Ready Steady Read Together
My Heart Was a Tree: 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?
I’m just another trunk too wide to hug, another redwood giant…
How might this extract link to the illustration?
Explore
From: My Heart Was a Tree by Michael Morpurgo © 2023. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
Today's Question(s)
A) What impression do you get of the tree from the poet’s words?
B) What words or phrases does the poet use to show the theme of the vulnerability of nature?
Explore
Let me read today's text
Explore
High as the Clouds
So
High am I
That none of
You has ever seen
The very summit and peak of me.
King of the trees cloaked all in green,
Great trunk, armoured with bark, etched
With age. Still standing. Don’t tell a single soul,
No one knows I’m here, has ever looked up, never
Noticed me. But I have heard you, walking by, talking by.
I’m just another trunk too wide to hug, another redwood giant.
Not quite as high as the sky. “Old as the hills, that one, high as the clouds,” you say,
“Old as any of them.” True. No fire has reached me, no wind yet blown me down.
From: My Heart Was a Tree by Michael Morpurgo © 2023. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
No one knows how high. No saw has felled me, laid me low, not yet. I will stand tall, crown in the clouds, my roots drinking deep, But I hear and I fear those echoes, of distant voices,
Of whining saws that shatter our quiet and peace.
However tall, we know we can fall,
Be tree no more, grow no more.
Be no more here,
No more us,
No more
Me.
But when we are few, you will be few,
and when we are gone,
you will be
none.
From: My Heart Was a Tree by Michael Morpurgo © 2023. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
Vocabulary
Explore
Hover for definitions!
summit and peak
armoured
cloaked
crown
etched
felled me, laid me low
Explore
From: My Heart Was a Tree by Michael Morpurgo © 2023. 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
summit and peak
Explore
Find Read Talk
So High am I That none of You has ever seen The very summit and peak of me.
Reveal Vocabulary
From: My Heart Was a Tree by Michael Morpurgo © 2023. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
summit and peak
Your turn
cloaked
Find the word or phrase Read the sentence Talk about it to a partner
armoured
etched
felled me, laid me low
crown
Use your text
Explore
Vocabulary Check & Re-read
Explore
High as the Clouds
Reveal Vocabulary
So
High am I
That none of
You has ever seen
The very summit and peak of me.
King of the trees cloaked all in green,
Great trunk, armoured with bark, etched
With age. Still standing. Don’t tell a single soul,
No one knows I’m here, has ever looked up, never
Noticed me. But I have heard you, walking by, talking by.
I’m just another trunk too wide to hug, another redwood giant.
Not quite as high as the sky. “Old as the hills, that one, high as the clouds,” you say,
“Old as any of them.” True. No fire has reached me, no wind yet blown me down.
Explore
From: My Heart Was a Tree by Michael Morpurgo © 2023. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
No one knows how high. No saw has felled me, laid me low, not yet. I will stand tall, crown in the clouds, my roots drinking deep, But I hear and I fear those echoes, of distant voices,
Of whining saws that shatter our quiet and peace.
However tall, we know we can fall,
Be tree no more, grow no more.
Be no more here,
No more us,
No more
Me.
But when we are few, you will be few,
and when we are gone,
you will be
none.
Reveal Vocabulary
Explore
From: My Heart Was a Tree by Michael Morpurgo © 2023. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
Fluency
Explore
Let me use my reader's voice...
So
High am I
That none of
You has ever seen
The very summit and peak of me.
King of the trees cloaked all in green,
Great trunk, armoured with bark, etched
With age. Still standing. Don’t tell a single soul,
No one knows I’m here, has ever looked up, never
Noticed me.
What did you notice?
Explore
From: My Heart Was a Tree by Michael Morpurgo © 2023. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
My Turn
Your Turn
Echo Read
So
High am I
That none of
You has ever seen
The very summit and peak of me.
King of the trees cloaked all in green,
Great trunk, armoured with bark, etched
With age.
Still standing.
Don’t tell a single soul,
No one knows I’m here, has ever looked up, never
Noticed me.
Explore
From: My Heart Was a Tree by Michael Morpurgo © 2023. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
Sound like a reader!
Stand up!
Choral Read
So
High am I
That none of
You has ever seen
The very summit and peak of me.
King of the trees cloaked all in green,
Great trunk, armoured with bark, etched
With age. Still standing. Don’t tell a single soul,
No one knows I’m here, has ever looked up, never
Noticed me.
Explore
From: My Heart Was a Tree by Michael Morpurgo © 2023. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
Strategy Focus
Explore
Strategy: Read Between the Lines
A) What impression do you get of the tree from the poet’s words?
Be a detective and look for clues!
Teach
Let me show you
Reveal Text Marks
So
High am I
That none of
You has ever seen
The very summit and peak of me.
A) What impression do you get of the tree from the poet’s words?
Reveal Explainer
The words 'so high am I' show that the tree is very tall. The words 'summit and peak' suggest that the tree is as tall as a mountain. The poet uses hyperbole to exaggerate the height of the tree by claiming that the top of the tree is beyond human view.
Teach
From: My Heart Was a Tree by Michael Morpurgo © 2023. 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) What impression do you get of the tree from the poet’s words?
B) What words or phrases does the poet use to show the theme of the vulnerability of nature?
Find the answers
Text mark
Explore
Acceptable Answers
Text Mark Evidence - so high am I that none of you has ever seen the very summit and peak of me - another redwood giant - not quite as high as the sky - high as the clouds - I will stand tall, crown in the clouds - no one knows how high
extremely tall
A) What impression do you get of the tree from the poet’s words?
Text Mark Evidence - king of the trees cloaked all in green - I will stand tall, crown in the clouds
grand and majestic
Go to the next slide for more....
Text Mark Evidence armoured with bark
well-protected
Click on the evidence to reveal acceptable answers
Text Mark Evidence - etched with age - as old as the hills - old as any of them (other trees)
ancient and experienced
Practise & Apply
Acceptable Answers
Text Mark Evidence - still standing - no fire has reached me - no wind yet blown me down - no saw has felled me, laid me low
enduring and resilient
A) What impression do you get of the tree from the poet’s words?
Text Mark Evidence no one knows I’m here, has ever looked up, never noticed me
unnoticed or overlooked
Text Mark Evidence but I hear and I fear those echoes, of distant voices, of whining saws that shatter our quiet and peace
fearful
Click on the evidence to reveal acceptable answers
Text Mark Evidence - however tall, we know we can fall - be tree no more, grow no more, be no more here, no more us, no more me
vulnerable
Practise & Apply
Acceptable Answers
Text Mark Evidence don’t tell a single soul…no one knows I’m here
safer while hidden or undiscovered
B) What words or phrases does the poet use to show the theme of the vulnerability of nature?
Text Mark Evidence - no saw has felled me, laid me low, not yet - whining saws that shatter our quiet and our peace
under threat from humans
Text Mark Evidence - however tall, we know we can fall - be tree no more - grow no more - no more us, no more me
can be destroyed despite size and strength
Click on the evidence to reveal acceptable answers
Text Mark Evidence no saw has felled me… not yet
survival is uncertain
Text Mark Evidence when we are gone, you will be none
destroying nature harms humans
Practise & Apply
Quiz Time
Start
Picture Me
Which image is the best match for ‘cloaked’?
Find Me
Find two words which mean ‘highest point’:
So
High am I
That none of
You has ever seen
The very summit and peak of me.
King of the trees cloaked all in green,
Great trunk, armoured with bark, etched
With age. Still standing. Don’t tell a single soul,
No one knows I’m here, has ever looked up, never
Noticed me. But I have heard you, walking by, talking by.
1 Discuss then check
summit
2 Discuss then check
peak
Match Me
Match each word to the correct definition:
3 felled
4 crown
1 armoured
2 etched
A protected
B the top part
C toppled
D engraved
Click if correct
Check
Link Me
Link each poetic feature with the correct example:
A High as the clouds
1 personification
B Be tree no more, grow no more
2 hyperbole
C King of the trees
3 metaphor
Check
Click if correct
D I will stand tall
4 repetition
Feedback: Who did what well?
FindRead Talk
EchoRead
ChoralRead
ReadingStrategy
Answers & Text Marks
Other...
To be a book lover, you could...
notice the sounds.
Reveal
Listen for rhymes, alliteration and other sound effects.
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: My Heart Was a Tree by Michael Morpurgo © 2023 Schools must purchase the original text for full content.
RSRT Y6 L4 My Heart Was a Tree
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Transcript
Ready Steady Read Together
My Heart Was a Tree: 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?
I’m just another trunk too wide to hug, another redwood giant…
How might this extract link to the illustration?
Explore
From: My Heart Was a Tree by Michael Morpurgo © 2023. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
Today's Question(s)
A) What impression do you get of the tree from the poet’s words?
B) What words or phrases does the poet use to show the theme of the vulnerability of nature?
Explore
Let me read today's text
Explore
High as the Clouds
So High am I That none of You has ever seen The very summit and peak of me. King of the trees cloaked all in green, Great trunk, armoured with bark, etched With age. Still standing. Don’t tell a single soul, No one knows I’m here, has ever looked up, never Noticed me. But I have heard you, walking by, talking by. I’m just another trunk too wide to hug, another redwood giant. Not quite as high as the sky. “Old as the hills, that one, high as the clouds,” you say, “Old as any of them.” True. No fire has reached me, no wind yet blown me down.
From: My Heart Was a Tree by Michael Morpurgo © 2023. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
No one knows how high. No saw has felled me, laid me low, not yet. I will stand tall, crown in the clouds, my roots drinking deep, But I hear and I fear those echoes, of distant voices, Of whining saws that shatter our quiet and peace. However tall, we know we can fall, Be tree no more, grow no more. Be no more here, No more us, No more Me. But when we are few, you will be few, and when we are gone, you will be none.
From: My Heart Was a Tree by Michael Morpurgo © 2023. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
Vocabulary
Explore
Hover for definitions!
summit and peak
armoured
cloaked
crown
etched
felled me, laid me low
Explore
From: My Heart Was a Tree by Michael Morpurgo © 2023. 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
summit and peak
Explore
Find Read Talk
So High am I That none of You has ever seen The very summit and peak of me.
Reveal Vocabulary
From: My Heart Was a Tree by Michael Morpurgo © 2023. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
summit and peak
Your turn
cloaked
Find the word or phrase Read the sentence Talk about it to a partner
armoured
etched
felled me, laid me low
crown
Use your text
Explore
Vocabulary Check & Re-read
Explore
High as the Clouds
Reveal Vocabulary
So High am I That none of You has ever seen The very summit and peak of me. King of the trees cloaked all in green, Great trunk, armoured with bark, etched With age. Still standing. Don’t tell a single soul, No one knows I’m here, has ever looked up, never Noticed me. But I have heard you, walking by, talking by. I’m just another trunk too wide to hug, another redwood giant. Not quite as high as the sky. “Old as the hills, that one, high as the clouds,” you say, “Old as any of them.” True. No fire has reached me, no wind yet blown me down.
Explore
From: My Heart Was a Tree by Michael Morpurgo © 2023. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
No one knows how high. No saw has felled me, laid me low, not yet. I will stand tall, crown in the clouds, my roots drinking deep, But I hear and I fear those echoes, of distant voices, Of whining saws that shatter our quiet and peace. However tall, we know we can fall, Be tree no more, grow no more. Be no more here, No more us, No more Me. But when we are few, you will be few, and when we are gone, you will be none.
Reveal Vocabulary
Explore
From: My Heart Was a Tree by Michael Morpurgo © 2023. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
Fluency
Explore
Let me use my reader's voice...
So High am I That none of You has ever seen The very summit and peak of me. King of the trees cloaked all in green, Great trunk, armoured with bark, etched With age. Still standing. Don’t tell a single soul, No one knows I’m here, has ever looked up, never Noticed me.
What did you notice?
Explore
From: My Heart Was a Tree by Michael Morpurgo © 2023. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
My Turn
Your Turn
Echo Read
So High am I
That none of You has ever seen The very summit and peak of me.
King of the trees cloaked all in green,
Great trunk, armoured with bark, etched With age.
Still standing.
Don’t tell a single soul,
No one knows I’m here, has ever looked up, never Noticed me.
Explore
From: My Heart Was a Tree by Michael Morpurgo © 2023. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
Sound like a reader!
Stand up!
Choral Read
So High am I That none of You has ever seen The very summit and peak of me. King of the trees cloaked all in green, Great trunk, armoured with bark, etched With age. Still standing. Don’t tell a single soul, No one knows I’m here, has ever looked up, never Noticed me.
Explore
From: My Heart Was a Tree by Michael Morpurgo © 2023. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
Strategy Focus
Explore
Strategy: Read Between the Lines
A) What impression do you get of the tree from the poet’s words?
Be a detective and look for clues!
Teach
Let me show you
Reveal Text Marks
So High am I That none of You has ever seen The very summit and peak of me.
A) What impression do you get of the tree from the poet’s words?
Reveal Explainer
The words 'so high am I' show that the tree is very tall. The words 'summit and peak' suggest that the tree is as tall as a mountain. The poet uses hyperbole to exaggerate the height of the tree by claiming that the top of the tree is beyond human view.
Teach
From: My Heart Was a Tree by Michael Morpurgo © 2023. 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) What impression do you get of the tree from the poet’s words?
B) What words or phrases does the poet use to show the theme of the vulnerability of nature?
Find the answers
Text mark
Explore
Acceptable Answers
Text Mark Evidence - so high am I that none of you has ever seen the very summit and peak of me - another redwood giant - not quite as high as the sky - high as the clouds - I will stand tall, crown in the clouds - no one knows how high
extremely tall
A) What impression do you get of the tree from the poet’s words?
Text Mark Evidence - king of the trees cloaked all in green - I will stand tall, crown in the clouds
grand and majestic
Go to the next slide for more....
Text Mark Evidence armoured with bark
well-protected
Click on the evidence to reveal acceptable answers
Text Mark Evidence - etched with age - as old as the hills - old as any of them (other trees)
ancient and experienced
Practise & Apply
Acceptable Answers
Text Mark Evidence - still standing - no fire has reached me - no wind yet blown me down - no saw has felled me, laid me low
enduring and resilient
A) What impression do you get of the tree from the poet’s words?
Text Mark Evidence no one knows I’m here, has ever looked up, never noticed me
unnoticed or overlooked
Text Mark Evidence but I hear and I fear those echoes, of distant voices, of whining saws that shatter our quiet and peace
fearful
Click on the evidence to reveal acceptable answers
Text Mark Evidence - however tall, we know we can fall - be tree no more, grow no more, be no more here, no more us, no more me
vulnerable
Practise & Apply
Acceptable Answers
Text Mark Evidence don’t tell a single soul…no one knows I’m here
safer while hidden or undiscovered
B) What words or phrases does the poet use to show the theme of the vulnerability of nature?
Text Mark Evidence - no saw has felled me, laid me low, not yet - whining saws that shatter our quiet and our peace
under threat from humans
Text Mark Evidence - however tall, we know we can fall - be tree no more - grow no more - no more us, no more me
can be destroyed despite size and strength
Click on the evidence to reveal acceptable answers
Text Mark Evidence no saw has felled me… not yet
survival is uncertain
Text Mark Evidence when we are gone, you will be none
destroying nature harms humans
Practise & Apply
Quiz Time
Start
Picture Me
Which image is the best match for ‘cloaked’?
Find Me
Find two words which mean ‘highest point’:
So High am I That none of You has ever seen The very summit and peak of me. King of the trees cloaked all in green, Great trunk, armoured with bark, etched With age. Still standing. Don’t tell a single soul, No one knows I’m here, has ever looked up, never Noticed me. But I have heard you, walking by, talking by.
1 Discuss then check
summit
2 Discuss then check
peak
Match Me
Match each word to the correct definition:
3 felled
4 crown
1 armoured
2 etched
A protected
B the top part
C toppled
D engraved
Click if correct
Check
Link Me
Link each poetic feature with the correct example:
A High as the clouds
1 personification
B Be tree no more, grow no more
2 hyperbole
C King of the trees
3 metaphor
Check
Click if correct
D I will stand tall
4 repetition
Feedback: Who did what well?
FindRead Talk
EchoRead
ChoralRead
ReadingStrategy
Answers & Text Marks
Other...
To be a book lover, you could...
notice the sounds.
Reveal
Listen for rhymes, alliteration and other sound effects.
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: My Heart Was a Tree by Michael Morpurgo © 2023 Schools must purchase the original text for full content.