Welsh Not: School Life in Poetry

• newEditor
• Language Arts
• Primary Education

Learning Objective

At the end of the lesson you will write a short poem showing how school life felt in Wales long ago, using rhyme, sounds, and feelings.

What do you already know about school in Wales long ago?

Starter: The Welsh Not

The Welsh Not was a piece of wood tied around a child's neck to stop them speaking Welsh at school. It was used to make pupils speak English.

How Did Children Feel?

How do you think pupils felt if they had to wear the Welsh Not?

Class Discussion

Possible Feelings

Unfair, strict, quiet, sad, anxious

Sounds of School

What might children have heard? Chalk on boards, footsteps, whispering, ticking clocks.

Explore: Rhyming Words

Create a word bank: School/rule/cool/tool,

Quiet/diet/pilot/riot

Learn/turn/burn/churn.

Which words fit the Welsh Knot experience?

Describe School Life with Rhymes

Think of words you can use to show what it felt like in school a long time ago. Try to use your senses—what did you see, hear, feel?

Choose a Rhyming Pattern

Lines 1 & 3 rhyme, lines 2 & 4 rhyme. Example: see/tall, bee/ball.

Option 2: ABAB

Lines 1 & 2 rhyme, lines 3 & 4 rhyme. Example: see/bee, tall/ball.

Option 1: AABB

Planning Your Poem

Pick 1–2 moments: Being quiet, learning letters, writing on slate, playing at break. Use your word bank to help you plan.

Write Your Poem

Draft 4–8 lines about school life. Try to show feelings and sounds with your words. You can add small pictures to your poem.

Share & Reflect

Read your poem to a partner or group. What rhyming words did you use? How did you show the feelings or sounds of school life?

What Can Poetry Teach Us?

Poems can help us understand Welsh history and the feelings of children in the past. What did you learn from writing and sharing your poem?

Write down 3 things you learned in this lesson.

Write down 2 things you want to know more about.

Ask 1 question about something you haven't quite understood yet.