The document provides instructions for an activity where students listen to sounds around them and create a word bank of sounds. Students are asked to close their eyes for 1 minute and write down all the sounds they hear where they are sitting. They then go to different areas around their house and outdoors, and record the sounds they hear. Next, students imagine being back at school and list sounds they typically hear there. Their teacher provides a sample list of school sounds. Finally, students turn the sounds from their lists into descriptive phrases using techniques like similes, metaphors, personification and onomatopoeia. They then post their work on an online forum.

1. Monday 6th July 2020
How can we build a word bank for a poem?

2. What can you hear?
Close your eyes for 1 minute and listen to all the
different sounds you can hear from where you are
currently sitting.

3. What can you hear?
On today’s activity sheet write down all the sounds you could hear.
What I can hear What I can usually hear when I am at
school

4. What can you hear?
Now go to different parts of your house, close your eyes and write
down what you can hear. If you have a garden or balcony go outside.
You could also write down what you can hear when you open a
window.
What I can hear What I can usually hear when I am at
school

5. What can’t you hear?
Now imagine you are back at school. What can you usually hear? Think
about sounds you might hear at different times of the school day in the
classroom, halls, staircases and playground. Write them down on your
table.
What I can hear What I can usually hear when I am at
school

6. Here is Miss Davison’s list of sounds. Are yours the same
or different? You may want to add some of them to your
own list.
What I can hear What I can usually hear when I am at school
The wind outside
The rain hitting the kitchen window
The tap dripping in the bathroom sink
My next door neighbour talking to his son.
My next door neighbour’s son laughing.
Someone moving the bins at the front of our
house
The fan in the bathroom
My phone getting a text
The washing machine
Children laughing and screaming
Children talking
Cutlery scraping on plates
The electric pencil sharpener
Reception children and their teacher in the
playground outside Planetoids classroom window.
Car alarm going off on Lofting Road
Miss Walter’s helping children with their learning
Someone asking if it’s wet play
Someone saying IT’S WET PLAY MISS DAVISON
Singing
Children playing the violin and cello.

7. Now that you have made a list of sounds, turn each one
in to a descriptive phrase.
Try to create similes, metaphors and personifications
and onomatopoeias .
The wind outside rumbling like a freight train. (simile)
The rain splashing on the kitchen window.
(onomatopoeia)
A car alarm screaming on the street below
(personification)
The scraping of cutlery are nails on a chalkboard
(metaphor)

8. Now post your work on the English Forum.