Kennings

This week we have been learning about kennings in our poetry lessons. A kenning is a much-compressed form of metaphor, originally used in Anglo-Saxon and Norse poetry.

In a kenning, an object is described in a two-word phrase, such as ‘whale-road’ for ‘sea’.

When grouped together collection of kennings can create a really effective poem or riddle.

We wrote this kenning poem as a class:

Frog
Pond- hopper
High- jumper
Pad- leaper
Fly- catcher
Compulsive- croaker
Spawn- layer
Slimy- swimmer

We then wrote kennings in small groups about a given animal.

Playing with Syllables

The year five children worked on syllables and rhythm in poetry today. We were inspired by the rain to write this Haiku:

Rain like dropping stones.
Sodden hoods up, zipped raincoats.
Grey clouds, gloomy skies.

The children then worked on their own poems on the theme space. Can you work out the syllable pattern in this one by Joss?

Mars,
Pluto,
Mercury
Burning Venus,
All planets in Space.
Stormy Neptune,
Jupiter,
Saturn,
Earth.

“Sick” Poems

Class 5 were given the task of completing lines of an unfamiliar poem. The challenge was to stick to the AABB rhyme scheme whilst also keeping to the theme of the original poem.

This is Dafydd’s version (The words and phrases in red are the ones Dafydd chose.)

Sick

“I cannot go to school today,”
Said little Peggy Ann McKay.
“I have the measles and the mumps,
A gash, a rash and swollen lumps.
My mouth is wet, and say must I
I’m going blind in my right eye.
My tonsils are causing dreadful blocks,
‘ve counted sixteen chicken pox
And there’s one more–that’s seventeen,
And don’t you think my eyes aren’t green.
My leg is cut my eyes are blue–
It might be paranoia too?
I cough and sneeze and gasp and choke,
I’m sure that my allergy’s artichoke.
My hip hurts when I move my chin,
My belly button’s undoin’
My back is wrenched, I’ve stomach pains,
My ‘pendix pains each time it rains.
My nose is cold, my toes are numb.
I have a dislocated thumb.
My neck is stiff, my voice is weak,
I hardly think I’ll go this week.
My tongue is filling up my mouth,
I think my hair is in my mouth
My elbow’s bent, my spine’ s not great,
My temperature is one-o-eight.
My brain is shrunk, I cannot hear,
There is a hole in my left ear.
I have a hangnail, and my heart is–what?
What’s that? What’s that you say?
You say today is. . .Saturday?
G’bye, I’m going out to play!”

And here is the original version by Shel Silverstein:

Sick

“I cannot go to school today,”
Said little Peggy Ann McKay.
“I have the measles and the mumps,
A gash, a rash and purple bumps.
My mouth is wet, my throat is dry,
I’m going blind in my right eye.
My tonsils are as big as rocks,
I’ve counted sixteen chicken pox
And there’s one more–that’s seventeen, And don’t you think my face looks green?
My leg is cut–my eyes are blue–
It might be instamatic flu.
I cough and sneeze and gasp and choke,
I’m sure that my left leg is broke–
My hip hurts when I move my chin,
My belly button’s caving in, My back is wrenched, my ankle’s sprained,
My ‘pendix pains each time it rains.
My nose is cold, my toes are numb.
I have a sliver in my thumb.
My neck is stiff, my voice is weak,
I hardly whisper when I speak.
My tongue is filling up my mouth,
I think my hair is falling out.
My elbow’s bent, my spine ain’t straight,
My temperature is one-o-eight.
My brain is shrunk, I cannot hear,
There is a hole inside my ear.
I have a hangnail, and my heart is–what?
What’s that? What’s that you say?
You say today is. . .Saturday?
G’bye, I’m going out to play!”

Shel Silverstein