Year 4 - English
Performing 'I'm an Orchestra' by Laura Mucha
Laura Mucha: performance poetry
Study Hub
Study Guides
This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
In this unit, pupils read, respond to and perform a variety of poems by the poet, Laura Mucha. They will watch Mucha perform her own poems and learn from her about what makes an effective performance. Finally, pupils will practise different skills to perform each poem effectively to an audience.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to mark up a poem before performing it.
Key Notes
- In the poem 'I'm an Orchestra', Laura Mucha compares the emotional life of a human to an orchestra.
- Poets might use devices such as repetition, rhyme or alliteration to enhance the sound of the poem read aloud.
- A metaphor is a way of describing something by saying that it is something else.
- Alliteration is when words that begin with the same sound are placed close together.
- Marking up a poem for performance involves adding notes to guide delivery, emphasising elements like tone & pace.
Vocabulary To Learn
- orchestra: a large group of musicians who play many different instruments together and are led by a conductor
- rhyme: the similarity of sounds between the ending syllables of words, creating a musical quality and pattern
- metaphor: a poetic device that makes a comparison between two things by stating that one thing is another
- alliteration: the repetition of the same sound found at the start of words that come close together
- marking up: the process of adding notes to guide delivery of a poem
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Pupils may find it hard to mark up their own poems.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain this English learning goal in two key points.
In the poem 'I'm an Orchestra', Laura Mucha compares the emotional life of a human to an orchestra. Poets might use devices such as repetition, rhyme or alliteration to enhance the sound of the poem read aloud.
2. Define this language term and use it in a sentence. 'orchestra'
a large group of musicians who play many different instruments together and are led by a conductor.
3. Correct this common English misunderstanding.
Mistake: Pupils may find it hard to mark up their own poems. Correction: Model marking up the poem as a class, highlighting the different areas you might annotate. Pupils could mark up the poem in pairs or small groups.
More Lessons In This Unit
Browse all guides in the Year 4 English guide library.