Ready Steady Read Together
A Poem for Every Question: Poetry Lesson 4
What do you think you know?
What?
Who?
Why?
Where?
How?
When?
Book Talk: Let's explore this illustration.
Explore
What do you know and think?
“You must be bats if you think you can fly!”
How might this extract link to the illustration?
Explore
From: A Poem for Every Question by Brian Bilston © 2025. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
Today's Question(s)
A) How can you tell the dog really wants to be able to fly?
B) What happened to make the dog think she left the ground on her last attempt?
C) What was the dog careful to avoid in the garden?
Explore
Let me read today's text
Explore
ARE BATS THE ONLY FLYING MAMMALS?
My dog is in her workshop again.
She’s banging and sawing, clanging and clattering,
measuring and muttering, her drawings
spread out across the bench,
alterations marked in red.
My dog thinks she is getting closer,
claims she actually left the ground on her last attempt,
although I was there, watching
as one of the wheels hit a stone on the path.
Not so much flying as jumping.
From: A Poem for Every Question by Brian Bilston © 2025. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
She’s repaired the wings since, made a new propeller, readjusted the tail.
There may be a big dent in her crash helmet
but she’s tough, she’s not giving up.
“It’s merely a question of speed,” she says.
And look, here she comes now,
phut-phut-phutting her way down the garden,
being careful to avoid mum’s flower beds.
I wave and she gives me a paws-up
through her cockpit window.
“You must be bats if you think you can fly!” I tell her over the noise of the propeller.
“If only I was!” she shouts back and grins.
She puts on her goggles, takes a deep breath,
and prepares to reach for the sky.
From: A Poem for Every Question by Brian Bilston © 2025. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
Common Exception Words
Explore
again
path
last
only
Explore
Vocabulary
Explore
Hover for definitions!
mammals
attempt
alterations
cockpit
propeller
readjusted
Explore
From: A Poem for Every Question by Brian Bilston © 2025. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
I will model the first.
Find the word or phrase Read the sentence Talk about it to a partner
mammals
Explore
Find Read Talk
ARE BATS THE ONLY FLYING MAMMALS?
My dog is in her workshop again.
She’s banging and sawing, clanging and clattering,
Reveal Vocabulary
From: A Poem for Every Question by Brian Bilston © 2025. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
mammals
Your turn
alterations
Find the word or phrase Read the sentence Talk about it to a partner
attempt
propeller
readjusted
cockpit
Use your text
Explore
Vocabulary Check & Re-read
Explore
ARE BATS THE ONLY FLYING MAMMALS?
My dog is in her workshop again.
She’s banging and sawing, clanging and clattering,
measuring and muttering, her drawings
spread out across the bench,
alterations marked in red.
My dog thinks she is getting closer,
claims she actually left the ground on her last attempt,
although I was there, watching
as one of the wheels hit a stone on the path.
Not so much flying as jumping.
Reveal Vocabulary
Explore
From: A Poem for Every Question by Brian Bilston © 2025. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
She’s repaired the wings since, made a new propeller, readjusted the tail.
There may be a big dent in her crash helmet
but she’s tough, she’s not giving up.
“It’s merely a question of speed,” she says.
And look, here she comes now,
phut-phut-phutting her way down the garden,
being careful to avoid mum’s flower beds.
I wave and she gives me a paws-up
through her cockpit window.
“You must be bats if you think you can fly!” I tell her over the noise of the propeller.
“If only I was!” she shouts back and grins.
She puts on her goggles, takes a deep breath,
and prepares to reach for the sky.
Reveal Vocabulary
Explore
From: A Poem for Every Question by Brian Bilston © 2025. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
Fluency
Explore
Let me use my reader's voice...
And look, here she comes now,
phut-phut-phutting her way down the garden,
being careful to avoid mum’s flower beds.
I wave and she gives me a paws-up
through her cockpit window.
“You must be bats if you think you can fly!”
I tell her over the noise of the propeller.
“If only I was!” she shouts back and grins.
What did you notice?
Explore
From: A Poem for Every Question by Brian Bilston © 2025. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
My Turn
Your Turn
Echo Read
And look, here she comes now,
phut-phut-phutting her way down the garden,
being careful to avoid mum’s flower beds.
I wave and she gives me a paws-up
through her cockpit window.
“You must be bats if you think you can fly!”
I tell her over the noise of the propeller.
“If only I was!” she shouts back and grins.
Explore
From: A Poem for Every Question by Brian Bilston © 2025. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
Sound like a reader!
Stand up!
Choral Read
And look, here she comes now,
phut-phut-phutting her way down the garden,
being careful to avoid mum’s flower beds.
I wave and she gives me a paws-up
through her cockpit window.
“You must be bats if you think you can fly!”
I tell her over the noise of the propeller.
“If only I was!” she shouts back and grins.
Explore
From: A Poem for Every Question by Brian Bilston © 2025. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
Strategy Focus
Explore
Strategy: Read Between the Lines
A) How can you tell the dog really wants to be able to fly?
Be a detective and look for clues!
Teach
Let me show you
Reveal Text Marks
My dog is in her workshop again.
She’s banging and sawing, clanging and clattering,
measuring and muttering, her drawings
spread out across the bench,
alterations marked in red.
A) How can you tell the dog really wants to be able to fly?
Reveal Explainer
A ‘workshop’ is a place where people use tools to build and fix things. The word ‘again’ tells us that she has been in there before trying to make her machine fly.
Teach
From: A Poem for Every Question by Brian Bilston © 2025. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
Strategy Stop
What else could you use to answer today's question(s)?
Teach
Your Turn
A) How can you tell the dog really wants to be able to fly?
B) What happened to make the dog think she left the ground on her last attempt?
C) What was the dog careful to avoid in the garden?
Text mark
Find the answers
Explore
Acceptable Answers
Text Mark Evidence - she’s banging and sawing, clanging and clattering - on her last attempt (to fly) - there may be a big dent in her crash helmet but she’s tough, she’s not giving up - look, here she comes now, phut-phut-phutting her way down the garden
keeps trying
A) How can you tell the dog really wants to be able to fly?
Text Mark Evidence - alterations marked in red - repaired the wings since - made a new propeller - readjusted the tail
fixes and changes her machine to make it work
Click on the evidence to reveal acceptable answers
Text Mark Evidence - claims she actually left the ground - prepares to reach for the sky
truly believes she will fly
Practise & Apply
Acceptable Answers
B) What happened to make the dog think she left the ground on her last attempt?
Text Mark Evidence one of the wheels hit a stone on the path…not so much flying as jumping
she jumped over a stone
Click on the evidence to reveal acceptable answers
Practise & Apply
Acceptable Answers
C) What was the dog careful to avoid in the garden?
Click to reveal..
Text Mark Evidence mum's flower beds
Click on the evidence to reveal acceptable answers
Practise & Apply
Quiz Time
Start
Picture Me
Which image is the best match for ‘cockpit’?
Which One's Right?
What colour did the dog use on her drawings to show the changes she made?
B) green
A) red
C) blue
D) yellow
Find Me
Find three parts of the plane that the dog fixed or changed:
She’s repaired the wings since,
made a new propeller, readjusted the tail.
There may be a big dent in her crash helmet
but she’s tough, she’s not giving up.
“It’s merely a question of speed,” she says.
2 Discuss then check
3 Discuss then check
1 Discuss then check
wings
propeller
tail
Sequence Me
Put the events from the poem in the right order:
A) The dog made a new propeller.
B) The dog gave a paws-up from the cockpit.
C) The dog works in her workshop.
D) The dog put on her goggles.
Click if correct
Check
Feedback: Who did what well?
FindRead Talk
EchoRead
ChoralRead
ReadingStrategy
Answers & Text Marks
Other...
To be a book lover, you could...
share poetry.
Reveal
Read a poem to someone else and discuss what it means for both of you.
Copyright Notice
This document has been supplied under a CLA Licence with specific terms of use. It is protected by copyright and, save as may be permitted by law, it may not be further copied, stored, re-copied electronically or otherwise shared, even for internal purposes, without the prior further permission of the Rightsholder. Extracts sourced from: A Poem for Every Question by Brian Bilston © 2025 Schools must purchase the original text for full content.
RSRT Y2 L4 A Poem for Every Question
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Created on December 31, 2025
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Transcript
Ready Steady Read Together
A Poem for Every Question: Poetry Lesson 4
What do you think you know?
What?
Who?
Why?
Where?
How?
When?
Book Talk: Let's explore this illustration.
Explore
What do you know and think?
“You must be bats if you think you can fly!”
How might this extract link to the illustration?
Explore
From: A Poem for Every Question by Brian Bilston © 2025. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
Today's Question(s)
A) How can you tell the dog really wants to be able to fly?
B) What happened to make the dog think she left the ground on her last attempt?
C) What was the dog careful to avoid in the garden?
Explore
Let me read today's text
Explore
ARE BATS THE ONLY FLYING MAMMALS?
My dog is in her workshop again. She’s banging and sawing, clanging and clattering, measuring and muttering, her drawings spread out across the bench, alterations marked in red. My dog thinks she is getting closer, claims she actually left the ground on her last attempt, although I was there, watching as one of the wheels hit a stone on the path. Not so much flying as jumping.
From: A Poem for Every Question by Brian Bilston © 2025. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
She’s repaired the wings since, made a new propeller, readjusted the tail. There may be a big dent in her crash helmet but she’s tough, she’s not giving up. “It’s merely a question of speed,” she says. And look, here she comes now, phut-phut-phutting her way down the garden, being careful to avoid mum’s flower beds. I wave and she gives me a paws-up through her cockpit window. “You must be bats if you think you can fly!” I tell her over the noise of the propeller. “If only I was!” she shouts back and grins. She puts on her goggles, takes a deep breath, and prepares to reach for the sky.
From: A Poem for Every Question by Brian Bilston © 2025. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
Common Exception Words
Explore
again
path
last
only
Explore
Vocabulary
Explore
Hover for definitions!
mammals
attempt
alterations
cockpit
propeller
readjusted
Explore
From: A Poem for Every Question by Brian Bilston © 2025. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
I will model the first.
Find the word or phrase Read the sentence Talk about it to a partner
mammals
Explore
Find Read Talk
ARE BATS THE ONLY FLYING MAMMALS?
My dog is in her workshop again. She’s banging and sawing, clanging and clattering,
Reveal Vocabulary
From: A Poem for Every Question by Brian Bilston © 2025. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
mammals
Your turn
alterations
Find the word or phrase Read the sentence Talk about it to a partner
attempt
propeller
readjusted
cockpit
Use your text
Explore
Vocabulary Check & Re-read
Explore
ARE BATS THE ONLY FLYING MAMMALS?
My dog is in her workshop again. She’s banging and sawing, clanging and clattering, measuring and muttering, her drawings spread out across the bench, alterations marked in red. My dog thinks she is getting closer, claims she actually left the ground on her last attempt, although I was there, watching as one of the wheels hit a stone on the path. Not so much flying as jumping.
Reveal Vocabulary
Explore
From: A Poem for Every Question by Brian Bilston © 2025. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
She’s repaired the wings since, made a new propeller, readjusted the tail. There may be a big dent in her crash helmet but she’s tough, she’s not giving up. “It’s merely a question of speed,” she says. And look, here she comes now, phut-phut-phutting her way down the garden, being careful to avoid mum’s flower beds. I wave and she gives me a paws-up through her cockpit window. “You must be bats if you think you can fly!” I tell her over the noise of the propeller. “If only I was!” she shouts back and grins. She puts on her goggles, takes a deep breath, and prepares to reach for the sky.
Reveal Vocabulary
Explore
From: A Poem for Every Question by Brian Bilston © 2025. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
Fluency
Explore
Let me use my reader's voice...
And look, here she comes now, phut-phut-phutting her way down the garden, being careful to avoid mum’s flower beds. I wave and she gives me a paws-up through her cockpit window. “You must be bats if you think you can fly!” I tell her over the noise of the propeller. “If only I was!” she shouts back and grins.
What did you notice?
Explore
From: A Poem for Every Question by Brian Bilston © 2025. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
My Turn
Your Turn
Echo Read
And look, here she comes now, phut-phut-phutting her way down the garden,
being careful to avoid mum’s flower beds.
I wave and she gives me a paws-up through her cockpit window.
“You must be bats if you think you can fly!”
I tell her over the noise of the propeller.
“If only I was!” she shouts back and grins.
Explore
From: A Poem for Every Question by Brian Bilston © 2025. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
Sound like a reader!
Stand up!
Choral Read
And look, here she comes now, phut-phut-phutting her way down the garden, being careful to avoid mum’s flower beds. I wave and she gives me a paws-up through her cockpit window. “You must be bats if you think you can fly!” I tell her over the noise of the propeller. “If only I was!” she shouts back and grins.
Explore
From: A Poem for Every Question by Brian Bilston © 2025. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
Strategy Focus
Explore
Strategy: Read Between the Lines
A) How can you tell the dog really wants to be able to fly?
Be a detective and look for clues!
Teach
Let me show you
Reveal Text Marks
My dog is in her workshop again. She’s banging and sawing, clanging and clattering, measuring and muttering, her drawings spread out across the bench, alterations marked in red.
A) How can you tell the dog really wants to be able to fly?
Reveal Explainer
A ‘workshop’ is a place where people use tools to build and fix things. The word ‘again’ tells us that she has been in there before trying to make her machine fly.
Teach
From: A Poem for Every Question by Brian Bilston © 2025. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
Strategy Stop
What else could you use to answer today's question(s)?
Teach
Your Turn
A) How can you tell the dog really wants to be able to fly?
B) What happened to make the dog think she left the ground on her last attempt?
C) What was the dog careful to avoid in the garden?
Text mark
Find the answers
Explore
Acceptable Answers
Text Mark Evidence - she’s banging and sawing, clanging and clattering - on her last attempt (to fly) - there may be a big dent in her crash helmet but she’s tough, she’s not giving up - look, here she comes now, phut-phut-phutting her way down the garden
keeps trying
A) How can you tell the dog really wants to be able to fly?
Text Mark Evidence - alterations marked in red - repaired the wings since - made a new propeller - readjusted the tail
fixes and changes her machine to make it work
Click on the evidence to reveal acceptable answers
Text Mark Evidence - claims she actually left the ground - prepares to reach for the sky
truly believes she will fly
Practise & Apply
Acceptable Answers
B) What happened to make the dog think she left the ground on her last attempt?
Text Mark Evidence one of the wheels hit a stone on the path…not so much flying as jumping
she jumped over a stone
Click on the evidence to reveal acceptable answers
Practise & Apply
Acceptable Answers
C) What was the dog careful to avoid in the garden?
Click to reveal..
Text Mark Evidence mum's flower beds
Click on the evidence to reveal acceptable answers
Practise & Apply
Quiz Time
Start
Picture Me
Which image is the best match for ‘cockpit’?
Which One's Right?
What colour did the dog use on her drawings to show the changes she made?
B) green
A) red
C) blue
D) yellow
Find Me
Find three parts of the plane that the dog fixed or changed:
She’s repaired the wings since, made a new propeller, readjusted the tail. There may be a big dent in her crash helmet but she’s tough, she’s not giving up. “It’s merely a question of speed,” she says.
2 Discuss then check
3 Discuss then check
1 Discuss then check
wings
propeller
tail
Sequence Me
Put the events from the poem in the right order:
A) The dog made a new propeller.
B) The dog gave a paws-up from the cockpit.
C) The dog works in her workshop.
D) The dog put on her goggles.
Click if correct
Check
Feedback: Who did what well?
FindRead Talk
EchoRead
ChoralRead
ReadingStrategy
Answers & Text Marks
Other...
To be a book lover, you could...
share poetry.
Reveal
Read a poem to someone else and discuss what it means for both of you.
Copyright Notice
This document has been supplied under a CLA Licence with specific terms of use. It is protected by copyright and, save as may be permitted by law, it may not be further copied, stored, re-copied electronically or otherwise shared, even for internal purposes, without the prior further permission of the Rightsholder. Extracts sourced from: A Poem for Every Question by Brian Bilston © 2025 Schools must purchase the original text for full content.