Useful links and books
Useful web links
Poetry resources for the classroom
- BBC Schools site for teachers includes lots of poetry resources and activities
- The Poetry Archive holds the most comprehensive collection of contemporary poets reading their own work in the UK. It includes areas for pupils and teachers as well as activities for the classroom
- The Poetry Society features all things to do with poetry in the UK, including Poetryclass, an 'online poetry classroom' and the Young Poets Network, a site for young fans of reading and writing poetry
- The Poetry Library offers comprehensive information for poetry publications poetry related activities
- The Children’s Poetry Bookshelf is a not-for-profit charity that allows schools to buy discount poetry books and provides poetry activities for the classroom
- The Scottish Poetry Library features an idea-bank, resources for teachers, information on competitions and programmes of live events
- Poems for… supplies small poem-posters for public display in waiting rooms, classrooms and libraries
- Teachers TV features thousands of TV shows for teachers, including a number featuring poetry.
- Poetry 180 was created by Billy Collins when he was the US Poet Laureate. It is based at the Library of Congress and is designed specifically for high schools, containing an excellent list of poems designed to be read every day of the school year.
Stimulus for poetry activities in the classroom
When writing, children relish images, music and ideas that stimulate the imagination. Here are a few useful sites for inspiration:
- NASSA's site for educators includes teaching ideas and a wealth of images of the planets and outer space
- National Geographic offers stunning pictures of wildlife and the world around us
- The BBC’s online music clips library for schools features a range of sound and music material
- The Tate’s online section for schools has ideas and images of a range of modern art
- The National Gallery’s resources for schools, include a variety of images from their collection
More ideas
- Watch the world's first video poetry book on Michael Rosen's website: Michael performs all the poems from his book The Hypnotiser in a series of video clips
Recommended books
Poetry books for children
- Find a list of ten great children's poetry books on the Booktrust website
- Visit the Children's Poetry Bookshelf website for a list of recommended poetry books for all ages
Books about poetry for teachers
- Jumpstart Poety in the Secondary School ed. Cliff Yates (The Poetry Society). An invaluable resource for writing poetry in the classroom.
- The Poetry Book for Primary Schools ed. Anthony Wilson and Siân Hughes (The Poetry Society). Full of ideas on how to enjoy writing poetry in secondary schools.
- Our Thoughts are Bees: Writers Working with Schools by Mandy Coe and Jean Sprackland (Wordplay Press). A definitive guide to planning an author’s visit and organising exciting writers-in-schools events.
- Drafting and Assessing Poetry: A Guide for Teachers by Sue Dymoke (Paul Chapman).
- Did I Hear You Write by Michael Rosen (Five Leaves).
- Catapaults and Kingfishers: Teaching Poetry in Primary Schools by P.Corbett and B.Moses (Oxford University Press).
- Rose Where Did You Get That Red by K Koch (Random House)
Poetry resources for teachers
Find a selection of poetry resources to download, including activity ideas, poetry templates, and teaching sequences for some of our favourite poetry books including Michael Rosen's A-Z of Poetry.
Perform a Poem
Michael Rosen also developed Perform-a-Poem during his time as Laureate - a new website for sharing children's poetry performances, packed with resources for teachers and pupils, and developed in line with national standards on e-safety and child protection.
