Poetry resources

Poetry resources

National Poetry Day - 3 October 2024

National Poetry Day is a nationwide celebration of poetry usually held on the first Thursday in October. This year's National Poetry Day takes place on Thursday 3 October 2024, with the theme 'Counting'. In Scotland the Scottish Poetry Library usually celebrates the occasion by producing a series of resources for schools to request or download and enjoy. 

Schools entering our multilingual Mother Tongue Other Tongue (MTOT) poetry competition may wish to utilise the NPD resources for inspiration. Even if your school chooses not to take part in MTOT, you can still inspire your students to celebrate National Poetry Day and get creative. We've sourced some resources and links to websites below to help you get started.

Here are two French poems created for National Poetry Day 2023 on the subject of Refuge. The first is an acrostic example, the second a haiku.

French acrostic poem on the subject of Refuge - Maman

 

French haiku poem on the subject of Refuge

A collection of the most famous ancient Chinese poems with beautiful melodies for beginners to enjoy, with corresponding translations.

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Chinese, pinyin and English texts of poems by some of the greatest Chinese poets.

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Chinese poetry from the Scottish Poetry Library

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Poetry style examples

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A collection of bilingual and multilingual poetry

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The children's poetry website features guest writer Alma Flor Ada whose writing draws on her rich multicultural background

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Reading of the poem New Beginnings by Tony Walsh on YouTube

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A collection of teaching resources for primary and secondary schools, for bringing poetry to life in the classroom.

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Multilingual bank of poems to inspire pupils which can be searched by language or year group.

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Waterstones Children's Laureate Joseph Coelho's Poetry Prompts videos.

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A collection of poems from world poets which have been displayed on the London Underground

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A collection of teaching resources on poetic devices, assemblies, metaphors, poems and celebrated poets, some are free, some incur a small charge.

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Opportunities and examples for introducing poetry in the languages class

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Classroom resource with activities to help introduce poetry to P4-7 pupils.

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Links to a host of tools and resources to inspire poetry writing

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Website contains features, news, events and poems.

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A comprehensive guide on poetry, including how to analyse poetry, different poetic forms and tips for writing poems

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Choose one theme and act out a scene – children’s poet Kate Williams shares her techniques for helping young students discover their inner Wordsworth

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Children’s books site member Safah has just discovered the fantastically varied, powerful and engaging world of written and performance poetry. Here are four reasons why you should give it a chance

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Watch poets reading poems, listen to a performance poet podcast and get tips on how to perform poetry yourself. More into writing it? We’ve got tips for that too in the Guardian's poetry-themed week.

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The National Trust-commissioned Nation’s Ode to the Coast was written by Cooper Clarke – with help from the British public – and is a celebration of time and tide, and bucket and spade. See the video and written poem on the Guardian website.

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A poetry activity for primary language learners. Although the example given is in French, the activity can be adapted to any language.

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What is creativity, and what does it have to do with language? This animation from the Open University looks at how people use language in creative ways. Use this resource as a basis for starting the creative poetry writing process.

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Site about National Poetry Day with links and resources

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Reading of the poem 'I can write a rainbow' by Tony Walsh on YouTube

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This site contains a large poetry section for children

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Anyone who grew up in Russia has heard children's poems from their parents, siblings, or caretakers. This site shares some famous ones.

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A selection of world poetry from the archive to celebrate International Mother Language Day 2022.

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Best poems from poets all around the world. Search for themes and different languages

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Czech poetry from the Scottish Poetry Library

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A selection of poems in various languages. Use the dropdown menu to select language.

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An enormous collection of poems, rhymes and songs from around the world

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African poetry from the Scottish Poetry Library

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Icelandic poetry from the Scottish Poetry Library

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Latvian poetry from the Scottish Poetry Library

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Norwegian poetry from the Scottish Poetry Library

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Polish poetry from the Scottish Poetry Library

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Romanian poetry from the Scottish Poetry Library

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"La Guitarra" by Federico Garcia Lorca with English Translation

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Spanish poetry resources and lesson ideas from 'This is how we learn Spanish'

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Poems written about instruments based on Frederico Garcia Lorca's "La Guitarra"

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Article contains links to poems for children in Spanish and Italian

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Spanish poems for kids chosen carefully for language learners. Many short, easy poems about seasons, animals and the natural world. Activities included.

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Short Spanish poems narrated by a native Spanish speaker

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Two short Spanish poems about fall. They are perfect to use with Spanish language learners. The vocabulary is not complicated, and the rhythm helps children read them aloud and recite from memory.

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An easy Spanish poem about leaves falling in Autumn. Also includes actions for younger learners to reinforce the meaning of the words.

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Searchable database of Spanish language poems

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Poetry from South America from the Scottish Poetry Library

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Mama Lisa's World presents thousands of traditional kids songs from over a hundred countries and cultures! This is a selection of Italian poems, songs and rhymes

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These 15 Italian poems were written by some of the greatest poets from Italy, including Giacomo Leopardi and Giosue Carducci. If you love beautiful melodies, you’ll love these! Level up your language learning routine by adding poetry into your programme.

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Article contains links to poems for children in Spanish and Italian

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Italian poetry from the Scottish Poetry Library

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Anthology of old and new Gaelic songs with downloadable lyrics for secondary learners

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Gaelic poetry from the Scottish Poetry Library

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Audio and downloadable lyrics to Gaelic songs for primary learners

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The following websites may be of interest.

The following resources can either be downloaded or linked to, or see the list of websites below which may also be of interest.

Primary

These resources can be used with primary age children to explore phonics and rhyme in French.

 

 

  • Phonics - downloadable worksheets in French with hand gestures and rhymes to practice each sound.

 

General

 

  • Biopoème (Jenny Kay Dupuis) - example of a biographical poem in French.

 

 

  • National Poetry Day 2013 - this slideshow, produced by SCILT, features a selection of poetry texts with accompanying translations. As the theme for NPD 2013 was water, the resource includes links to some authentic resources about water and environment. Suitable for learners in upper Primary and BGE stages.

 

  • Les metaphores - there are also Spanish and English (generic) versions of this lesson plan in the relevant sections.

The following Gaelic poetry resources can be downloaded, or see the list of websites below which may also be of interest.

 

Bogaidh – Evie Waddell performs her new poem in Gaelic and British Sign Language (March 2023).

 

Beum-Sgèithe (World Gaelic Week, 21-27 March 2022) To mark World Gaelic Week, Books from Scotland is excited to share three poems from Eòghan Stiùbhart’s debut poetry collection Beum-Sgèithe, whose work is at once traditional and modern and combines images of the natural world with subjects such as politics, culture, love and death. Poems in Gaelic with English translations.

 

Tha sìol beag san talamh (4 October 2018, Scottish Poetry Library) To celebrate National Poetry Day 2018 on the theme of Change. Written and spoken version of the poem available.

 

Òran nan Clachan : Song of the Stones (28 August 2018, Historic Environment Scotland) Video published on YouTube to help launch the HES Gaelic Language Plan 2018 – 2023. Poem is written in Gaelic and Scots.

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Integrate poetry slam into German lessons. Video tutorials on the process of creating slam poetry step-by-step with hands-on exercises.

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A German poem with accompanying activities (TES login/password required)

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A step by step lesson about writing love poems in German

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German poetry from the Scottish Poetry Library

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The following German poetry resources can either be downloaded or linked to, or see the list of websites below which may also be of interest.

Primary - early Secondary

  • Goldene Welt - this autumn themed poetry resource was adapted from the Goethe Institut’s “Four Seasons“ project.

General

  • Ein Wintergedicht - a German winter poem and resource adapted from rosered27's contribution to TES connect (July 2014).

The following Italian poetry resources can either be downloaded or linked to, or see the list of websites below which may also be of interest.

The following Scots poetry resources can either be be downloaded or linked to, or see the list of websites below which may also be of interest. 
 

Hugh MacDiarmid collection (Scotshoose Yaldi) - poetry in Scots for secondary learners, including The Bonnie Broukit Bairn, added to the Nat 5/Higher Scottish set text list November 2024.

New teaching resources for Scots poetry (Scots Languge Centre) - The Scottish Poetry Library commissioned Secondary teacher Rosie Bircham to produce teaching resources for Scots poetry. The site links to these and other resources for teaching Scots poetry.

Dinnae Mak Me Laugh (Scots in Schools) - collection of funny, silly, pure dead glaikit Scots poems for children.

Classic and new Scots poems (Scotshoose) - selection of poems in Scots for performance and enjoyment.

The Kist (Scots Language Centre) - a collection of Scots texts, including poetry, prose and drama, which are carefully chosen to engage children with language.

Old Tongue (BBC Bitesize) - in this National 5 revision resource of Jackie Kay's poem 'Old Tongue', the former Scots Makar considers the effect of relocation on language and accent and how she misses the evocative words and expressions of her youth.

Dr Wha (4 October 2018, Scottish Poetry Library) In honour of National Poetry Day 2018 on the subject of change, a poem in Scots about Dr Who, someone who frequently changes! As well as the written poem you can also access a spoken version.

Òran nan Clachan : Song of the Stones (28 August 2018, Historic Environment Scotland) Video published on YouTube to help launch the HES Gaelic Language Plan 2018 – 2023. Poem is written in Scots and Gaelic.

Scotland, My Jo (12 September 2017) - Former Scots Makar, Jackie Kay, tells us what being Scotland's Makar means to her followed by a reading of her new poem, an ode to the country of her birth.

Ashet - poem performed by Liz Lochhead with written transcript.

Kidspoem / Bairnsangs - poem by Liz Lochhead written in Scots and English. See a video clip of Liz Lochhead performing her poem.

Nae Fizz Izzy - in this clip from BBC World Service (7 September 2015) new Scots Scriever, Hamish MacDonald, reads his own poem in Scots.

 

A selection of Scots resources produced by K Lucas and C Stein:

My family (ppt)

Lesson plan - following a pattern - my family (doc)

Weaving words (ppt)

Lesson plan - weaving words (doc)

Scots-English word lists (doc)

The following Spanish poetry resources can either be downloaded or linked to, or see the list of websites below which may also be of interest.

Primary

This resource developed by SCILT combines a number of creative writing techniques to encourage a sensory approach to writing poetry. It takes as its inspiration the accessible bilingual poem “Colours Crackle, Colours Roar” by Pat Mora.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Explore the environment with colours in this primary school poem by Gloria Fuertes:

 

 

 

 

Watch this nursery rhyme by the famous Spanish poet Antonio Machado sung in Spanish:

 

  • La Plaza Tiene Una Torre por Antonio Machado.  This simple, repetitive poem can be sung or read. The repetition of “tiene” makes it an engaging way to introduce the verb “tener”.

 

 

This simple authentic Spanish rhyme can be used to explore language learning skills:

 

 

Secondary

This poem by Mario Benedetti employs both the preterite and imperfect tenses and is an accessible poem for most senior pupils.

 

 

 

 

The following lesson plan has been developed by SCILT and explores the subject of metaphors:

 

  • Las metaforas you can also find French and English (generic) versions of this resource in the appropriate sections.

The following Urdu poetry resources can be downloaded, or see the list of websites below which may also be of interest.

  • Urdu Spotlight booklet - produced by the Stephen Spender Trust featuring the selection of Urdu poems entrants to the 2021 competition were invited to translate.

Follow the links below to poems, rhymes and songs from around the world.

  • 'Languages of India' booklet -  a resource produced by the Stephen Spender Trust in support of their poetry translation competition.

The following are general poetry resources produced by SCILT and are suitable for use across all languages.

 

Tongue idioms
 

A Chinese portrait
 

Acrostics
 

Adjective poems
 

Analysis grid for poetry
 

Cinquain graphic organiser
 

Diamante poems
 

Metaphors (there are also French and Spanish versions of this lesson plan within the relevant tabs)

 

Below are also links we have sourced to information and lesson ideas around Haiku poems and patterns in other poetry forms:

 

Haiku in languages other than Japanese (Wikipedia) 2016

Spring haiku (TES) - lesson plan 2020

Poetry train (TES) - teachers pack of activities, poems and advice for teaching poetry in primary schools (2016)

Poetry techniques, forms and features (TES) - introduction to poetic forms, techniques and poetry types (acrostic, haiku, cinquain and tanka) 2015

Poetic devices (TES) - two Powerpoints to introduce basic poetic devices to senior phase learners (2018)

Talking Poetry (BBC School Radio) - a series of eight programmes featuring six contemporary children's poets and their work. Each poem is accompanied by several different possible teaching ideas. Some of them are approaches to reading or understanding the poem, some of them are ways to explore further the techniques or themes of the poem, and some of them are ideas for follow up writing activities

 

Creative Multilingualism explores the creative potential of language through the Prismatic Translation project. Through poetry workshops the project recognises everyone speaks differently, and writes differently again; and all the many words in their shifting forms take on different meanings in different situations. Translation is not a matter of trying to achieve correct alignments between standardised languages, but rather a creative re-making of one particular instance of language into another particular instance, using different linguistic resources.

 

Research update: tracing prismatic rays of translation (Creative Multilingualism, October 2018)

Multilingual poetry in schools (Creative Multilingualism) Read poetry produced by students as a result of the multilingual workshops.

Teaching guides for making short films (Creative Multilingualism) These resources (available in 4 different languages) help to support teachers and students to make short films in any language, using free and easily accessible equipment. The guides include information on how to script, shoot, edit and subtitle a film.

 

National Poetry Day

Find inspiration from other sites celebrating National Poetry Day:

 

Scottish Poetry Library

National Poetry Day website

TES

Primary Languages Network Blogs - Poetry in Language Learning (includes links to some French and Spanish poems)

Resources suitable for secondary.

 

  • My Mother is Crying (Creative Multilingualism) - Poem performed and written in English, Polish and Arabic

 

  • Kidspoem / Bairnsang (BBC video) - Liz Lochhead reads her poem, which is written in both English and Scots

 

 

  • Elena (CommonLit) - poem by Pat Mora

 

 

 

 

  • Six O'Clock News (BBC Video) - poem and interview with the creator Tom Leonard

 

 

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Association for Language Learning wiki to support learning languages through literary texts. - ALL Literature Project

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Famous French poems taught to primary children in France

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Simple French poems narrated by a native French speaker

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Rhyme and video clip 'les crayons de couleur' to inspire a calligram poetry activity.

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A poetry activity for primary language learners. Although the example given is in French, the activity can be adapted to any language.

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Resource exploring and unpacking a challenging French poem for advanced primary/early secondary learners

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A downloadable pdf collection of French poems with accompanying audio files

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French poems from the Scottish Poetry Library

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French tongue twisters

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SCILT logoCISS logoUniversity of Strathclyde logoManchester Metropolitan University logoRoutes into Languages NW logo

The Scottish Poetry Library has added sign language poetry to their library collection. Taking the form of films in BSL with captions and written transcriptions.

  • BSL poetry
     
  • Bogaidh – Evie Waddell performs her new poem in Gaelic and British Sign Language. (March 2023)

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