Poetry in motion

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By Jo and John Graham — educational consultants and writers

Encourage creative thinking in science with these poetry ideas

Science involves creative and imaginative thinking, and the key to developing a passion for science lies in curiosity and explanation. Stimulating children’s curiosity is relatively easy; show them an unusual phenomenon and they usually respond well. However getting them to explain their ideas can often prove more difficult.

Poetry is an excellent way to encourage children to express their thoughts and offer explanations. It can also provide a useful means of making sure older children have understood and remembered work from earlier in the Key Stage. Poetry need not require a huge amount of writing for those who find writing onerous. Moreover, it is a creative medium that allows children to use language and ideas that conventional science writing prohibits. Poetry actively encourages the use of similes and analogies – useful tools for explaining new concepts.