Year 5/6 Additional text-based unit - Sensational! by Roger McGough

Sensational! by Roger McGough

This unit focuses on Sensational!, a book of poems chosen by Roger McGough; poems that are inspired by the brain and the five senses - sight, sound, touch, smell, and taste. The focuses for the unit are: listening to poetry read aloud; responding to and understanding poetry; performing, presenting, and writing poetry. The sequence that follows describes five sessions but some sessions may require more time, depending on the experience of the class time allocated for developing poetry writing, revision and presentation.

The unit involves a class journal for recording whole-class discussions and responses and initial ideas for writing poems, and individual poetry journals for children to record their own thoughts and to work on their own poems.

The suggested sequence of work below focuses on a selection of the poems that have been chosen for the opportunities they provide for performance, discussion and children’s own writing.

Alongside the unit, reading aloud and enjoying a broader range of poems from the anthology is recommended.

Phase 1

Phase 1 (sessions 1-3) involves in-depth work around one poem, 'The Magic of the Brain' by Jenny Joseph, which focuses on all five senses. The children are asked to respond to and discuss the poem, and then to write their own poem, using a supportive structure.

The children create their own poetry journal in which to record their reflections and write their own poems. Publishing the poems in a Microsoft PowerPoint® presentation or other form will require additional time outside literacy sessions.

Phase 2

Phase 2 (sessions 4 and 5) involves reading, discussing and performing poems connected to sound, with a range of potential extension activities such as recording children's performances and creating their own poems.

Phase 3

Phase 3 (sessions 6-10) involves two poems linked to the senses of smell and taste. In the first, the children respond to an atmospheric poem, 'Prelude', by T.S. Eliot, with their responses supported through the use of images. The second activity is based on a poem by Benjamin Zephaniah, 'Vegan Delight'. The children are asked to write their own poems focusing on foods and using a similar rhyming structure.

Guided reading

Although the unit is designed for use with the whole class, teachers could also select aspects of it to use with guided reading groups. Alternatively, individual sessions could be followed up during guided reading sessions, with a closer look at particular sections of the text; looking, for example, at the language or what has been revealed about plot or character.

All children will benefit from regular opportunities for small-group reading, discussion and writing with a teacher or teaching assistant.