Poetry resources

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National Poetry Day - 2 October 2014

National Poetry Day is a nationwide celebration of poetry held on the first Thursday in October. This year's National Poetry Day takes place on Thursday 2 October 2014 and the theme this year is 'Remember', which also links into the multilingual 'Mother Tongue Other Tongue' poetry competition. So why not inspire your students to celebrate the day, get creative and enter the contest? We've sourced some resources and links to websites below to help you get started.

Gaelic

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

Chinese

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

French

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.

  • Fiche intrus syllabe d'attaque et de rime - these printable worksheets 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

  • French Scots words (pdf) - produced by SCILT
  • 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.

German

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

  • Seasonal poetry readings - hear a selection of poems in German by famous German poets on the four seasons: Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter.
  • Ein Wintergedicht - a German winter poem and resource adapted from rosered27's contribution to TES connect (July 2014).

Italian

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.

Spanish

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”.

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.

Urdu

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

Generic poetry and language resources

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

Websites

New Beginnings: A poem of welcome and inspiration - YouTube

01 August 2024

Reading of the poem New Beginnings by Tony Walsh on YouTube

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Poetry Teaching Resources - BBC Teach

21 September 2023

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

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Suggested poems for entries to the Schools Laureate Prize – Stephen Spender Trust

19 May 2023

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

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Poetry Prompts library | BookTrust

21 March 2023

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

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Poems on the Underground

04 October 2022

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

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World Poetry Day teaching resources | Tes

08 July 2022

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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Power and dynamics of poetry in a target language — Primary Languages Network

08 July 2022

Opportunities and examples for introducing poetry in the languages class

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Introducing and exploring poetry - Scottish Book Trust

14 September 2021

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

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Inspire with Poetry! 20+ Ideas & Resources | Teacher Reboot Camp

27 July 2021

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

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Modern Poetry in Translation; The Best of World Poetry

14 September 2018

Website contains features, news, events and poems.

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Super Summary - Poetry writing and analysis guide

19 January 2017

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

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Reluctant writers? 10 top tips to help primary pupils write poetry | Teacher Network | The Guardian

13 October 2016

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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Four reasons to fall in love with poetry | Children's books | The Guardian

13 October 2016

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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Welcome to our poetry-themed week - an overview | The Guardian

08 October 2015

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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John Cooper Clarke's poem for the UK coast released for National Poetry Day | Travel | The Guardian

08 October 2015

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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People Pillar Portrait Poem - Primary Language Learning Today

08 October 2015

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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Language and Creativity - YouTube

11 September 2015

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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National Poetry Day | Forward Arts Foundation

02 October 2014

Site about National Poetry Day with links and resources

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I Can Write a Rainbow - Tony Walsh - YouTube

05 September 2014

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

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AuthorsDen

05 September 2014

This site contains a large poetry section for children

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Other world languages

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

ALL Literature Project

30 July 2024

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

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French Poems for Children

19 January 2016

Famous French poems taught to primary children in France

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Little Red Languages: Two Short French Poems

06 November 2015

Simple French poems narrated by a native French speaker

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Colourful French creativity - Primary Language Learning Today

08 October 2015

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

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Primary Language Learning Today: La nuit

13 November 2014

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

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Alliance Française Melbourne

04 November 2014

A downloadable pdf collection of French poems with accompanying audio files

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French | Scottish Poetry Library

05 August 2014

French poems from the Scottish Poetry Library

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Projet d'écriture : le haïku - Mélimélune

05 August 2014

French haiku resources

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Tongue Twisters

05 August 2014

French tongue twisters

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French Calligrams - Musette Souricette - La classe de Corinne

05 August 2014

French calligrams

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Affichages orthographe - lecture ce1 - haddock

05 August 2014

French phonics

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Websites

Popular Children's Poems in Russian—Part I | Russian Language Blog

21 December 2023

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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Poems for Mother Language Day - Modern Poetry in Translation

21 February 2023

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

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Poem Hunter: Poems - Poets - Poetry

08 July 2022

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

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Czech | Scottish Poetry Library

08 July 2022

Czech poetry from the Scottish Poetry Library

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Poetry Translation

12 August 2021

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

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Mama Lisa's Blog

05 August 2014

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

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African poetry | Scottish Poetry Library

05 August 2014

African poetry from the Scottish Poetry Library

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Icelandic | Scottish Poetry Library

05 August 2014

Icelandic poetry from the Scottish Poetry Library

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Latvian poetry | Scottish Poetry Library

05 August 2014

Latvian poetry from the Scottish Poetry Library

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Norwegian | Scottish Poetry Library

05 August 2014

Norwegian poetry from the Scottish Poetry Library

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Polish | Scottish Poetry Library

05 August 2014

Polish poetry from the Scottish Poetry Library

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Romanian | Scottish Poetry Library

05 August 2014

Romanian poetry from the Scottish Poetry Library

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Websites

Italian Poems - Mama Lisa's World

30 July 2024

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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15 Beautiful Italian Poems | FluentU Language Learning

30 July 2024

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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Ideas for National Poetry Day ¡Vámonos!

08 October 2021

Article contains links to poems for children in Spanish and Italian

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Italian poetry | Scottish Poetry Library

05 August 2014

Italian poetry from the Scottish Poetry Library

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Websites

Chinese Poems – Sing and Learn

30 July 2024

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

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Chinese Poems

06 August 2021

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

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Chinese poetry | Scottish Poetry Library

05 August 2014

Chinese poetry from the Scottish Poetry Library

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Websites

Smeòrach Mi

30 July 2024

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

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BBC Alba - Foghlam - Larach nam Bard

05 August 2014

BBC Gaelic poetry website

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Gaelic | Scottish Poetry Library

05 August 2014

Gaelic poetry from the Scottish Poetry Library

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Listen and Sing

05 August 2014

Audio and downloadable lyrics to Gaelic songs for primary learners

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Scots

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. 

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

Websites

Poetry Slam - Goethe-Institut 

30 July 2024

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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Poem 'Urlaubsfahrt' - Resources - TES

05 September 2014

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

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Elvisrunner MFL: Sparkle in my mind

05 August 2014

A step by step lesson about writing love poems in German

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German | Scottish Poetry Library

05 August 2014

German poetry from the Scottish Poetry Library

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Websites

Scots recitals for children Archives | Scottish Poetry Library

06 August 2021

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Scots Language Centre: poetry

09 October 2014

Readings and written Scots language poetry from the Scots Language Centre

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Glow | Login - Scots – Sharing Practice area on Glow

05 August 2014

Glow shared area for Scots poems (Glow login/password required)

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Scots (language) | Scottish Poetry Library

05 August 2014

Scots poetry from the Scottish Poetry Library

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Aye Can - Kidspoem/Bairnsangs

05 August 2014

Website about Scots including this Scots/English poem “Kids poem/Bairnsang” by Liz Lochhead

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Websites

La Guitarra by Federico Garcia Lorca - Famous poems, famous poets. - All Poetry

30 July 2024

"La Guitarra" by Federico Garcia Lorca with English Translation

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This is how we learn Spanish blog

08 July 2022

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

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Poema a un instrumento musical

08 July 2022

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

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Ideas for National Poetry Day ¡Vámonos!

08 October 2021

Article contains links to poems for children in Spanish and Italian

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Changing Phase: Poesía - an anthology of Spanish poems for beginner learners

24 August 2021

A collection of 25 poems for primary Spanish learners.

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Spanish Poems for Kids - Spanish Playground

11 September 2018

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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Poemas cortos de animales para leer a los niños

19 January 2017

Short Spanish poems about animals

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Little Red Languages: Spanish Poems

06 November 2015

Short Spanish poems narrated by a native Spanish speaker

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Spanish poems about Fall by Douglas Wright

11 September 2015

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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Spanish poem about Autumn

07 August 2015

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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Buscador de poemas y poesías en español

05 August 2014

Searchable database of Spanish language poems

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South American poetry | Scottish Poetry Library

05 August 2014

Poetry from South America from the Scottish Poetry Library

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There are a number of celebrations, festivals and opportunities throughout the year which could also be used to celebrate poetry.  Below are some of our suggestions listed by month.

August
  • Centenary of the outbreak of WW1 - explore a range of WW1 teaching resources for use in the secondary school classroom.  The site includes poetry from WW1 and language resources and themes to inspire creative writing.
  • War poems - poems written by those with loved ones involved in conflict 
September
  • European Day of Languages (26 September) - the aim of EDL is to celebrate linguistic diversity by showing people across Europe how important all the languages of our world are, and how much fun learning them can be.  The European Day of Languages is all about finding a way to get people in schools, colleges and the wider community excited about languages. How are you going to celebrate this year?  Visit our EDL 2014 webpage for suggestions.  Or how about holding a poetry competition in your school and, if your school is within Glasgow's authority, entering Mother Tongue Other Tongue 2014?
October
November
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Poems about bilingualism

Resources suitable for secondary.

Websites

Urdu Poetry, Urdu Shayari of Famous Poets - Rekhta

07 May 2021

Urdu poetry

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Choti Si Munni Urdu Nursery Poem - - Video Dailymotion

07 August 2015

Urdu nursery poems on video

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Urdu Poetry | Urdu Poems - PoetrySoup

08 August 2014

Forms of Urdu poetry with links to useful resources

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