Grade 5 Melpark Primary School Miss M.

Bosman

English Home Language: Worksheet

Theme: Poems are Pictures

Free Verse

What is a poem?
A poem is a piece of writing in which the expression of feelings and ideas is given intensity by attention to
diction (word choice) sometimes involving poetic devices such as rhyme, rhythm, and imagery (visually
descriptive or figurative language). It uses lines (short sentences used to form a stanza) and stanzas (a
division of four or more lines). Poetic devices are important tools that the poet (a person who writes a poem)
uses to develop the poem’s meaning or strengthen mood or feeling.

Different Types of Poems:

• Narrative (a poem that tells a story).
• Limerick (a poem that is often silly or unusual, written in five lines with an AABBA rhyme
scheme).
• Haiku (a Japanese form of poetry which is composed of three non-rhyming lines).
• Free verse (a type of poetry that does not require any rhyme scheme).
• Ballad (a poem that is frequently sung or intended to be sung, and often about love).
• Elegy (a poem that expresses a lament, often over the death of a loved one).
• etc

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Grade 5 Melpark Primary School Miss M. Bosman

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Reading Comprehension

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Read the poem and answer questions that follow:

The Sea
The waves are rough,
The sea is angry.
The sand is so white,
the enormous big whale wallows in the sea,
the tiny snail clung to a rock.
Then a huge wave came,
Crashing like thunder!
The wind blows hard
The sand stings,
So do the bluebottles.
Then it is calm again.
You look into the rock pools,

What a lovely sight.

Fish, eels, snails and seaweed.
The sun sets and then we go home.
Lindy Maughan

Question 1

1. Choose the correct sentence summarizing the poem.

a. The sea was rough, and it made the day at the beach terrible.
b. The sea was rough, and it brought all kinds of creatures into the rock pools.
c. The day was lovely, the sea was calm, and they had a lovely time.
2. “The sea is angry” is an example of:
a. Onomatopoeia
b. Metaphor
c. Personification
d. Simile
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3. How many stanzas does this poem have?

4. What sea animals does this poem mention?
5. Write an example of a simile in the poem.
6. What two things are being compared in the simile?
7. Give two synonyms for the word ‘big’ that are in the poem.
8. Which two feelings does the sea feel?
9. Look at the following pictures- what figures of speech are shown? Write the name and definition of
each figure or speech.
a.

b.

c.

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Language in Context

1. Read the following sentences and identify all the nouns and adjectives.
e.g. My hardworking mother is a beautiful woman.
a. The sea is rough and dry.
b. The little girls are running away from the naughty monkey.
c. There are too many fish and eels in the rock pools.
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2. Divide the following sentences by circling the subject and underlining the predicate.
o A subject is a noun (or pronoun), usually doing the action in a sentence.
o A predicate is a part of the sentence with a verb, stating something about the subject.
e.g. My mother (subject)| cooks delicious food. (predicate)
a. My kite is flying over the beach.
b. The girls and boys are building a sandcastle.
c. The wind whistled though the trees.
d. The dangerous virus killed the man next-door.
e. Pollution decreased since the national lockdown.

3. Use the simple verbs in brackets to complete the sentences.

o Hint: Change the verb in brackets into simple past tense.

a. Yesterday Janet _________ off the swing. (fall)

b. Mr Ngwenya _________ Mike’s parents two weeks ago. (meet)

c. Last week _________ a picture of his best friend. (draw)

d. Lindsay _________ two sandwiches at break. (eat)

e. Schools ________ too early last term. (close)

4. Join the following sentences using the correct conjunctions.

e.g. Jabu did not come to school for a week. Jabu was sick.
Jabu did not come to school for a week because he was sick.
a. The sea is angry. The waves are clashing.
b. I am bored. School is closed.
c. The virus is spreading. People are dying.
d. The year is almost over. There is so much to do.

5. Rewrite the following sentences using the correct punctuation.

a. i hate bubble-gum
b. no dont eat my cake
c. what is your favorite meal
d. god bless africa
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Creative Writing
Practice writing a poem using the following template. Think of ideas to fill in the spaces to complete
the poem. Replace each ‘like’ word with a more interesting verb.

Figure out What I like

I like ____________but I like _____________ even more.

I like to __________ but I find _____________ a chore.

I don’t like ________ and I could leave __________ in a drawer.

I like _____________but not when it’s been in the floor.

I like _____________ and ___________ is something I could go for.

I don’t like ______________ but I like ______________ galore

Quick Question!!!
What Poetic devices are used can you identify in the poem? Discuss and write examples for each
device.

Write your own poem. Practice originality and use a lot of creative language.
Remember, poems are pictures.

Instructions

• Use four stanzas and twenty lines to write your own poem.
• Remember poems use lines and stanzas, NOT sentences and paragraphs.
• Plan your poem before writing it.
• Give your poem a title.
• Apply all the poetic techniques, refer to notes.
• Use interesting words, remember the meaning should fit the context of your poem.
• Do not forger to use figurative language (simile, metaphor, personification, onomatopoeia
etc.) to make your poem interesting.
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Choose one of the following titles:

As I Touched the Sun… Life…

My friends are like… Sickness

My Book has Ears… Imaginary world…

Caged… The do

My life so far Love…

I will always remember… The world is United!

Always Remember that Poems Paint Pictures in our Minds!!!

Extra Support

Read and Complete all activities on pages 104 -119 of the DBE BOOK. Use My Dictionary on pages 137-147 to
write all the new words (bolded words) from the reading comprehension passages completed thus far.

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Read a Story

Once upon a time there was a town called Hamelin.

Hamelin was a prosperous town. It was a port town on the
River Weser. Barges full of corn would come down the
River Weser and unload at Hamelin. There were silos full of
corn in Hamelin. Barges full of wheat would come up the
River Weser and unload at Hamelin. There were silos full of
wheat in Hamelin. With the silos full of corn and wheat

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came mills for grinding the corn and wheat, bakeries for
baking bread and cakes, shops for selling the bread and
cakes and of course people for eating. The people were so
prosperous and busy loading and unloading, milling, baking
and eating that they didn't notice all the litter and rubbish
that was accumulating in the streets. And of course, with
the rubbish came the rats. There were rats everywhere in
Hamelin - rats in the corn silos, rats in the wheat silos, rats
in the bakeries, rats in the shops, rats in the streets, and
rats in the houses. The rats bred and grew and grew and
bred and soon there were so many rats that life became
quite miserable for the citizens of Hamelin. They couldn't
bake a cake, take a bath, or sleep in their beds without the
rats joining in to. The rats even nibbled on the ears of
babies sleeping in their cots. Something had to be done.
The people of Hamelin made their way to the Town Square
and knocked on the big brass doors of the Town Hall and
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demanded to know what the Lord Mayor was doing about

the rats. The Lord Mayor appeared on the balcony in his
black robes and gold chains and made a speech. "Good
citizens of Hamelin you may rest assured that what needs
to be done is being done. Don't you worry about that." The
good citizens of Hamelin weren't too sure about that, but
they went home to their houses to see what would be done.
But nothing was done. There was just as much rubbish in
the streets and just as many rats in the mills, the bakeries,
the shops and the houses. In fact, there were more rats.
The rats kept growing and breeding and breeding and
growing and eating and eating and eating. They ate
anything they could get their teeth on. Nothing or no one
was safe from the rats. The people were angry and
marched to the Town Square and pounded on the big brass
doors and to know exactly what the Lord Mayor was going
to do. When no Lord Mayor appeared on the balcony. The
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people started to chant - "No rats!" "No rats!" "No rats!" "No
rats!" Finally, the Lord Mayor appeared on the balcony in
his black robes and gold chains and announced somewhat
nervously that he had a definite plan of action. "Good
citizens of Hamelin you will pleased to know that I, the Lord
Mayor, have given orders that a large hole in the ground will
be dug on the outskirts of Hamelin and into that hole will be
swept all of the rubbish in the streets and all of the rats that
can be found and killed. Soon Hamelin will be clean and
clear of rats." Soon the large hole in the ground was full of
stinking rubbish and the bodies of dead rats and hurriedly
covered over with dirt. But it was not enough there were too
many rats in too many hiding places all over the town and
too much food for them in the silos and bakeries and shops
and houses and they grew and bred and bred and grew just
as fast as before. And now with the rats came a plague of
fleas. And with the fleas came a strange sickness. Some
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children and old people had already died. A plague was on

Hamelin! As you can imagine the people of Hamelin were
even angrier. They marched once more to the town square.
Each of them carried with them a dozen dead rats as proof
of the failure of the Lord Mayors plan. They threw the rats in
a pile in the middle of the square and from a pole they hung
an effigy that looked remarkably like the Lord Mayor in his
black robes and his gold chains. They started chanting -
"No Rats or no Mayor!" "No Rats or no Mayor!" "No Rats or
no Mayor!" When the Lord Mayor did come out on his
balcony he was surrounded by his Councilors and he
announced rather nervously that the council had, in view of
the rather desperate situation, agreed to offer a magnificent
reward of one thousand gold guilders to any person who
could rid the town of the rats. The very next day a stranger
appeared in Hamelin. He was different to everyone else.
His clothes were colorful and seemed to come from many
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different places. He wore a hat covered with feathers and

shells and bones. From a long scarf hung a silver pipe. The
stranger followed the carts up from the port and he saw the
silos full of corn and the silos full of wheat and the mills and
bakeries and shops and houses and people and rubbish
and the rats. He walked quietly to the Town Square and
knocked on the big brass doors of the Town Hall. He told
the Mayor and his councilors that for a thousand gold
guilders he could rid Hamelin of the rats that infested it. The
Mayor enthusiastically agreed, and the Pied Piper stepped
outside. He stood in the Square and looked quietly around.
He took a deep breath and blew a note on his silver pipe
that spoke to the rats of far off places, of woods and forests
and rocks and mountains. He blew another note that spoke
to the rats of foxes and wolves and hawks and eagles. He
blew a third note and all the rats in Hamelin started to
scurry towards the Pied Piper. They scurried out of doors,
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out of windows, out of drains and out of holes. They

scurried down the lanes and streets towards the square.
Now the Pied Piper started to play a dancing tune and he
danced out of the square and the rats followed along
behind. They moved out of the town and towards the port.
At the river side the Piper stopped, and he placed just one
toe in the water and, as he continued playing, the rats
continued dancing across the wharves and into the river.
Rats by their thousands danced out of the town, across the
wharves and splashed into the river where they were
drowned. When the last one had disappeared beneath the
waters of the Weser the Pied Piper stopped. He stood
quietly looking at the water for a while and then turned and
walked back to the Town Square. The good people of
Hamelin were celebrating the victory against the rats. At last
they were free of the pestilence. The Lord Mayor and all his
Councilors were up on their balcony slapping each other on
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the back and making speeches. The Pied Piper waited for a
quiet space and asked for his one thousand gold guilders.
The Mayor called out so everyone could hear, "A thousand
gold guilders? How could you have possibly earned a
thousand guilders? Why. Everyone saw how, while the rats
were drowning themselves in the river, all you did was
dance about and play on that silly little pipe of yours. Here
be satisfied with forty guilders and think yourself lucky at
that." To the shame of the people of Hamelin they agreed
with their Mayor and laughed at the Pied Piper as he
walked quietly out of the town. The next day was a religious
feast and all the adults were in the church as he walked
back into the town. He stood quietly for a while in the Town
Square and they took a breath and played a note that spoke
to the children of faraway places, clean air and sparking
rivers. He blew another note that spoke to the children of
fun and games and whales and dolphins and bright colored
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parrots. He blew a third note and all the children started to

run and jump and skip out of the houses towards the Town
Square. As they ran and jumped and skipped towards him
the Pied Piper started to dance out of the square towards
the port. The adults in the church heard all the children go
past and they rushed out of the church to see what was
happening. They called out to the children to stop and to
come back, but it was like they could no longer hear their
parents' voices. The parents were relieved when they saw
the Pied Piper turn away from the river and dance with the
children towards the mountain. Their relief turned to horror
though when a small door appeared in the side of the
mountain and first the Pied Piper and then the children
started to run and jump and skip inside. The parents ran up
to stop them, but it was too late. All the children bar one boy
who was hopping along on crutches and couldn't keep up
disappeared inside the mountain and the small door
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slammed shut so tightly that no one could tell exactly where

it had been. The people raced up with shovels and picks
and started furiously digging holes in the mountain side, but
it was all to no avail. The small boy on crutches tried to tell
them of the sounds of faraway places, clean air and
sparking rivers and fun and games and whales and
dolphins and bright colored parrots but no one seemed able
to hear. In time the people got over their shock and life
started to go on again. Barges full of corn came down the
River Weser and unloaded at Hamelin. Soon there were
silos full of corn once again in Hamelin. Barges full of wheat
came up the River Weser and unloaded at Hamelin. There
were silos full of wheat once again in Hamelin, but they
never forgot the Pied Piper and they always paid their debts
in full and on time.

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