Seagulls
seagulls,
seagulls
swirling,
swooping
seagulls,
seagulls
loop-the-looping
seagulls,
seagulls,
screeching,
squalling
seagulls,
seagulls
caterwauling
seagulls,
seagulls,
flapping,
flocking
seagulls,
seagulls
madly
mocking
seagulls,
seagulls
doing
dips
seagulls,
seagulls
stealing chips!This poem can be used to model REPETITION. Perhaps aided by a series of pictures, ask the children to pick an animal, and to come up with as many verbs and action phrases as possible to describe the sorts of things that animal does. So for example, a lion might prowl, pounce, gobble zebras, scare other animals, etc.
Next, think of a phrase to be repeated. In my example above this is simply the name of the animal. Once a phrase has been decided upon, simply slot in the verbs after each iteration, like so:
lion, lion
pouncing, prowling
lion, lion,
gobbling zebras
lion, lion,
scaring creatures
Needless to say, there are any number of variations this could take. It could rhyme, but it definitely doesn't have to. It could be done with adjectives instead of verbs, or both. It could be done in groups, in pairs, or individually. It could be done using animals or something else - modes of transport perhaps. The important thing here is the use of a repeated phrase as a kind of 'coat hanger' on which to hang the rest of the poem. Enjoy!
