We love this anthology because it is:
a celebration of Planet Earth divided into eight categories: Sun Shines, Wind Blows, Water Flows, Earth Spins, Fire Leaps, Life Grows, Ice Chills & Moon Rises
a wonderful opportunity to study a range of different style of poetry about one theme
has poems to link to numerous topics: volcanoes, weather, earthquakes, tsunamis, climate, endangered animals, the moon, water cycle, seasons, oceans…
a range of classical and modern poetry
Learning opportunities:
Reading: comparisons between poems on similar topics/comparing differing voices (eg earthquake/volcano)
Reading: poetic devices ~ metaphors, similes, alliteration, personification, onomatopoeia, repetition, rhyme.
Composed Upon Westminster Bridge (Wordsworth): look at the skyline of London and discuss how it has changed since 1802. Would London be this peaceful in the morning today?
Count That Day Lost (George Elliot): What makes a day well spent? Talk about acts of kindness and how small things can change how a person feels. Why does Elliot compare kindness to sunshine?
I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud (Wordsworth): explore the use of personifcation to express joy in nature. What are your favourite natural places? As a group, create lines using personification to desribe a favourite place or season.
Who Has Seen The Wind? (Rossetti): How can you see wind? How do we know it is there? Create a poem using your different examples following the same structure and changing the third line each time.
Little Raindrops (Jane Browne): Imagine Jane is allowed to go and play in the rain. Write a poem about what she might do and how she feels in contrast to in the poem.
Tsunami (Chitrakar): research the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami in the Indian Ocean. Identify the phrases used to describe a Tsunami at the end of each stanza. Is there any sign of hope for the future in the poem?
The Spinning Earth (Aileen Fisher): Draw pictures of the images created by Fisher when she describes the spinning earth. Write a poem with your own humours imagery. Investigate why we don’t feel the Earth spinning.
The Months (Sarah Coleridge): Before reading the poem, consider how each month brings changes to the natural world. List adjectives to describe each month. Read the poem and spot any similarities. Create your own poem about months using your ideas.
Flint (Christina Rossetti): look at different gem stones and rocks. Create similes to describe them. Read the poem. Which gem or stone does Rossetti think is the best and why?
The Last Snow Leopard (Sabrina Mahfouz): What is happening in the poem?