CM1 Harry Baker Poetry Workshop

This week, British poet, Harry Baker, took to the virtual stage with CM1 SIA from the TKO and Chai Wan campuses.

In class this term, our students have been reading ‘Love That Dog’ by Sharon Creech, a story in poetry and a story about poetry. They have been writing their own poems, inspired by well-known American and British poets.

Harry Baker became the youngest Poetry World Slam Champion in 2012 and has done numerous TED talks. Before the pandemic, Harry toured international schools around the world delivering workshops to primary and secondary pupils. During our virtual workshop, the children listened to Harry perform his poems from memory, asked him questions and had a go at writing their own poetry, which they then performed to the group.

The children enjoyed Harry’s great sense of humour and cheeky wordplay as he opened the workshop with an ode to the Bumblebee. They were particularly fascinated by Harry’s poem about people, with its opening lines peppered with alliteration:

“I like people.

I’d like some paper people.

They’d be purple paper people.

Maybe pop-up purple paper people.

Proper pop-up purple paper people.

How do you prop up proper pop-up purple paper people, I hear you cry?…”

Can YOU say it?! All in all, it was a wonderful insight into the life of a working poet and a fantastic way to end this period’s unit about poetry.