Ready Steady Read Together
Pocket Book of Pocket Poems: 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?
He gobbled worms and sang joyously at the sun’s rising.
How might this extract link to the illustration?
Explore
From: Pocket Book of Pocket Poems by A. F. Harrold © 2025. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
Today's Question(s)
A) Name three features of birds which captivated Simon.
B) What did Simon do to try to copy birds?
C) What went wrong for Simon?
D) Why are seagulls described as ‘smart’?
Explore
Let me read today's text
Follow as I read
Explore
Birdlife
Impressed
by their singing
their feathers
and their flying
Simon climbed
his garden’s tree
and built a nest
in the branches.
He gobbled worms
and sang joyously
at the sun’s rising.
He flew arms out with enthusiastic
amounts of flapping.
Nevertheless
featherless he fell
and, caught by the cat,
that was that.
From: Pocket Book of Pocket Poems by A. F. Harrold © 2025. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
Seagulls are Smart
Seagulls in sou’westers
are standing by the shore.
They look like they’re waiting
but they won’t say what for.
I spend so long watching
I get drenched by the rain.
Then the reason for the waterproofs
becomes plain.
From: Pocket Book of Pocket Poems by A. F. Harrold © 2025. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
Vocabulary
Explore
Hover for definitions!
impressed
sou’westers
nevertheless
drenched
waterproofs
plain
Explore
From: Pocket Book of Pocket Poems by A. F. Harrold © 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
impressed
Explore
Find Read Talk
Birdlife
Impressed
by their singing
their feathers
and their flying
Simon climbed
his garden’s tree
and built a nest
in the branches.
Reveal Vocabulary
From: Pocket Book of Pocket Poems by A. F. Harrold © 2025. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
impressed
Your turn
nevertheless
Find the word or phrase Read the sentence Talk about it to a partner
sou’westers
drenched
waterproofs
plain
Use your text
Explore
Vocabulary Check & Re-read
Explore
Reveal Vocabulary
Birdlife
Impressed
by their singing
their feathers
and their flying
Simon climbed
his garden’s tree
and built a nest
in the branches.
He gobbled worms
and sang joyously
at the sun’s rising.
He flew arms out with enthusiastic
amounts of flapping.
Nevertheless
featherless he fell
and, caught by the cat,
that was that.
Explore
From: Pocket Book of Pocket Poems by A. F. Harrold © 2025. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
Reveal Vocabulary
Seagulls are Smart
Seagulls in sou’westers
are standing by the shore.
They look like they’re waiting
but they won’t say what for.
I spend so long watching
I get drenched by the rain.
Then the reason for the waterproofs
becomes plain.
Explore
From: Pocket Book of Pocket Poems by A. F. Harrold © 2025. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
Fluency
Explore
Let me use my reader's voice...
Seagulls in sou’westers
are standing by the shore.
They look like they’re waiting
but they won’t say what for.
I spend so long watching
I get drenched by the rain.
Then the reason for the waterproofs
becomes plain.
What did you notice?
Volume
Pace
Smoothness
Phrasing
Expression
Explore
From: Pocket Book of Pocket Poems by A. F. Harrold © 2025. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
My Turn
Your Turn
Echo Read
Seagulls in sou’westers
are standing by the shore.
They look like they’re waiting
but they won’t say what for.
I spend so long watching
I get drenched by the rain.
Then the reason for the waterproofs
becomes plain.
Explore
From: Pocket Book of Pocket Poems by A. F. Harrold © 2025. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
Sound like a reader!
Stand up!
Choral Read
Seagulls in sou’westers
are standing by the shore.
They look like they’re waiting
but they won’t say what for.
I spend so long watching
I get drenched by the rain.
Then the reason for the waterproofs
becomes plain.
Explore
From: Pocket Book of Pocket Poems by A. F. Harrold © 2025. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
Strategy Focus
Explore
Strategy: Look Around & Find and Take
Be a word thief and steal what you've been asked to find...
A) Name three features of birds which captivated Simon.
What's the question asking? Now, what are you looking for?
Let me show you
Reveal Text Marks
Impressed by their singing their feathers and their flying...
A) Name three features of birds which captivated Simon.
Reveal Explainer
This suggests that birds’ singing ability was one of the qualities of birds which Simon found interesting.
Teach
From: Pocket Book of Pocket Poems by A. F. Harrold © 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) Name three features of birds which captivated Simon.
B) What did Simon do to try to copy birds?
C) What went wrong for Simon?
D) Why are seagulls described as ‘smart’?
Pairedreading first
Find the answers
Text mark
Explore
Acceptable Answers
A) Name three features of birds which captivated Simon.
Text Mark Evidence their feathers
Text Mark Evidence their flying
Click on the evidence to reveal acceptable answers
Practise & Apply
Acceptable Answers
Text Mark Evidence built a nest in the branches
B) What did Simon do to try to copy birds?
Text Mark Evidence gobbled worms
Text Mark Evidence sang joyously at the sun’s rising
Text Mark Evidence he flew arms out with enthusiastic amounts of flapping
tried to fly
Click on the evidence to reveal acceptable answers
Practise & Apply
Acceptable Answers
Text Mark Evidence featherless he fell
couldn’t fly / fell
C) What went wrong for Simon?
Text Mark Evidence caught by the cat, that was that
became prey
Click on the evidence to reveal acceptable answers
Practise & Apply
Acceptable Answers
Text Mark Evidence seagulls in sou’westers
playfully suggests the seagulls are smartly dressed
D) Why are seagulls described as ‘smart’?
stay dry while the observer gets wet
Text Mark Evidence seagulls in sou’westers…I get drenched by the rain
Text Mark Evidence the reason for the waterproofs becomes plain
well-equipped for the rain
Click on the evidence to reveal acceptable answers
Practise & Apply
Quiz Time
Start
Picture Me
Which image is the best match for ‘sou’wester’?
Find Me
Find and copy two words which suggest Simon is enjoying pretending to be a bird:
He gobbled worms
and sang joyously
at the sun’s rising.
He flew arms out
with enthusiastic
amounts of flapping.
1 Discuss then check
joyously
2 Discuss then check
enthusiastic
Sequence Me
Put the events from Birdlife in the correct order:
A) Simon built a nest in the branches.
B) Simon climbed a tree.
C) Simon fell out of the tree as he was featherless.
D) Simon flapped his arms enthusiastically.
Click if correct
Check
Fill the Gaps
waterproofs
drenched
plain
I spend so long watching
I get by the rain.
Then the reason for the becomes .
Discuss then check
Click if correct
Feedback: Who did what well?
FindRead Talk
EchoRead
ChoralRead
ReadingStrategy
Answers & Text Marks
Other...
To be a book lover, you could...
use a bookmark.
Reveal
Never fold pages - use a fun bookmark instead!
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: Pocket Book of Pocket Poems by A. F. Harrold © 2025 Schools must purchase the original text for full content.
drenched
waterproofs
plain
RSRT Y4 L4 Pocket Book of Pocket Poems
Literacy Counts
Created on March 19, 2026
Start designing with a free template
Discover more than 1500 professional designs like these:
View
Mind Map: The 4 Pillars of Success
View
Big Data: The Data That Drives the World
View
Momentum: Onboarding Presentation
View
Urban Illustrated Presentation
View
3D Corporate Reporting
View
Discover Your AI Assistant
View
Vision Board
Explore all templates
Transcript
Ready Steady Read Together
Pocket Book of Pocket Poems: 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?
He gobbled worms and sang joyously at the sun’s rising.
How might this extract link to the illustration?
Explore
From: Pocket Book of Pocket Poems by A. F. Harrold © 2025. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
Today's Question(s)
A) Name three features of birds which captivated Simon.
B) What did Simon do to try to copy birds?
C) What went wrong for Simon?
D) Why are seagulls described as ‘smart’?
Explore
Let me read today's text
Follow as I read
Explore
Birdlife
Impressed by their singing their feathers and their flying Simon climbed his garden’s tree and built a nest in the branches. He gobbled worms and sang joyously at the sun’s rising.
He flew arms out with enthusiastic amounts of flapping. Nevertheless featherless he fell and, caught by the cat, that was that.
From: Pocket Book of Pocket Poems by A. F. Harrold © 2025. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
Seagulls are Smart
Seagulls in sou’westers are standing by the shore. They look like they’re waiting but they won’t say what for. I spend so long watching I get drenched by the rain. Then the reason for the waterproofs becomes plain.
From: Pocket Book of Pocket Poems by A. F. Harrold © 2025. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
Vocabulary
Explore
Hover for definitions!
impressed
sou’westers
nevertheless
drenched
waterproofs
plain
Explore
From: Pocket Book of Pocket Poems by A. F. Harrold © 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
impressed
Explore
Find Read Talk
Birdlife
Impressed by their singing their feathers and their flying Simon climbed his garden’s tree and built a nest in the branches.
Reveal Vocabulary
From: Pocket Book of Pocket Poems by A. F. Harrold © 2025. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
impressed
Your turn
nevertheless
Find the word or phrase Read the sentence Talk about it to a partner
sou’westers
drenched
waterproofs
plain
Use your text
Explore
Vocabulary Check & Re-read
Explore
Reveal Vocabulary
Birdlife
Impressed by their singing their feathers and their flying Simon climbed his garden’s tree and built a nest in the branches. He gobbled worms and sang joyously at the sun’s rising.
He flew arms out with enthusiastic amounts of flapping. Nevertheless featherless he fell and, caught by the cat, that was that.
Explore
From: Pocket Book of Pocket Poems by A. F. Harrold © 2025. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
Reveal Vocabulary
Seagulls are Smart
Seagulls in sou’westers are standing by the shore. They look like they’re waiting but they won’t say what for. I spend so long watching I get drenched by the rain. Then the reason for the waterproofs becomes plain.
Explore
From: Pocket Book of Pocket Poems by A. F. Harrold © 2025. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
Fluency
Explore
Let me use my reader's voice...
Seagulls in sou’westers are standing by the shore. They look like they’re waiting but they won’t say what for. I spend so long watching I get drenched by the rain. Then the reason for the waterproofs becomes plain.
What did you notice?
Volume
Pace
Smoothness
Phrasing
Expression
Explore
From: Pocket Book of Pocket Poems by A. F. Harrold © 2025. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
My Turn
Your Turn
Echo Read
Seagulls in sou’westers are standing by the shore.
They look like they’re waiting but they won’t say what for.
I spend so long watching I get drenched by the rain.
Then the reason for the waterproofs becomes plain.
Explore
From: Pocket Book of Pocket Poems by A. F. Harrold © 2025. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
Sound like a reader!
Stand up!
Choral Read
Seagulls in sou’westers are standing by the shore. They look like they’re waiting but they won’t say what for. I spend so long watching I get drenched by the rain. Then the reason for the waterproofs becomes plain.
Explore
From: Pocket Book of Pocket Poems by A. F. Harrold © 2025. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
Strategy Focus
Explore
Strategy: Look Around & Find and Take
Be a word thief and steal what you've been asked to find...
A) Name three features of birds which captivated Simon.
What's the question asking? Now, what are you looking for?
Let me show you
Reveal Text Marks
Impressed by their singing their feathers and their flying...
A) Name three features of birds which captivated Simon.
Reveal Explainer
This suggests that birds’ singing ability was one of the qualities of birds which Simon found interesting.
Teach
From: Pocket Book of Pocket Poems by A. F. Harrold © 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) Name three features of birds which captivated Simon.
B) What did Simon do to try to copy birds?
C) What went wrong for Simon?
D) Why are seagulls described as ‘smart’?
Pairedreading first
Find the answers
Text mark
Explore
Acceptable Answers
A) Name three features of birds which captivated Simon.
Text Mark Evidence their feathers
Text Mark Evidence their flying
Click on the evidence to reveal acceptable answers
Practise & Apply
Acceptable Answers
Text Mark Evidence built a nest in the branches
B) What did Simon do to try to copy birds?
Text Mark Evidence gobbled worms
Text Mark Evidence sang joyously at the sun’s rising
Text Mark Evidence he flew arms out with enthusiastic amounts of flapping
tried to fly
Click on the evidence to reveal acceptable answers
Practise & Apply
Acceptable Answers
Text Mark Evidence featherless he fell
couldn’t fly / fell
C) What went wrong for Simon?
Text Mark Evidence caught by the cat, that was that
became prey
Click on the evidence to reveal acceptable answers
Practise & Apply
Acceptable Answers
Text Mark Evidence seagulls in sou’westers
playfully suggests the seagulls are smartly dressed
D) Why are seagulls described as ‘smart’?
stay dry while the observer gets wet
Text Mark Evidence seagulls in sou’westers…I get drenched by the rain
Text Mark Evidence the reason for the waterproofs becomes plain
well-equipped for the rain
Click on the evidence to reveal acceptable answers
Practise & Apply
Quiz Time
Start
Picture Me
Which image is the best match for ‘sou’wester’?
Find Me
Find and copy two words which suggest Simon is enjoying pretending to be a bird:
He gobbled worms and sang joyously at the sun’s rising. He flew arms out with enthusiastic amounts of flapping.
1 Discuss then check
joyously
2 Discuss then check
enthusiastic
Sequence Me
Put the events from Birdlife in the correct order:
A) Simon built a nest in the branches.
B) Simon climbed a tree.
C) Simon fell out of the tree as he was featherless.
D) Simon flapped his arms enthusiastically.
Click if correct
Check
Fill the Gaps
waterproofs
drenched
plain
I spend so long watching I get by the rain. Then the reason for the becomes .
Discuss then check
Click if correct
Feedback: Who did what well?
FindRead Talk
EchoRead
ChoralRead
ReadingStrategy
Answers & Text Marks
Other...
To be a book lover, you could...
use a bookmark.
Reveal
Never fold pages - use a fun bookmark instead!
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: Pocket Book of Pocket Poems by A. F. Harrold © 2025 Schools must purchase the original text for full content.
drenched
waterproofs
plain