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Poet Mandy Coe gives advice on helping children to write poems on the theme of 'Dreams'. Beach Combing: a writer’s approach to a theme The way young writers approach the theme of ‘Dreams’ is as important as the writing itself! Ask them to expand on the idea of dreams, do some research (dictionary, internet, other poems). Get them to ask each other (and family and friends) questions on what dreams mean to them. Use your findings to create a ‘dream-box’ full of little folded notes, words, photos, music CDs, postcards, and objects. This process creates a beach for the writer to comb, and it should be both absorbing and fun. Encourage the young writers to take note of the things that strike them: an idea, a sound, the texture of something, a phrase, a picture. Theme: playing with persona Dreams are sleep-adventures where the normal rules of waking life are overturned (a world turned upside-down), but dreams also reflect vision, aspiration, hopes (see ‘He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven’). Children might want to write from their own experience, or they might prefer to combine fact with fiction. They could try writing from the perspective of another character: a relative, or someone from literature, mythology or history. Pupils could even take a break from being human and imagine the dreams of animals in a zoo or creatures in the wild (see ‘Fishbones Dreaming’). They could go one step further and become (or interview) objects and elements, such as: lightning, a house, a tree, the sea, a feather, fire, a snowflake... Form: ideas come first It is important form does not overwhelm the idea — so keep it simple. Ask pupils to create up to 25 lines of free verse (remind them it does not have to rhyme). Students can keep this first-draft poem as free verse. If they wish, they can create a second poem by crafting this material into another shape. They might consider rhyme, or adding a ‘refrain’ (a repeated phrase like the verse of a song). Look at the downloadable poems below to see how other poets have responded to this theme. Challenge pupils to write a poem without using the most obvious phrases (sweet, dream, deep, sleep, dark, bedroom etc). In addition, encourage pupils to use detail rather than adjectives when creating images (a good test is to ask listeners to shut their eyes while the poem is read, to see what images they are able to picture). Play with forms: how about a dream manual, a dream recipe, dream ingredients, a dream review, a letter from within a dream? If the ‘dream world’ were a real one, how would you get there? A list poem is an easy way to get started. Children, used to prose, are already familiar with how a list is made up of one-thought-unit lines. Also, lists are a natural way of elaborating on an idea. For an anthology that gives examples of poems in a wide variety of set poetic forms try The Works 4 (Macmillan). Voice: keeping it fresh Children are naturally observant, curious and inventive, and it is up to us to make sure that these ‘writerly talents’ are protected when their ideas are eased (rather than squeezed) into the finished poem. Auden called poetry ‘memorable speech’ and children’s writing voices often reflect their own rhythms, dialects and colloquialisms. Redrafting: finishing touches Encourage students to: Tips A title shouldn’t be an afterthought. A well-chosen title can intrigue, intentionally mislead, or, by passing on crucial information - such as in Matthew Sweeney’s poem, ‘Fishbones Dreaming’ - allow the poem to hit the ground running without having to provide back-story/context. Hundreds of poets, including very well-established ones, enter poetry competitions every week across the UK. Competitions are not just about prizes - they also provide the welcome challenge of a deadline and a theme. The resulting poems (even if they are not placed) often go on to be successful elsewhere. Submitting (and re-submitting) your work is an invaluable discipline for the budding writer to learn. Encourage all the children to feel like winners simply because they have risen to the challenge. Value all the poems by creating a display, a class-book or performance. Suggested poetry Poem titles with links can be downloaded. (Book titles with links can also be ordered from the Children’s Poetry Bookshelf by clicking on them). Downloads ‘Fishbones Dreaming’ by Mathew Sweeney from Up on the Roof Other poems on the theme of Dreams: ‘Shadow’ Michael Rosen (Wicked Poems) |
Competition Homepage Download the Teachers' Guide |
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