ANNOYING PEOPLE - Workshop Idea (KS2/3)

There are few things more cathartic or enjoyable than letting off steam about people who really annoy you. This can be turned into a fun creative activity for children and teenagers who otherwise do not particular enjoy writing.

Step One
Have a discussion with the group about people who they find really annoying (rule: nobody present can be talked about). Who is the most annoying person they can think of? What are the most annoying things that person does?

Step Two
Each student has to identify the most annoying person they can think of, and write a list of all the annoying things that person does. Prizes can be given for the longest list. Encourage students to go into a bit of detail.

Step Three
Here is my poem 'Richard Bennett', about a very annoying bully at my school:

Discuss with students some of the ways in which I turned a list of annoying characteristics into a poem. They might discuss things such as

• rhyming
• repetition of chorus
• funny/interesting ending

In the light of this, they can make their own lists into poems. These do not have to rhyme. It may be as simple as adding a repeating phrase or chorus. Here are some examples from students with whom I have run this workshop:

My Sister by Rekha

My sister

She pulls my hair

and laughs at me

and says I’m a horrible girl.

My sister

She kicks me

and steals my stuff

and hits me.

My sister

Puts dirt on my face

and I find it horrible.

My sister

bullies me sometimes

because she is crazy.

My Brother by Fazeela

My brother is a bully

He once got excluded from school

He is a fool

I wish he would leave me alone

He is the only child in my family with a phone

He is a spoilt brat

He even has a cat

My mother says nothing to him

He is always this bad

I wish he would leave me alone