On Thursday the 20th August, Year 8B English students took part in an engaging poetry activity designed to inspire descriptive writing. Volunteers bravely sat at the front of the classroom wearing blindfolds while their teacher placed a variety of mystery objects into their hands.
Using only their senses of touch, smell, and sound, students carefully examined each object and used rich, descriptive language to explain what they felt. They then attempted to guess what the object was, discussing textures, shapes, temperatures, and other sensory details. Some students felt uncomfortable with the idea of not knowing what was going to be placed in their hands.
The activity helped students understand how poets use sensory imagery to create vivid pictures in a reader's mind. It was a fun and interactive lesson that encouraged creativity, observation, and confidence, while providing students with plenty of inspiration for their own poetry writing.
I then shared a free-verse poem with the class about the Parker pen. We read through the poem and discussed why the pen was so sentimental to me. We worked as a class to highlight figurative language, symbolism and imagery.
Students are encouraged to bring a small object from home that has a special meaning or interesting features. By closely observing and exploring their chosen object through their senses, students can gather rich details and vivid imagery to inspire more creative and engaging poetry writing. This will then become the first draft of their assessment portfolio.
- Ms Cayla Garra
In another lesson, a gallery walk was held within the classroom to stimulate discussion and generate ideas for poetry writing.
The idea was to explore how images can be powerful symbols of emotions and feelings and that images do not always have a black or white interpretation – they are more nuanced.
Arranged around the classroom were 8 pictures, each depicting a different scene or image. In small groups, students went around to each image, making annotations on the whiteboard near each image on what they thought each image might represent. They then selected one image to write about in more detail.
- Mr Kevin Augur