WRITING A CHRISTMAS TREE POEM - Poetry...
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W W W . P O E T R Y S O C I E T Y . O R G . U K POETRYCLASS: FRESH IDEAS FOR POETRY LEARNING FROM THE POETRY SOCIETY © 2014 POETRY SOCIETY & THE AUTHOR/S DISTRIBUTION AUTHORISED FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY [email protected] 1 KEY STAGE AGE EYFS 3-5 KS1 5-7 KS2 7-11 KS3 11-14 KS4 14-16 KS5 16-18 AT A GLANCE • FRIENDS AND FAMILY • THE SENSES • SYLLABLES WRITING A CHRISTMAS TREE POEM BY LIZ LOCHHEAD For the last five years the Poetry Society has collaborated with the Royal Norwegian Embassy, the Office of the Mayor of Oslo and Westminster City Council to organise an exciting and unique annual poetry programme, using the Trafalgar Square Christmas tree as a focal point. The Society commissions a poet to write a new poem each year to be displayed around the base of the tree. The poem is inspired by many hundreds of poems written by Westminster primary school children who go to school near Trafalgar Square. In 2014 Liz Lochhead, the Scots Makar, or National Poet of Scotland, is writing a new poem for the tree. She has provided an outline below for her Christmas tree poem which you can follow with your class to produce your very own Christmas tree poems. The structure below is just an outline from which you can go off on tangents following the children’s (and your) interests, coming back to it whenever you wish. Introduction and history Every December in Trafalgar Square in central London a huge Christmas tree – 70 feet tall (over 20 metres) – is put up, decorated and lit. Not many people know that this tree is a gift from the city of Oslo, and that a tree has been given each year for over 65 years. A tree was first offered in 1947 as a token of gratitude for British support for Norway during the Second World War. Britain had supported the government of King Haakon VII who was exiled in London after Norway was invaded by Nazi forces in 1940. Since then a tree is given each year from the city of Oslo to the city of Westminster as a symbol of continued thanks. In addition to Oslo’s tree in London, the city of Bergen presents a tree to Newcastle each year, while the city of Stavanger ships one to Sunderland. There are also Norwegian Christmas trees in Cardiff, Edinburgh and Kirkwall. 3 3 All illustrations © Gemma Correll, www.gemmacorrell.com
Transcript of WRITING A CHRISTMAS TREE POEM - Poetry...
W W W . P O E T R Y S O C I E T Y . O R G . U K
POETRYCLASS: FRESH IDEAS FOR POETRY LEARNING FROM THE POETRY SOCIETY
© 2014 POETRY SOCIETY & THE AUTHOR/SDISTRIBUTION AUTHORISED FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY
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KEY STAGE AGEEYFS 3-5KS1 5-7KS2 7-11KS3 11-14KS4 14-16KS5 16-18
AT A GLANCE• FRIENDS AND FAMILY• THE SENSES• SYLLABLES
WRITING A CHRISTMAS TREE POEMBY LIZ LOCHHEAD
For the last five years the Poetry Society hascollaborated with the Royal Norwegian Embassy, theOffice of the Mayor of Oslo and Westminster CityCouncil to organise an exciting and unique annualpoetry programme, using the Trafalgar SquareChristmas tree as a focal point.
The Society commissions a poet to write a new poemeach year to be displayed around the base of the tree.The poem is inspired by many hundreds of poemswritten by Westminster primary school children who goto school near Trafalgar Square.
In 2014 Liz Lochhead, the Scots Makar, or National Poetof Scotland, is writing a new poem for the tree. She hasprovided an outline below for her Christmas tree poemwhich you can follow with your class to produce yourvery own Christmas tree poems.
The structure below is just an outline from which youcan go off on tangents following the children’s (andyour) interests, coming back to it whenever you wish.
Introduction and historyEvery December in Trafalgar Square in central Londona huge Christmas tree – 70 feet tall (over 20 metres) –is put up, decorated and lit. Not many people know thatthis tree is a gift from the city of Oslo, and that a treehas been given each year for over 65 years.
A tree was first offered in 1947 as a token of gratitudefor British support for Norway during the Second WorldWar. Britain had supported the government of KingHaakon VII who was exiled in London after Norway wasinvaded by Nazi forces in 1940. Since then a tree isgiven each year from the city of Oslo to the city ofWestminster as a symbol of continued thanks.
In addition to Oslo’s tree in London, the city of Bergenpresents a tree to Newcastle each year, while the cityof Stavanger ships one to Sunderland. There are alsoNorwegian Christmas trees in Cardiff, Edinburgh andKirkwall.
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All illustrations © Gemma Correll, www.gemmacorrell.com
W W W . P O E T R Y S O C I E T Y . O R G . U K
© 2014 POETRY SOCIETY & THE AUTHOR/SDISTRIBUTION AUTHORISED FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY
A Wee Letter about your Tree Poem from Liz Lochhead
Hello,
My name is Liz, and I am really happy that we are going to work on some poemstogether.
They are all about a real Christmas tree that will be in Trafalgar Square, all throughthe Christmas Season. This tree is a gift from the Mayor of Oslo in Norway and is tosay thank you for British support during World War Two. It is an immense tree andvery beautiful, and about 3 million people will see it over the Christmas period.
I am lucky enough to have the chance to write a poem which will be read out loudwhen the lights are switched on and which will also be printed on a bannerwrapped round the base of the tree.
Today, you’re going to have a go at writing your own Christmas tree poem usingthe same method as me.
I have provided a sort of recipe that you can follow but like all recipes it’s only thebeginning of the cooking process. Adding your own ingredients, or leaving out somethings that you don’t like, is absolutely fine. I want your poem to be full of all of yourfavourite things. Everybody’s poem will turn out differently, even if we all follow thesame instructions.
Remember, it’s your poem!
Good luck!
Love from Liz xxx
Liz Lochhead, the Scots Makar, or National Poet of Scotland
© 2014 POETRY SOCIETY & THE AUTHOR/SDISTRIBUTION AUTHORISED FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY
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THE RECIPE
1. BeginningI have included the DUM-DUM, or even DUM-DE-DUM-DUM, for students to fill in. There might be more orfewer beats than I’ve put in, but this is a roughstructure for the start of the poem.
On the first day of not-even-Christmas-yet, my DUM-DUM said to me:Tell me DUM-DUM, what you’re going to hangFrom your DUM-DE DUM-DUM DUM-DE-DUM-DUM tree?
Questions to explore:• What are the fond nicknames your mother or
father or granny or grandpa might call you? Does this fit in, in line two?
In Glasgow where I live people say ‘hen’ or ‘doll’ or ’flower’ – ‘Jimmy’ to any boy, whatever his name is.In Bristol people say ‘my loverrr’ – even to strangers!In other places people say ‘chuck’ or ‘hinny’. Perhaps your auntie might say ‘sweet-cheeks’or ‘angel’… Family nicknames are fine things. Are there local words? Enjoy them! Put them in!
In line three, describe the tree in however many beats,as long as it sounds right to your ears.
So the poem could go:
On the first day of not-even-Christmas-yet, my mother said to me:Tell me, precious, what you’re going to hangFrom your ever-green sweet-scented tree?
Or –
On the first day of not-even-Christmas-yet, my brother said to me:Tell me, stoopid, what you’re going to hangFrom my bristling-with-needles ever-green tree?
Or –
On the first day of not-even-Christmas-yet, my Poppa said to me:Tell me, honey-child, what you’re going to hangFrom our Northern, pointed Christmas tree?
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© 2014 POETRY SOCIETY & THE AUTHOR/SDISTRIBUTION AUTHORISED FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY
2. The meat of the poemThis answers the question of what students are going tohang on their tree.
This will be a list of things, real or imagined, thatchildren want to hang on the tree. The only rule is touse the five senses. Everything has to be something yousee, hear, touch, taste or smell.
Some examples:• For example hanging just “memories” on the tree
doesn’t really work, not because it’s impossible, but because it’s hard for another person to understand what exactly you mean – but you could say you want to hang “the memory of the day I won that hundred metre race”. Why not! It’s a tree in a poem so it’s a magical tree.
• “World Peace” is too vague – but you could say “a white cardboard dove with Peace written on it with Ryan’s glitter-pen”.
It can be anything you want, from a silver star, a roundred shiny bauble, to the World Cup, to a rainbow, to apeal of bells, to a new-knitted bobble-hat…
Or you might want to describe, exactly but very simply,some of the real things you always hang on your tree inyour house.
Mix up the real and the imaginary.
Write far too many things then pick the best, throwaway the rest!
3. The endingThis below might appear two or three times amongeach person’s list as a chorus, or it might be the endingonly, or might not feature at all.
And from it danglesTinsel in tanglesSparkles, sequins and spangles
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Students can add a line here to finish it off if they want,or they might like it to end with that chorus of threelines, hanging… It’s up to you and them!
Poet, playwright, performer and frequent broadcaster Liz Lochhead is very proud tobe the current Makar, orNational Poet of Scotlandhaving succeeded her friendEdwin Morgan for whom therole was created. Till 2015 itwill be her pleasure and dutyto promote poetry in all areas of our lives. Writing a poem to celebrate a specialtree will be a joy.
