Breaking News English ESL Lesson Plan on Poems

World’s worst poems sell at auction

Poems written over a hundred years ago by William McGonagall, known as “the world’s worst poet,” were sold at an auction in Scotland earlier this week for over $12,000. Despite his unfortunate title, McGonagall’s work sold for more than a collection of Harry Potter books signed by author JK Rowling. A poetry collector bought a total of 35 poems written by McGonagall in the nineteenth century. Many of the poet’s works were also autographed. McGonagall’s poems were so bad that when he read them in public, people threw eggs and rotten fruit and vegetables at him. He was born in Edinburgh in 1825 but did not start writing poems until he was 47. He reportedly once walked 100 kilometres to ask Queen Victoria if he could be her personal poet. The queen was not at home.

Poetry experts have criticized McGonagall for his boring topics, poor vocabulary, his terrible rhymes and his inability to keep his poetry in a proper rhythm. In a 200-page guide to the world's worst poets, 13 pages are just about him. Curiously, he does have a fan club and his work is translated into Russian, Japanese and Romanian. McGonagall had a lot of self-confidence and was proud of his poems. In his autobiography, he explained he had a vision in which a voice inside his head encouraged him to "Write, Write, Write!" In his book, he wrote that he knew of no greater poet than himself. He boldly called his first book of poems "Poetic Gems." The Scottish auctioneer said: "He's still popular now because he's so bad, [so] a lot of people have kept him going."

WARM-UPS

1. POEMS: Walk around the class and talk to other students about poems. Change partners often. After you finish, sit with your partner(s) and share your findings.

2. CHAT: In pairs / groups, decide which of these topics or words from the article are most interesting and which are most boring.

poems / poets / auction / Harry Potter / collectors / autographs / eggs / rotten fruit / boring topics / poor vocabulary / fan clubs / translations / pride / hearing voices

Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.

3. MY POEMS: Are you good at poetry? Write down the first line of a poem about English. Give your paper to another student to complete the second line of your poem, then a different student to complete the third line. Change students until you have six lines. Read your poem to the class. Who has the best, funniest, silliest poem?

line 1
line 2
line 3
line 4
line 5
line 6

4. READING: What do you like to read? Rank the items below: 10 = “I can’t get enough of this;” 1 = “I never go near this”.

_____ poetry

_____ cartoons / manga

_____ newspapers

_____ short stories / essays

_____ novels

_____ non-fiction

_____ magazines

_____ plays

5. HEADLINE PREDICTION: With your partner(s), use the words in the “Chat” activity above to predict what the news article will be about. Once you have your story, change partners and share them. Who was closest to the real story?

6. POETRY: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word ‘poetry’. Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.

BEFORE READING / LISTENING

1. TRUE / FALSE: Look at the article’s headline and guess whether these sentences are true (T) or false (F):

a.	The world’s worst poems were written in the 18^th Century.	T / F
b.	The poems fetched nearly a million dollars at a Scottish auction.	T / F
c.	All of the poems sold at auction were signed by the poet.	T / F
d.	The poet asked a British queen if he could be her personal poet.	T / F
e.	Critics say the poet wrote about boring topics.	T / F
f.	The poet’s work has been translated into at least 3 other languages.	T / F
g.	A voice from the dark told the poet to start writing poetry.	T / F
h.	The poet is popular today because his poems are so bad.	T / F

2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article:

1.	a hundred years	a.	unlucky
2	unfortunate	b.	strangely
3.	signed	c.	correct
4.	rotten	d.	autographed
5.	reportedly	e.	pushed
6.	experts	f.	a century
7.	proper	g.	decaying
8.	curiously	h.	supposedly
9.	encouraged	i.	jewels
10.	gems	j.	specialists

3. PHRASE MATCH: Match the following phrases from the article (sometimes more than one combination is possible):

1.	Poems written over a	a.	walked 100 kilometres
2	his unfortunate	b.	him going
3.	A poetry collector bought a total	c.	a proper rhythm
4.	people threw eggs and rotten	d.	of 35 poems
5.	He reportedly once	e.	title
6.	his inability to keep his poetry in	f.	hundred years ago
7.	his work is translated	g.	self-confidence
8.	McGonagall had a lot of	h.	poet than himself
9.	he knew of no greater	i.	fruit
10.	a lot of people have kept	j.	into Russian

WHILE READING / LISTENING

GAP FILL: Put the words into the gaps in the text.

Poems written over a hundred years ago by William McGonagall, __________ as “the world’s worst poet,” were sold at an auction in Scotland __________ this week for over $12,000. Despite his unfortunate title, McGonagall’s work sold for more than a __________ of Harry Potter books signed by author JK Rowling. A poetry collector bought a total of 35 poems written by McGonagall in the nineteenth __________. Many of the poet’s works were also autographed. McGonagall’s poems were so bad that when he read them in __________, people threw eggs and __________ fruit and vegetables at him. He was born in Edinburgh in 1825 but did not start writing poems until he was 47. He __________ once walked 100 kilometres to ask Queen Victoria if he could be her personal poet. The queen was not at __________.

rotten
reportedly
century
home
known
collection
earlier
public

Poetry experts have __________ McGonagall for his boring topics, poor vocabulary, his terrible rhymes and his __________ to keep his poetry in a proper rhythm. In a 200-page guide to the world's worst poets, 13 pages are __________ about him. Curiously, he does have a __________ club and his work is translated into Russian, Japanese and Romanian. McGonagall had a lot of self-confidence and was __________ of his poems. In his autobiography, he explained he had a vision in which a __________ inside his head encouraged him to "Write, Write, Write!" In his book, he wrote that he knew of no greater poet than himself. He __________ called his first book of poems "Poetic Gems." The Scottish auctioneer said: "He's still popular now because he's so bad, [so] a lot of people have kept him __________."

just
proud
inability
boldly
going
criticized
fan
voice

LISTENING: Listen and fill in the spaces.

Poems ________________________ years ago by William McGonagall, known as “the world’s worst poet,” were _____________________ Scotland earlier this week for over $12,000. Despite his unfortunate title, McGonagall’s _____________________ than a collection of Harry Potter books signed by author JK Rowling. A poetry collector bought a total of 35 poems written by McGonagall in the nineteenth century. Many of the poet’s _____________________ autographed. McGonagall’s poems were so bad that when he read them in public, people threw eggs _____________________ vegetables at him. He was born in Edinburgh in 1825 but did not start writing poems until he was 47. He reportedly once walked 100 kilometres to ask Queen Victoria _____________________ personal poet. The queen was not at home.

Poetry _____________________ McGonagall for his boring topics, poor vocabulary, his terrible rhymes and his _____________________ poetry in a proper rhythm. In a 200-page _____________________ worst poets, 13 pages are just about him. Curiously, he _____________________ and his work is translated into Russian, Japanese and Romanian. McGonagall had a lot of self-confidence _____________________ poems. In his autobiography, he explained he had _____________________ voice inside his head encouraged him to "Write, Write, Write!" In his book, he wrote that he knew _____________________ himself. He boldly called his first book of poems "Poetic Gems." The Scottish auctioneer said: "He's still popular now because he's so bad, [so] a lot of people _____________________."

AFTER READING / LISTENING

1. WORD SEARCH: Look in your dictionaries / computer to find collocates, other meanings, information, synonyms … for the words ‘rotten’ and ‘egg’.

rotten

egg

Share your findings with your partners.
Make questions using the words you found.
Ask your partner / group your questions.

2. ARTICLE QUESTIONS: Look back at the article and write down some questions you would like to ask the class about the text.

Share your questions with other classmates / groups.
Ask your partner / group your questions.

3. GAP FILL: In pairs / groups, compare your answers to this exercise. Check your answers. Talk about the words from the activity. Were they new, interesting, worth learning…?

4. VOCABULARY: Circle any words you do not understand. In groups, pool unknown words and use dictionaries to find their meanings.

5. TEST EACH OTHER: Look at the words below. With your partner, try to recall how they were used in the text:

ago
earlier
signed
total
47
personal

experts
inability
curiously
proud
voice
boldly

STUDENT POETRY SURVEY

Write five GOOD questions about poetry in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper.

When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

	STUDENT 1 _____________	STUDENT 2 _____________	STUDENT 3 _____________
Q.1.
Q.2.
Q.3.
Q.4.
Q.5.

Now return to your original partner and share and talk about what you found out. Change partners often.
Make mini-presentations to other groups on your findings.

POETRY DISCUSSION

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

a)	What did you think when you read the headline?
b)	What springs to mind when you hear the word ‘poem’?
c)	Do you like poetry?
d)	Have you read any poetry in English?
e)	What do you think of poems by the world’s worst poet selling for $12,000?
f)	Would you like autographed copies of Harry Potter books?
g)	Why do you think people could throw rotten food at poets in 19^th Century Scotland?
h)	Would you walk 100 kilometres to ask someone a question?
i)	Who is your country’s worst and greatest poet?
j)	Would you like to throw an egg at someone?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

a)	Did you like reading this article?
b)	What topic do you like reading poems on?
c)	Are you good at writing poems?
d)	Do you think poems need to rhyme?
e)	Have you ever joined a fan club?
f)	Are you proud of things you write?
g)	Do you get voices in your head encouraging you to do things?
h)	Is your self-confidence high?
i)	What questions would you like to ask William McGonagall?
j)	Did you like this discussion?

LANGUAGE

Poems (1) ____ over a hundred years ago by William McGonagall, known as “the world’s worst poet,” were sold at an auction in Scotland earlier this week for over $12,000. Despite his unfortunate (2) ____, McGonagall’s work sold for more than a collection of Harry Potter books signed (3) ____ author JK Rowling. A poetry collector bought a total of 35 poems written by McGonagall (4) ____ the nineteenth century. Many of the poet’s works were also (5) ____. McGonagall’s poems were so bad that when he read them in public, people threw eggs and rotten fruit and vegetables at him. He was born in Edinburgh in 1825 but did not start writing poems (6) ____ he was 47. He reportedly once walked 100 kilometres to ask Queen Victoria if he could be her personal poet. The queen was not at home.

Poetry experts have criticized McGonagall for his boring topics, (7) ____ vocabulary, his terrible rhymes and his inability to (8) ____ his poetry in a proper rhythm. In a 200-page guide to the world's worst poets, 13 pages are just about him. Curiously, he does have a fan club and his work is (9) ____ into Russian, Japanese and Romanian. McGonagall had a lot of self-confidence and was proud of his poems. In his autobiography, he explained he had a (10) ____ in which a voice inside his head encouraged him to "Write, Write, Write!" In his book, he wrote that he knew of no greater poet than (11) ____. He boldly called his first book of poems "Poetic Gems." The Scottish auctioneer said: "He's still popular now because he's so bad, [so] a lot of people have (12) ____ him going."

Put the correct words from the table below in the above article.

1.	(a)	written	(b)	wrote	(c)	writing	(d)	writer
2.	(a)	name	(b)	title	(c)	heading	(d)	address
3.	(a)	to	(b)	for	(c)	by	(d)	at
4.	(a)	by	(b)	at	(c)	on	(d)	in
5.	(a)	autographing	(b)	autograph	(c)	autographs	(d)	autographed
6.	(a)	still	(b)	when	(c)	until	(d)	yet
7.	(a)	poor	(b)	poverty	(c)	poorly	(d)	pour
8.	(a)	do	(b)	keep	(c)	make	(d)	poem
9.	(a)	transformed	(b)	transported	(c)	translated	(d)	transacted
10.	(a)	vision	(b)	sight	(c)	site	(d)	eyesight
11.	(a)	his	(b)	he	(c)	him	(d)	himself
12.	(a)	made	(b)	kept	(c)	stopped	(d)	got

WRITING:

Write about poetry for 10 minutes. Correct your partner’s paper.

_____________________________________________________________________________

HOMEWORK

1. VOCABULARY EXTENSION: Choose several of the words from the text. Use a dictionary or Google’s search field (or another search engine) to build up more associations / collocations of each word.

2. INTERNET: Search the Internet and find out about William McGonagall. Share what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.

3. POETS: Make a poster about your country’s greatest writers. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?

4. WORLD'S WORST: Write a magazine article about the world’s worst living poet. Include imaginary interviews with the poet and a judge who decided (s)he was the worst. Include questions about what is good poetry.

Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Write down any new words and expressions you hear from your partner(s).

5. LETTER: Write a letter to a poet. Ask him/her three questions about his/her poetry. Ask for three pieces of advice on how you can write great poetry. Read your letter to your partner(s) in your next lesson. Your partner(s) will answer your questions.

6. DIARY / JOURNAL: You are a poet. Write your diary entry for one day in your poetry writing life. Include your thoughts on the things that make you write poetry. Read your entry to your classmates in the next lesson.

ANSWERS

TRUE / FALSE:

a. F

b. F

c. F

d. T

e. T

f. T

g. F

h. T

SYNONYM MATCH:

1.	a hundred years	a.	a century
2	unfortunate	b.	unlucky
3.	signed	c.	autographed
4.	rotten	d.	decaying
5.	reportedly	e.	supposedly
6.	experts	f.	specialists
7.	proper	g.	correct
8.	curiously	h.	strangely
9.	encouraged	i.	pushed
10.	gems	j.	jewels

PHRASE MATCH:

1.	Poems written over a	a.	hundred years ago
2	his unfortunate	b.	title
3.	A poetry collector bought a total	c.	of 35 poems
4.	people threw eggs and rotten	d.	fruit
5.	He reportedly once	e.	walked 100 kilometres
6.	his inability to keep his poetry in	f.	a proper rhythm
7.	his work is translated	g.	into Russian
8.	McGonagall had a lot of	h.	self-confidence
9.	he knew of no greater	i.	poet than himself
10.	a lot of people have kept	j.	him going

GAP FILL:

World’s worst poems sell at auction

Poems written over a hundred years ago by William McGonagall, known as “the world’s worst poet,” were sold at an auction in Scotland earlier this week for over $12,000. Despite his unfortunate title, McGonagall’s work sold for more than a collection of Harry Potter books signed by author JK Rowling. A poetry collector bought a total of 35 poems written by McGonagall in the nineteenth century. Many of the poet’s works were also autographed. McGonagall’s poems were so bad that when he read them in public, people threw eggs and rotten fruit and vegetables at him. He was born in Edinburgh in 1825 but did not start writing poems until he was 47. He reportedly once walked 100 kilometres to ask Queen Victoria if he could be her personal poet. The queen was not at home.

Poetry experts have criticized McGonagall for his boring topics, poor vocabulary, his terrible rhymes and his inability to keep his poetry in a proper rhythm. In a 200-page guide to the world's worst poets, 13 pages are just about him. Curiously, he does have a fan club and his work is translated into Russian, Japanese and Romanian. McGonagall had a lot of self-confidence and was proud of his poems. In his autobiography, he explained he had a vision in which a voice inside his head encouraged him to "Write, Write, Write!" In his book, he wrote that he knew of no greater poet than himself. He boldly called his first book of poems "Poetic Gems." The Scottish auctioneer said: "He's still popular now because he's so bad, [so] a lot of people have kept him going."

LANGUAGE WORK

1 - a

2 - b

3 - c

4 - d

5 - d

6 - c

7 - a

8 - b

9 - c

10 - a

11 - d

12 - b

Back to the top

Help Support This Web Site

Please consider helping Breaking News English.com

Sean Banville's Book

You can download a free sample PDF showing various parts of my book,
"1,000 Ideas & Activities for Language Teachers".

Thank You

SHARE THIS LESSON:

E-Mail

RSS

My 1,000 Ideas e-Book	Breaking News English HOME \| HELP MY SITE \| 000s MORE FREE LESSONS	My 1,000 Ideas e-Book

Breaking News English

THE ARTICLE

World’s worst poems sell at auction

WARM-UPS

BEFORE READING / LISTENING

WHILE READING / LISTENING

LISTENING: Listen and fill in the spaces.

AFTER READING / LISTENING

STUDENT POETRY SURVEY

POETRY DISCUSSION

LANGUAGE

WRITING:

HOMEWORK

ANSWERS

World’s worst poems sell at auction

Help Support This Web Site

Sean Banville's Book

Thank You