National Curriculum, Strategy and Framework references to poetry
Before moving on, you might want to ensure that you have a clear overview of where poetry is located within curricular frameworks.
Poetry in National Curriculum English
Specific References to Poetry are located the hyperlinked sections listed below. Please be aware that many of the other skills and processes outlined in the National Curriculum (not included) are applicable to a range of genres. It will also be important to explore ways in which speaking, listening, reading and writing can be taught in an integrated way through poetry and to stress the need for student teachers to build on their pupils' prior knowledge and experiences.
Poetry in the Primary National Strategy
References to poetry focus on Creating Poetry, Performing Poetry and Reading Poetry. For specific details click on the hyperlink:
Poetry in the Primary National Strategy
The Primary Strategy site also includes an extremely useful (and short) document entitled Progression in poetry (DfES 2006) available at
www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/primaryframeworks/literacy/planning/Year1/Poetry/resources/
This document recognises that 'early language playfulness lies at the heart of poetry' and endorses realistic and creative approaches to teaching the genre which should be accessible to all primary student teachers, including those who are not English specialists. I think it is also a good idea to ask secondary English student teachers to read this document.
Poetry in the Secondary Framework
Apart from broad references to 'narratives' and 'multi modal' texts, the Framework itself contains no references to specific types of texts. If teachers just consult this document, it could be all too easy for poetry (or other text types) to become neglected. Therefore it will be a vital part of your role, when working with student teachers, to make explicit links to the range and content/curriculum opportunities sections of the National Curriculum through planning activities.
The sample planning and exemplification page of the Secondary Framework English site (at
http://www.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/secondary/framework/english/fwg/pufwse/pcs) includes some downloadable examples of medium and long term plans which include poetry. The best example, and one which could be a useful focus in a taught subject session, is case study D. This is centered on works by Chaucer and Blake and includes reading, response, analytical and writing activities.
Mike Fleming notes how poetry becomes more problematic for pupils as they move from an experiential relationship with the genre at primary school to one focused on study it at secondary school (Fleming 1996). This is an issue that, in my view, you will need to explore with secondary student teachers especially. For secondary pupils, poetry can increasingly be about essays, PEEing (using the format of Point Evidence Explanation) in their written responses to poems and using an anthology selection of poems which has changed little in ten years. I think that the student teachers we work with need to develop a level of criticality about the practices they observe in school and at the same time, develop their own battery of creative approaches for reading and responding to texts. In a post Key Stage 3 SATs era, the 2008 National Curriculum does potentially offer greater creative opportunities for poetry with its focus on playing with language, working with writers, seeking pleasure in reading and exploring texts beyond the classroom. However, the nature of future GCSE assessment frameworks could undermine these new found freedoms. Ironically, the 2008 A level specifications, with their reduced assessment load and greater emphasis on creativity, promote better prospects for engaging with and writing poetry than can be found at GCSE level.
