This link to the TES site will give you a free poster on routes to teaching poetry. Teachers often ask about ‘how’ poetry can be taught. We hope this helps.
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/making-poetry-count-with-opening-doors-free-resource-13120538
‘Knowledge and Response’
This article, originally written for ‘Teach Reading and Writing’, shows how just four lines of top class poetry can give you opportunities for initiating response:
‘Unbroken’ by Nicola Davies
This is an exciting unit written by Leah Crawford for World Poetry Day 2025. Of course, it can be used any time to boost your poetry curriculum and it will inspire top class writing, certainly into key stage 3. Thanks to Nicola Davies of course for the very special poem.
It’s FREE to download.
‘My Treasures by Kate Wakeling
I am delighted to post here free of charge, and with the permission of the poet, Kate Wakeling, a resource which gives you a route to exploring and enjoying her poem ‘My Treasures’. It could be for World Poetry day or afterwards. Younger primary pupils will particularly enjoy it I hope. Please DO send me some pupils’ work!
bobcox@searchingforexcellence.co.uk
Here is an introductory video and then the resource. Enjoy! You will notice some ‘opening doors’ approaches.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOW-amPd2fM
Falling in Love with Poetry
Please read my article from the NATE ‘Primary Matters’ magazine about falling in love with poetry
Units in ‘Opening Doors’ Books
Please find resources linking to the poetry units within the Opening Doors book series
About half the units in each of the ‘Opening Doors’ books are on poetry. See the crown house links for the poems used and the titles. Work through from this 6-9 book ‘Opening Doors to a Richer English Curriculum 6-9′
This link will take you to all of the books where you can explore the unit titles or chapter headings with poetry in mind:
Links to Useful Sites
Poetry by Heart which includes links to some great poems on a timeline as well as information about an inspiring competition https://poetrybyheart.org.uk/poems/shakespeare-at-school
The Centre for Literacy in Primary Education has many routes into varied forms of poetry and inspiring poets https://clpe.org.uk/library-and-resources/research/power-poetry-research-s and also https://clpe.org.uk/poetry
The British Library has a vast store of superb, creative resources including poetry http://Poetry prompts – The British Library (bl.uk)
The English Association website is rich is resources including this link to poetry bookshttps://englishassociation.ac.uk/brenda-marshalls-top-5-poetry-books/
The United Kingdom Literacy Association (UKLA) has many ideas for teaching poetry here: https://ukla.org/resource_collection/ukla-poetry/ and here on diversity and inclusion: https://ukla.org/resource_collection/diversity-and-inclusion/
Poetry Suggestions
You may find these lists useful as starting points for discovering poets and poems. That’s all any list can be!
Click to download a list of free poetry ideas for each phase:
Poetry Webinar
This is a webinar made for ‘The National Association of Advisers in English’. In it, I explain the importance of poetry and how the opening doors strategies can help access, enjoyment and achievement.