I’m so mad
that all of me, even my teeth,
feels red like flames
burning, burning, burning!
I’m so mad
that I could shrivel anyone with a single look,
a glaring, staring look!
I’m so mad
that I could push the walls of our house right over!
Crash! Bash! Smash!
I’m so mad
that I’m never coming out of
my room again!
Never, ever, ever, EVER!
Well, not until teatime, anyway.

% responses
2004 ('00)
y4
y8
Now I’m going to ask you one at a time to read the poem you have chosen.

Remember, try to read it so that everyone else will enjoy listening to it, and enjoy the way you are saying it.

Begin with Student 1, then Students 2, 3 and 4. 		   
Fluent connected presentation:
strong
50 (48)
54 (67)
 
moderate
43 (47)
45 (31)
weak
7 (5)
1 (2)
Rhythm:
strong
38 (41)
40 (54)
 
moderate
56 (56)
58 (45)
weak
6 (3)
2 (1)
Expressiveness:
strong
25 (21)
21 (36)
 
moderate
67 (72)
69 (60)
weak
8 (7)
10 (4)
Accuracy:
strong
55 (67)
64 (79)
 
moderate
37 (27)
33 (18)
weak
8 (6)
3 (3)
Speech clarity:
strong
73 (67)
69 (77)
 
moderate
26 (31)
29 (22)
weak
1 (2)
2 (1)
Total score:
10
11 (14)
14 (24)
 
8–9
41 (35)
36 (42)
6–7
27 (31)
30 (25)
4–5
15 (15)
16 (7)
0–3
6 (5)
4 (2)
Commentary
There was very little difference in performance between year 4 and year 8 students, with expressiveness the weakest aspect for both. There was no change between 2000 and 2004 for year 4 students but a small decline for year 8 students.
 
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