The A-B-C by Spike Milligan: 5x1 hour Poetry Lessons with resources

This product has been developed as part of a week long Guided Reading Unit using the poem:

"The ABC" by Spike Milligan

In the poem, at the stroke of midnight in a classroom, the alphabet come to life and, through clever word play, start talking to each other, moaning about how they don't really like one another, play tricks on each other before finally going to bed (z-z-z).

We have put together our 5 detailed lesson plans which include notes on how to introduce the poem using a You Tube clip - the link is included in the teaching plans, before reading it yourself. The children therefore hear a professional recital of the poem and understand how fluency, pace and expression should be used.

Included in this product:

• 5 day, detailed lesson plan identifying how to teach the reading of the poem and links with specific resources included and when/how to use them.
• 6 photocopiable resources for the class to use
• Answer Key for each activity

Over the five lessons, the development of the reading of the poem is clear:

Day 1: Hear the poem for the first time, read it aloud together, trying to keep together

Day 2: Continue to practice the poem, adding in expression for how the characters of the alphabet are talking to one another - this also develops language knowledge too.

Day 3: Develop the role of the narrator and the role of the alphabet letters as a chorus and split the group into two separate roles

Day 4: Group chorus to be the narrator and individual children to take on the roles of specific letters from the alphabet who are talking

Day 5: Work through the repertoire which the children now have - group performance, narrator solo and group chorus, or, group narrator chorus and individual characters from the alphabet. Day 5 also includes opportunities for assessment and target setting to reflect on next steps in learning.

Each day, not only do the children learn how to read, recite and perform poetry through a range of activities, but they get to know the poem in greater depth by completing 6 activities:

• Activity 1: Word search identifying new vocabulary
• Activity 2: Linking new vocabulary to its definition
• Activity 3: Give the definition to the new vocabulary
• Activity 4: Having been given the definition, spell correctly the new vocabulary
• Activity 5: Poetry observation - questions linked to the use of speech in the poem
• Activity 6: Comprehension questions and focus on the rhyme scheme

Each activity has its' own answer key, and can form part of the lesson, as it dictated in the lesson plan, or can be provided as a home based activity, early morning activity, early finisher, or Literacy Center activity.

This plan will easily cover a weeks worth of Guided Reading sessions, and by the end of the week, the children will have learnt the poem off by heart - so why not celebrate by performing it to an audience?

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Best wishes

INSPIReducation