Good Practice Database >> Writing Poetry - Using Mindmaps to Write Poetry

LA	Caerphilly	School Name	Bryn Primary School

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What was the focus for improvement?
To explore alternative methods for creative writing.

What did we do?
Our aim was to explore alternative methods to write different types of poetry. We decided to work in small groups. Firstly we all organised roles within our group members. Next we used some mind mapping techniques. We drew a picture in the centre of a whiteboard and started to put our ideas around the picture in a clockwise direction. Any ideas we did not like we changed to find more appropriate words that would fit the sentence. When we all agreed that it was good we made a copy of the mind map onto a piece of paper using coloured pencils, using a different colour for a different theme. From these ideas we started to write a poem. We used our new computer suite to neatly type out the poem, to add a border and to check for any mistakes. Finally to finish our task we evaluated our work by completing a questionnaire and produced reports, spreadsheets and graphs.

What were the outcomes?
Pupils' poems - see attached examples

What have we learnt about teaching practice and pupils learning?
How mind maps can be used effectively to develop pupils' creative writing skills

How did we evaluate success?
• Group discussion followed by a written report
• Group evaluation questionnaires
• Self evaluation questionnaires

What have we learnt about teaching practice and pupils learning?
How mind maps can be used effectively to develop pupils' creative writing skills.

What we aim to do next
Further develop creative thinking in other year groups.

Supporting Documentation
1. Case Study
Full description of the work from pupils and examples of outcomes.
 

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