Bring the summer sky into your classroom with this KS2 poetry pack based on cloud watching. Pupils will read a WAGOLL (What A Good One Looks Like) model poem, ‘Cloud Watching’.
They'll explore its structure and use of expanded noun phrases to create vivid descriptions. They will then observe clouds themselves and write their own poems, describing the shapes and patterns they see in the sky.
The model text demonstrates how to create images with words using adjectives, prepositional phrases and carefully chosen nouns. Pupils will see examples such as “a wispy ribbon of white lace” and “fluffy marshmallows piled into tall towers”. They'll learn how these add detail and make poetry engaging.
The poem is written in rhyming couplets, which helps pupils understand rhythm and line structure. Pupils can annotate the WAGOLL to identify descriptive language and structure, then apply these techniques in their own writing.
What the resource pack includes
- Model Poem – Cloud Watching: A rhyming poem showing rich, descriptive language and expanded noun phrases
- Cloud Image Cards: Visual prompts to inspire pupils’ own cloud observations and poetic ideas
- Planning Sheet: Guides pupils to record observations, descriptive words and ideas for rhyming couplets
- Themed Writing Paper: Provides a space to draft and present pupils’ final poems
- Teacher Notes: Offer guidance on teaching expanded noun phrases, discussing the model text, planning and drafting poems and encouraging observations outdoors
What is an expanded noun phrase?
An expanded noun phrase adds words to a noun to give more detail, using adjectives or prepositional phrases. Examples include:
- The big brown bear
- The little run-down house
- The shoes with yellow laces
- Sarah’s bowl of cereal
- The cheeky monkey climbing the tree
National Curriculum links
Writing – Composition: Plan writing by discussing similar texts. Compose sentences orally and in writing. Build rich vocabulary. Use a variety of sentence structures.
Writing – Vocabulary, Grammar and Punctuation: Use noun phrases to add description and detail. Experiment with language choices to enhance meaning.
This resource allows you to guide pupils through reading, observing, planning and writing poetry. Pupils practise expanding noun phrases, develop descriptive language, explore rhyme and structure and create original poems inspired by their own cloud-watching experiences.