Frozen chords of captured sound,
Tweets, hums, chirping bound,
Singing: hushed, closed, insanely loud,
A sound so pure, so cracked, so round,

~ from 'The Longings of a Timeworn Guitar' by Gabrielle, Year 9, Poetry Object 2018 

Delve into poetic devices with this free series of Poetry Object-inspired animations and curriculum-aligned resources that introduce alliteration, imagery, metaphor, onomatopoeia, personification and simile.

Designed for Years 3-6, resources can be used to plan an individual English lesson or a unit of work. Animations and activities can be utilised in the order presented or adapted for specific a teaching plan and class. 

Produced by Red Room Poetry in collaboration with ClickView. 

Alliteration 

Using the poem 'Wise Wahoo' by poet and teacher, Jon Faulkner, explore how alliteration, onomatopoeia and rhythm give momentum to poetry and enrich the tone of the poem when read aloud.

• Learning Resource
• Poem: 'Wise Wahoo'
• Poet Reflection

Imagery

Identify the effect of imagery in texts, particularly imagery related to nature found in haiku poems and in 'My Tree' by Year 6 student poet, Jack.

• Learning Resource
• Poem: 'My Tree'
• Poet Reflection

Metaphor

Discuss how figurative language including simile and metaphor can make use of a comparison between different things, using 'Adrift in Space' by Year 7 student poet, Saniru.

• Learning Resource
• Poem: 'Adrift in Space'
• Poet Reflection

Onomatopoeia

Explore how rhythm, onomatopoeia and alliteration give momentum to poetry and enhance mood in 'Longings of a Timeworn Guitar' by Year 9 student poet, Gabrielle.

• Learning Resource
• Poem: 'Longings of a Timeworn Guitar' 
• Poet Reflection

Personification

Using the poem 'Moon' by Year 8 student poet, Izzy, explore how human qualities can be attributed to non-human things, such as feelings or ideas. 

• Learning Resource
• Poem: 'Moon'
• Poet Reflection

Smilie 

Watch 'My Golden Butterfly' by Year 6 student poet Bella to examine how figurative language, including simile and metaphor, can compare different things to offer new ways of looking at the world. 

• Learning Resource
• Poem: 'My Golden Butterfly'
• Poet Reflection