This resource was inspired by the poetry anthology Words that Burn curated by Josephine Hart of The Poetry Hour, which in turn was inspired by the words of Thomas Gray:

           "Poetry is thoughts that breathe and words that burn."
                                                                                   Thomas Gray

Session plans from Amnesty International which are superb anthologies of poems, speakers, and ways for young and old to reflect on the HMD theme for 2018 which is 'The Power of Words' - see:

https://www.amnesty.org.uk/resources/words-burn-classroom

being heard

In an inspiring documentary, talented spoken-word artists reveal their urge to write. Students explore the right to freedom of expression and create similes and metaphors for freedom after reading a selection of thought-provoking human rights poetry.

being me

On film, Dean Atta shows there are many ways to be a poet. After reading and discussing his poem I Come From, which raises interesting questions about identity, students collaborate to tell their own stories.

freedom

A photo from World War II inspired a famous poem, The Boy With His Hands Up by Yala Korwin. By reading poetry written in response to injustice, students explore how language can be used to make a courageous stand. After looking at human rights law, students write a poem in response to a photograph capturing a human rights violation.

dignity

Students read poems about equality and discrimination – and can watch performances by the poets bringing their words to life. This will inspire them to write a poem from the perspective of someone who has experience hate crime.

power

Throughout history, words and poetry have been used to challenge, protest and inspire change. Students watch Inja perform his poem Freedom and explore poems about race and privilege before creating their own protest poems.

words that burn

Case studies and films show that we all have the power to stand up for human rights through poetry. As an example, three well-known poets take on Amnesty International’s Make a Difference in a Minute challenge – to perform a human rights poem in one minute. Challenge your students to do this too.

https://www.amnesty.org.uk/resources/words-burn-classroom