Poetry Performance Reflection

Overview

This lesson is lesson 16 of 16 in “Literacy Skills for Success”. Students will perform their own poem to a peer and reflect on how they planned, edited, and shaped language for audience and purpose, linking writing choices to spoken delivery.

Learning intentions

Students will be able to:

• WALT perform their own poem with an intentional voice and delivery for a specific audience.
• WALT give and receive constructive feedback using agreed criteria.
• WALT reflect on how editing decisions (word choice, structure, and language features) affect meaning and impact.
• WALT publish or present their poem in an accessible format if needed (e.g., audio/video submission).

Success criteria

I can…

• share my poem with a peer and explain my purpose and the effect of key language choices.
• perform with clarity (volume/pacing) and expression that matches the poem’s meaning.
• ask for feedback and respond respectfully by noting one “next step”.
• reflect in a short paragraph or recording on what I changed during editing and what improved.

Curriculum links

• AC9E8LY07 — plan, rehearse and deliver spoken and multimodal presentations, selecting language features and organising/developing ideas for an audience.
• AC9E8LY06 — plan, create, edit and publish written and multimodal texts by selecting text structures, language features, and visual features; refine ideas through editing.
• AC9E8LE06 — create and edit literary texts by experimenting with language features and literary devices for particular purposes and effects.

Lesson structure (45 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Settle & goal check. Teacher displays today’s focus: “Performance + Feedback + Reflection”; students do a quick silent reread of their poem and circle 2 lines they want to emphasise.

• Students prepare paper/device and set a performance goal (e.g., “show emotion in line 3”).

2. 5–12 min · Mini-model: delivery choices. Teacher models a short performance of a sample poem (or teacher poem) showing how pacing, volume, pauses, and stress can change meaning; teacher highlights where structure and punctuation guide delivery.

• Students identify 3 delivery cues on the sample (e.g., pause at a dash, stress on key nouns) and share one with a partner.

3. 12–22 min · Peer performances (Round 1). Students work in pairs; one student performs for 60–90 seconds while the listener uses the feedback checklist (next step, one strength, one question).

• Listener gives feedback using sentence starters: “One line that stood out was… because…”, “I noticed…”, “A suggestion for next time…”.

4. 22–32 min · Feedback swap + response. Switch roles. After listening, each student states: (1) one choice they made during editing, (2) what feedback they received, and (3) one adjustment they might make for another performance.

• Students record their “next step” in a simple reflection box (or on a voice note).

5. 32–41 min · Editing-to-performance reflection. Teacher prompts reflection questions on the board: “What language/structure choice did you refine in writing?”, “How did your punctuation/word choice help the audience understand?”, “What will you change next time when performing?”

• Students complete a brief written reflection (5–7 sentences) OR record a 45–60 second audio reflection if preferred.

6. 41–45 min · Exit ticket: audience impact. Students answer: “What was the main effect of your poem for your audience?” and submit/hand in.

• Teacher collects to check understanding of editing and delivery connections.

Resources

• Student poem drafts (final copy or version they will perform)
• Peer feedback checklist (Strength + Evidence, Question, Next Step)
• Reflection sheet with sentence starters and/or audio prompts
• Timer (visible or on screen)
• Options for presentation: phone/tablet for audio/video, headphones
• Highlighter pens (for emphasis lines)
• Teacher model poem (printed)
• If needed: dyslexia-friendly reading supports (large font, coloured overlays, text-to-speech access)

Assessment

• Formative during peer performances: teacher circulates with a simple observation note (clarity, expression, audience focus).
• Peer feedback quality check: listener uses the checklist and at least one evidence-based comment.
• Exit ticket: teacher checks that students link performance impact to language/structure choices.

Differentiation

• Performance style choice: students may perform dramatically, quietly, quickly, or slowly as long as they use intentional pauses/pacing; they can also submit a recorded performance.
• Tier 2 support (NCCD-aligned): provide sentence starters for feedback and reflection; allow audio responses for students with reading/spelling barriers.
• Scaffold for dyslexia: offer large-print poem copies, coloured overlays, and text-to-speech for reading rehearsal; students can practise using an audio read-through before performing.
• Extension option: students include a brief justification of one literary device (e.g., metaphor/personification) and how it guided their delivery choices.

Dyslexia-friendly reading options

• Provide a “read aloud” option: teacher or device audio of the student’s own poem for rehearsal.
• Use high-contrast, larger font copies with line tracking (students cover lines with a finger or ruler).
• Allow students to use their final poem in a recording/audio format for performance practice (then perform live or submit as audio/video).