Watch: How to memorise a poem
You might have memorised and performed a poem in class before. This is called learning a poem ‘off by heart’.
It’s a great way to really show you understand the poem and have some fun sharing it with other people!
It’s not always easy though. Watch this short clip for some tips on how to memorise a poem effectively.
Learn some tricks to help you remember a poem more easily.
Tips for memorising a poem
Memorising a poem requires focus and practice, but there are things you can do that help.
Remember the story the poem is telling.
Focus on the rhythm of the poem.
Look at the rhyming words used in the poem.
Think of actions or images that could go with each line.
Watch: Performing a poem
Playing with words with Joseph Coelho.
Joseph: What I love about poetry is that you can perform it anywhere.There are performance spaces all around us — in the bedroom, in the playground, on a balcony. Even from outer space.
Through poetry, I get to play with words and experiment with how I say different things.Sometimes I perform a poem loudly:“The war drums boom and shake the metal from the land.”
Sometimes I perform a poem quietly:“The tiny mouse peeks and creeps as you sleep.”
Sometimes I perform a poem quickly:“Fantastic, fireworks fizz with fiery flames.”
Or slowly:“Yeah, I was at the end of the race, about to cross the finish line.”
Or mix it up:“The rain was pattering. Then the thunder boomed! The lightning zipped, zapped, snapped. I was drenched to the bone.”
When I'm performing a poem, I like to think about the tone of the poem.Is it a happy poem or a sad poem?Is it an angry poem or a confused poem?
Thinking about emotions in this way can help make the meaning of the poem more easily understood, by making the tone clear:“The grey clouds wept a bucket of rain down on me on the stone, grey streets.”
Sometimes a poem is written in the actual voice of a character, and if so, I will think about what that character might sound like:“I am the troll that lives under the bridge. I eat all manner of things. I once ate a fridge.”
As well as using your voice, you can also use your body when performing poems.You can perform a poem sitting:“My grandad's chair was a big leather, dusty thing where coins hid down the cushions.”
Or even laying down:“Gazing up at the winter sky, I saw the snowflake fall.”
You could also use actions.Your body can help bring a poem to life.Instead of just hearing the words, a body can help an audience see the world that the words create.
I often learn a poem off by heart to free up my hands, using simple actions and gestures to highlight certain words and phrases:“I crept past a tiger, ran up a mountain, leapt over a canyon and landed in a swamp.”
It's always lovely to notice the positive in a performance — to focus on what you noticed, what stood out, what made you smile and what you remember.
Sometimes when I perform a poem, I run out of things to say about the poem.I find it helpful to keep a list of words nearby — words like:interesting, dynamic, exciting, thrilling, emotional, hard-hitting.
Growing up, I used to love putting on a show, but it took me a while to realise that you can put on a show with poetry just about anywhere.Using all your acting skills to entertain friends or even tell someone that you miss them can be a whole lot of fun.
Watch: What is a rhyme scheme?
What is a rhyme scheme?
Pattern rhyme is how we describe a poems rhyme scheme. This spaceship will demonstrate…
Written in the stars is the poem: “Stars above in the night, hanging there, oh so high. Look at them, they shine so bright, punching through the ink black sky.”
A rhyme scheme is when we look at the different patterns made by the rhyming words of the end of each line in a poem.
So we would say that this poem is A, B, A, B, because the first and third lines rhyme and the second and forth lines rhyme.
Thanks!
Top tip!
You can work out the rhyme scheme of a poem by labelling the words that rhyme with each other. It will help you see the pattern of the poem.
For more about rhyming schemes, watch this video.
Watch: Clever Trevor by Benjamin Zephaniah
Watch the following clip, in which Benjamin Zephaniah performs his poem Clever Trevor from memory.
Listen carefully as you will be having a go at memorising part of this poem too!
Benjamin Zephaniah starts reading at 00:11 in the clip.
Watch Benjamin Zephaniah perform 'Clever Trevor'.
Activity 1
Think about how Benjamin Zephaniah performed his poem, then answer these questions.
You could write your answers down on paper, discuss them with someone else, or just think about them.
1. What did you like about Benjamin Zephaniah’s performance? Why?
2. What do you notice about how he says the words in the poem?
3. Will you copy anything that Benjamin Zephaniah did when you perform this poem?
4. What do you notice about the rhythm and rhyme in this poem? Do you think this made it easier or harder to remember the poem?
Activity 2
Listen carefully to the first part of Clever Trevor again, between 00:11 and 00:21 in the clip.
Try to imagine the scene that Benjamin Zephaniah is describing.
On a piece of paper, draw pictures of the images that come into your head when you hear this part of the poem.
Your pictures can be whatever you see in your mind, so be as creative as you want!
Activity 3
Now you're going to try to memorise the first part of the poem!
Listen to the section you heard in Activity 2 once more, and then repeat the lines back to yourself out loud. Do this in bits, pausing every few words, so that you don't give yourself too much to remember each time.
Keep doing this until you can say all of the lines in the first part of the poem without needing to check.
There are things you can do to make this easier:
Think about the story the poem is telling. Your images from Activity 2 should help with this.
Focus on the rhythm of the poem.
Think about the rhyming words used, such as 'soul' and 'goal'.
Think of actions to go with each line.
For example, you could wave your arms and fists around in the air, as though you're cheering!
Top tip!
- Remember to take your time and keep practising - memorising takes time and focus!
Activity 4
Now have a go at performing this part of the poem from memory.
You could perform it for someone at home, or to yourself in front of a mirror. You could even ask an adult at home to video it and then you could show your poetry performance to some of your friends or your teacher.
Make sure you get permission from an adult before you film yourself though.
See if you can perform all the lines in the first part of the poem without needing to check!
Top tips!
- Stand up straight and face forward.
- Speak clearly and say each word carefully.
- Don’t rush!
- Change your speed and volume as you are performing. Changing from slow to quick and loud to quiet can make your performance more dramatic!
Play our fun English game Crystal Explorers! game
Use grammar, punctuation and spelling skills to explore jungles, caves and tombs on your mission.
More on Poems
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