Ready Steady Read Together
A Child's Garden of Verses: Poetry Lesson 1
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?
Let the sofa be mountains, let the carpet be sea.
How might this extract link to the illustration?
Explore
From: A Child’s Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson originally published in 1885. Public Domain applies.
Today's Question(s)
A) Summarise each verse into one or two sentences.
B) How do we know the town made out of blocks is important to the child?
Explore
Let me read today's text
Explore
Block City
What are you able to build with your blocks?
Castles and palaces, temples and docks.
Rain may keep raining, and others go roam,
But I can be happy and building at home.
Let the sofa be mountains, the carpet be sea,
There I’ll establish a city for me:
A kirk and a mill and a palace beside,
And a harbour as well where my vessels may ride.
Great is the palace with pillar and wall,
A sort of tower on the top of it all,
And steps coming down in an orderly way
To where my toy vessels lie safe in the bay.
From: A Child’s Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson originally published in 1885. Public Domain applies.
This one is sailing and that one is moored: Hark to the song of the sailors on board!
And see on the steps of my palace, the kings
Coming and going with presents and things!
Now I have done with it, down let it go!
All in a moment the town is laid low.
Block upon block lying scattered and free,
What is there left of my town by the sea?
Yet as I saw it, I see it again,
The kirk and the palace, the ships and the men,
And as long as I live, and where’er I may be,
I’ll always remember my town by the sea.
From: A Child’s Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson originally published in 1885. Public Domain applies.
Vocabulary
Explore
Hover for definitions!
establish
harbour
a kirk and a mill
vessels
moored
laid low
Explore
From: A Child’s Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson originally published in 1885. Public Domain applies.
I will model the first.
Find the word or phrase Read the sentence Talk about it to a partner
establish
Explore
Find Read Talk
Let the sofa be mountains, the carpet be sea, There I’ll establish a city for me:
A kirk and a mill and a palace beside,
And a harbour as well where my vessels may ride.
Reveal Vocabulary
From: A Child’s Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson originally published in 1885. Public Domain applies.
establish
Your turn
a kirk and a mill
Find the word or phrase Read the sentence Talk about it to a partner
harbour
vessels
moored
laid low
Use your text
Explore
Vocabulary Check & Re-read
Explore
Reveal Vocabulary
Block City
What are you able to build with your blocks?
Castles and palaces, temples and docks.
Rain may keep raining, and others go roam,
But I can be happy and building at home.
Let the sofa be mountains, the carpet be sea,
There I’ll establish a city for me:
A kirk and a mill and a palace beside,
And a harbour as well where my vessels may ride.
Great is the palace with pillar and wall,
A sort of tower on the top of it all,
And steps coming down in an orderly way
To where my toy vessels lie safe in the bay.
Explore
From: A Child’s Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson originally published in 1885. Public Domain applies.
Reveal Vocabulary
This one is sailing and that one is moored: Hark to the song of the sailors on board!
And see on the steps of my palace, the kings
Coming and going with presents and things!
Now I have done with it, down let it go!
All in a moment the town is laid low.
Block upon block lying scattered and free,
What is there left of my town by the sea?
Yet as I saw it, I see it again,
The kirk and the palace, the ships and the men,
And as long as I live, and where’er I may be,
I’ll always remember my town by the sea.
Explore
From: A Child’s Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson originally published in 1885. Public Domain applies.
Fluency
Explore
Let me use my reader's voice...
Now I have done with it, down let it go!
All in a moment the town is laid low.
Block upon block lying scattered and free,
What is there left of my town by the sea?
Yet as I saw it, I see it again,
The kirk and the palace, the ships and the men,
And as long as I live, and where’er I may be,
I’ll always remember my town by the sea.
What did you notice?
Volume
Pace
Smoothness
Phrasing
Expression
Explore
From: A Child’s Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson originally published in 1885. Public Domain applies.
My Turn
Your Turn
Echo Read
Now I have done with it, down let it go!
All in a moment the town is laid low.
Block upon block lying scattered and free,
What is there left of my town by the sea?
Yet as I saw it, I see it again,
The kirk and the palace, the ships and the men,
And as long as I live, and where’er I may be,
I’ll always remember my town by the sea.
Explore
From: A Child’s Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson originally published in 1885. Public Domain applies.
Sound like a reader!
Stand up!
Choral Read
Now I have done with it, down let it go!
All in a moment the town is laid low.
Block upon block lying scattered and free,
What is there left of my town by the sea?
Yet as I saw it, I see it again,
The kirk and the palace, the ships and the men,
And as long as I live, and where’er I may be,
I’ll always remember my town by the sea.
Explore
From: A Child’s Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson originally published in 1885. Public Domain applies.
Strategy Focus
Explore
Strategy: Main Point
A) Summarise each verse into one or two sentences.
What's the main idea of the text?
Teach
Let me show you
Reveal Text Marks
What are you able to build with your blocks?
Castles and palaces, temples and docks.
Rain may keep raining, and others go roam,
But I can be happy and building at home.
Reveal Explainer
The poet can be happy building with his blocks at home, even if it is raining or people go out to venture. He can create many different structures using his toy blocks.
A) Summarise each verse into one or two sentences.
Teach
From: A Child’s Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson originally published in 1885. Public Domain applies.
Strategy Stop
What else could you use to answer today's question(s)?
Teach
Your Turn
A) Summarise each verse into one or two sentences.
B) How do we know the town made out of blocks is important to the child?
Find the answers
Text mark
Explore
Acceptable Answers
Verse 2
Let the sofa be mountains, the carpet be sea,
There I’ll establish a city for me:
A kirk and a mill and a palace beside,
And a harbour as well where my vessels may ride.
Reveal Main Point
The poet uses ordinary, everyday objects to imagine a town and a sea as the setting for the buildings he creates, including a harbour for his toy ships.
Practise & Apply
Acceptable Answers
Verse 3
Great is the palace with pillar and wall,
A sort of tower on the top of it all,
And steps coming down in an orderly way
To where my toy vessels lie safe in the bay.
Reveal Main Point
The palace is grand and tall, with pillars, a tower and steps leading down to where he keeps his ships.
Practise & Apply
Acceptable Answers
Verse 4
This one is sailing and that one is moored:
Hark to the song of the sailors on board!
And see on the steps of my palace, the kings
Coming and going with presents and things!
Reveal Main Point
The poet brings the scene to his life with his imagination with the sounds of singing sailors on sailing boats while other boats are tied up. He imagines kings visiting the palace, bringing presents.
Practise & Apply
Acceptable Answers
Verse 5
Now I have done with it, down let it go!
All in a moment the town is laid low.
Block upon block lying scattered and free,
What is there left of my town by the sea?
Reveal Main Point
When the poet is finished playing, he knocks the whole town down and the blacks fall everywhere.
Practise & Apply
Acceptable Answers
Verse 6
Yet as I saw it, I see it again,
The kirk and the palace, the ships and the men,
And as long as I live, and where’er I may be,
I’ll always remember my town by the sea.
Reveal Main Point
Even though the town is gone, the poet can still see it clearly in his imagination and knows he will always remember it.
Practise & Apply
Acceptable Answers
Text Mark Evidence rain may keep raining, and others go roam, but I can be happy building at home
the child prefers building with blocks to other activities
B) How do we know the town made out of blocks is important to the child?
Text Mark Evidence - yet as I saw it (the town built from blocks), I see it again - as long as I live, and where’er I may be, I’ll always remember my town by the sea
the town stays vivid in the child’s memory
Click on the evidence to reveal acceptable answers
Practise & Apply
Quiz Time
Start
Picture Me
Which image is the best match for ‘moored’?
Tick Me
Which statement best summarises the message of the poem?
Tick one:
A) The poem explains the importance of using sturdy blocks to make strong buildings.
B) The poem says that a town should be well-designed with access for shipping goods.
Check
C) The poem recounts the time the king visited a real seaside town.
Click if correct
D) The poem suggests imagination can turn ordinary things into something magical.
Which One's Right?
Let the sofa be mountains, the carpet be sea,
There I’ll establish a city for me...
Which word is closest in meaning to ‘establish’?
A) visit
B) create
D) place
C) imagine
Link Me
Link each word with its correct definition:
Check
A) a church
1) kirk
Click if correct
B) ships or large boats
2) mill
C) a building where flour is made from grain
3) harbour
D) a place for ships to moor, safe from waves
4) vessels
Feedback: Who did what well?
FindRead Talk
EchoRead
ChoralRead
ReadingStrategy
Answers & Text Marks
Other...
To be a book lover, you could...
celebrate your reading.
Reveal
Make a list of the books you've read and celebrate milestones.
RSRT Y6 L1 A Child's Garden of Verses
Literacy Counts
Created on February 13, 2026
Start designing with a free template
Discover more than 1500 professional designs like these:
View
Essential Business Proposal
View
Project Roadmap Timeline
View
Step-by-Step Timeline: How to Develop an Idea
View
Artificial Intelligence History Timeline
View
Magazine dossier
View
Microlearning: Graphic Design
View
Microlearning: Enhance Your Wellness and Reduce Stress
Explore all templates
Transcript
Ready Steady Read Together
A Child's Garden of Verses: Poetry Lesson 1
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?
Let the sofa be mountains, let the carpet be sea.
How might this extract link to the illustration?
Explore
From: A Child’s Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson originally published in 1885. Public Domain applies.
Today's Question(s)
A) Summarise each verse into one or two sentences.
B) How do we know the town made out of blocks is important to the child?
Explore
Let me read today's text
Explore
Block City
What are you able to build with your blocks? Castles and palaces, temples and docks. Rain may keep raining, and others go roam, But I can be happy and building at home. Let the sofa be mountains, the carpet be sea, There I’ll establish a city for me: A kirk and a mill and a palace beside, And a harbour as well where my vessels may ride. Great is the palace with pillar and wall, A sort of tower on the top of it all, And steps coming down in an orderly way To where my toy vessels lie safe in the bay.
From: A Child’s Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson originally published in 1885. Public Domain applies.
This one is sailing and that one is moored: Hark to the song of the sailors on board! And see on the steps of my palace, the kings Coming and going with presents and things! Now I have done with it, down let it go! All in a moment the town is laid low. Block upon block lying scattered and free, What is there left of my town by the sea? Yet as I saw it, I see it again, The kirk and the palace, the ships and the men, And as long as I live, and where’er I may be, I’ll always remember my town by the sea.
From: A Child’s Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson originally published in 1885. Public Domain applies.
Vocabulary
Explore
Hover for definitions!
establish
harbour
a kirk and a mill
vessels
moored
laid low
Explore
From: A Child’s Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson originally published in 1885. Public Domain applies.
I will model the first.
Find the word or phrase Read the sentence Talk about it to a partner
establish
Explore
Find Read Talk
Let the sofa be mountains, the carpet be sea, There I’ll establish a city for me: A kirk and a mill and a palace beside, And a harbour as well where my vessels may ride.
Reveal Vocabulary
From: A Child’s Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson originally published in 1885. Public Domain applies.
establish
Your turn
a kirk and a mill
Find the word or phrase Read the sentence Talk about it to a partner
harbour
vessels
moored
laid low
Use your text
Explore
Vocabulary Check & Re-read
Explore
Reveal Vocabulary
Block City
What are you able to build with your blocks? Castles and palaces, temples and docks. Rain may keep raining, and others go roam, But I can be happy and building at home. Let the sofa be mountains, the carpet be sea, There I’ll establish a city for me: A kirk and a mill and a palace beside, And a harbour as well where my vessels may ride. Great is the palace with pillar and wall, A sort of tower on the top of it all, And steps coming down in an orderly way To where my toy vessels lie safe in the bay.
Explore
From: A Child’s Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson originally published in 1885. Public Domain applies.
Reveal Vocabulary
This one is sailing and that one is moored: Hark to the song of the sailors on board! And see on the steps of my palace, the kings Coming and going with presents and things! Now I have done with it, down let it go! All in a moment the town is laid low. Block upon block lying scattered and free, What is there left of my town by the sea? Yet as I saw it, I see it again, The kirk and the palace, the ships and the men, And as long as I live, and where’er I may be, I’ll always remember my town by the sea.
Explore
From: A Child’s Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson originally published in 1885. Public Domain applies.
Fluency
Explore
Let me use my reader's voice...
Now I have done with it, down let it go! All in a moment the town is laid low. Block upon block lying scattered and free, What is there left of my town by the sea? Yet as I saw it, I see it again, The kirk and the palace, the ships and the men, And as long as I live, and where’er I may be, I’ll always remember my town by the sea.
What did you notice?
Volume
Pace
Smoothness
Phrasing
Expression
Explore
From: A Child’s Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson originally published in 1885. Public Domain applies.
My Turn
Your Turn
Echo Read
Now I have done with it, down let it go!
All in a moment the town is laid low.
Block upon block lying scattered and free,
What is there left of my town by the sea?
Yet as I saw it, I see it again,
The kirk and the palace, the ships and the men,
And as long as I live, and where’er I may be,
I’ll always remember my town by the sea.
Explore
From: A Child’s Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson originally published in 1885. Public Domain applies.
Sound like a reader!
Stand up!
Choral Read
Now I have done with it, down let it go! All in a moment the town is laid low. Block upon block lying scattered and free, What is there left of my town by the sea? Yet as I saw it, I see it again, The kirk and the palace, the ships and the men, And as long as I live, and where’er I may be, I’ll always remember my town by the sea.
Explore
From: A Child’s Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson originally published in 1885. Public Domain applies.
Strategy Focus
Explore
Strategy: Main Point
A) Summarise each verse into one or two sentences.
What's the main idea of the text?
Teach
Let me show you
Reveal Text Marks
What are you able to build with your blocks? Castles and palaces, temples and docks. Rain may keep raining, and others go roam, But I can be happy and building at home.
Reveal Explainer
The poet can be happy building with his blocks at home, even if it is raining or people go out to venture. He can create many different structures using his toy blocks.
A) Summarise each verse into one or two sentences.
Teach
From: A Child’s Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson originally published in 1885. Public Domain applies.
Strategy Stop
What else could you use to answer today's question(s)?
Teach
Your Turn
A) Summarise each verse into one or two sentences.
B) How do we know the town made out of blocks is important to the child?
Find the answers
Text mark
Explore
Acceptable Answers
Verse 2
Let the sofa be mountains, the carpet be sea, There I’ll establish a city for me: A kirk and a mill and a palace beside, And a harbour as well where my vessels may ride.
Reveal Main Point
The poet uses ordinary, everyday objects to imagine a town and a sea as the setting for the buildings he creates, including a harbour for his toy ships.
Practise & Apply
Acceptable Answers
Verse 3
Great is the palace with pillar and wall, A sort of tower on the top of it all, And steps coming down in an orderly way To where my toy vessels lie safe in the bay.
Reveal Main Point
The palace is grand and tall, with pillars, a tower and steps leading down to where he keeps his ships.
Practise & Apply
Acceptable Answers
Verse 4
This one is sailing and that one is moored: Hark to the song of the sailors on board! And see on the steps of my palace, the kings Coming and going with presents and things!
Reveal Main Point
The poet brings the scene to his life with his imagination with the sounds of singing sailors on sailing boats while other boats are tied up. He imagines kings visiting the palace, bringing presents.
Practise & Apply
Acceptable Answers
Verse 5
Now I have done with it, down let it go! All in a moment the town is laid low. Block upon block lying scattered and free, What is there left of my town by the sea?
Reveal Main Point
When the poet is finished playing, he knocks the whole town down and the blacks fall everywhere.
Practise & Apply
Acceptable Answers
Verse 6
Yet as I saw it, I see it again, The kirk and the palace, the ships and the men, And as long as I live, and where’er I may be, I’ll always remember my town by the sea.
Reveal Main Point
Even though the town is gone, the poet can still see it clearly in his imagination and knows he will always remember it.
Practise & Apply
Acceptable Answers
Text Mark Evidence rain may keep raining, and others go roam, but I can be happy building at home
the child prefers building with blocks to other activities
B) How do we know the town made out of blocks is important to the child?
Text Mark Evidence - yet as I saw it (the town built from blocks), I see it again - as long as I live, and where’er I may be, I’ll always remember my town by the sea
the town stays vivid in the child’s memory
Click on the evidence to reveal acceptable answers
Practise & Apply
Quiz Time
Start
Picture Me
Which image is the best match for ‘moored’?
Tick Me
Which statement best summarises the message of the poem?
Tick one:
A) The poem explains the importance of using sturdy blocks to make strong buildings.
B) The poem says that a town should be well-designed with access for shipping goods.
Check
C) The poem recounts the time the king visited a real seaside town.
Click if correct
D) The poem suggests imagination can turn ordinary things into something magical.
Which One's Right?
Let the sofa be mountains, the carpet be sea, There I’ll establish a city for me...
Which word is closest in meaning to ‘establish’?
A) visit
B) create
D) place
C) imagine
Link Me
Link each word with its correct definition:
Check
A) a church
1) kirk
Click if correct
B) ships or large boats
2) mill
C) a building where flour is made from grain
3) harbour
D) a place for ships to moor, safe from waves
4) vessels
Feedback: Who did what well?
FindRead Talk
EchoRead
ChoralRead
ReadingStrategy
Answers & Text Marks
Other...
To be a book lover, you could...
celebrate your reading.
Reveal
Make a list of the books you've read and celebrate milestones.