Making your school Poetry Friendly

This project was designed to give an intensive experience to a whole school in one week.

The writers Chrissie Gittins, Cheryl Moskowitz and Jim Dunk went into a number of primary schools in Islington to work with most of the year groups from Reception to Year 6.

The intention was to immerse the school in poetry for a week; writing poems, reading poems, poetry in assembly, poetry on display. The pupils were introduced to two characters Rhyming Ronnie and Catie couplet (cut out figures who 'lived' in the school hall for a week). Each day Catie and Ronnie would challenge the pupils to create couplets to follow on from Catie's daily couplet, or words to rhyme with Ronnie's word of the day.

On the final day parents were invited to a special assembly to hear some of the work that had been done during the week.

I last saw him on Monday
He was off to Michael's
He said his Mum had gone
I guess he feels confused
Something is missing from his routine
That click is gone
That click is missed
Nottingham is far away
“See you soon”, she said
But he won't be seeing her soon

(Grafton school, Yr 4 pupil)

A beautiful cloth waving in the wind
A flower that is growing in the sunlight
A flag on a ship in the distance
Seaweed on a stick
A soft fluffy cover on my bed
It hugs me every night
My Grandfather gave it to me, when I was three
Because we lived far apart
I've slept with it ever since
I really miss him

(Yerbury School, Yr 5 pupil)