Year 2 Poetry Unit 1 – Patterns on the page

Patterns on the page (2 weeks)

Note: The suggested time required for this unit (two weeks) is for guidance only, and the unit can be delivered flexibly to suit school and class needs, links to cross-curricular planning and the length of terms.
Children hear, read, respond to and write poems with particular patterns. They focus on the playful exploration of language and its potential use, without necessarily being constrained by 'making sense'. For this unit, it is more important that the texts used are selected as representing different structural and language patterns than that they tie in with any particular subject matter or theme. The meaningful communication of observation and experience is the focus of Year 2 Poetry unit 2.

Phase 1

As a class and in groups, children hear, read and respond to a range of poems with different patterned structures. Children then explore the different patterns created, both by the ways words and phrases are used and sequenced, and by the way the text is laid out on page or screen. They sort poems according to their pattern type and then perform some of them in appropriate fashion.

Phase 2

With extensive contribution from and involvement by children, the teacher models and explores writing in several different patterned forms. Opportunities are taken to focus on playful and inventive language choices, further developing children's vocabulary and their word reading and writing skills in the process.

Phase 3

Following on from this modelling, children in pairs or individually (possibly then working with a response partner) write their own simple patterned texts (on paper or on screen), developing their writing from a given beginning, following a given pattern or within a given frame. Outcomes are then shared and discussed.

Overview

• Children hear, read, respond to and write poems with particular patterns. They focus on the playful exploration of language and its potential use, without necessarily being constrained by 'making sense'. (The meaningful communication of observation and experience is the focus of Year 2 Poetry Unit 2.)
• As a class and in groups, children hear, read and respond to a range of poems with different patterned structures. They then explore the different patterns created, both by the ways words and phrases are used and sequenced, and by the way the text is laid out on page or screen. They sort poems according to their pattern type, and then perform some of them in appropriate fashion. Note: For this particular unit, it is more important that the texts are selected as representing these different structural and language patterns than that they tie in with any particular subject matter of theme.
• With extensive contribution from and involvement by children, the teacher models and explores writing in several different patterned forms. Opportunity is taken to focus on playful and inventive language choices, further developing children's vocabulary and their word–reading and writing skills in the process.
• Following on from this modelling, children in pairs or individually (possibly then working with a response partner) write their own simple patterned texts (on paper or on screen), developing their writing from a given beginning, following a particular pattern or within a given appropriate frame. Outcomes are then shared and discussed.

1998 Framework objectives covered:

Year 2, Term 1: T7 and T12 learn, reread and recite favourite poems, taking account of punctuation; comment on aspects such as word combinations, sound patterns and forms of presentation; use simple poetry structures and substitute own ideas.