Polluted
Long gone are the days of untouched nature,
unspoiled by human hands.
What has become of our planet?
Our rivers are crying for help.
Poisoned by discarded wrappers,
dumped and littered with bottles,
contaminated with plastic bags,
abandoned without concern.
Oily, murky waters,
gloomy and tangled with waste,
pungent and polluted.
Wildlife at risk,
unsafe and exposed in their habitats,
confined by danger.
A carpet of hazards,
a menacing monster,
the thief of the natural world.
Careless humans corrupting Earth’s beauty,
interfering with Mother Nature.
The stench of human betrayal.
Our rivers are crying for help.
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Questions
Polluted
1. Which word means the same as ‘dark and dirty’? Tick one.
stench
careless
menacing
murky
2. Which rubbish item is not mentioned in the poem? Tick one.
plastic bags
wrappers
crisp packets
bottles
3. Find and copy a word which means the same as ‘worry’.
4. Fill in the missing word.
unsafe and
in their habitats
5. What are the waters tangled with?
6. Do you think humans will cause less water pollution in the future? Give reasons for
your answer.
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Polluted
7. Why do you think species of wildlife are in danger if there is rubbish in the river?
8.
A carpet of hazards
What impression does this quote give the reader about the river?
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Answers
Polluted
1. Which word means the same as ‘dark and dirty’? Tick one.
stench
careless
menacing
murky
2. Which rubbish item is not mentioned in the poem? Tick one.
plastic bags
wrappers
crisp packets
bottles
3. Find and copy a word which means the same as ‘worry’.
concern
4. Fill in the missing word.
unsafe and exposed in their habitats
5. What are the waters tangled with?
The waters are tangled with waste.
6. Do you think humans will cause less water pollution in the future? Give reasons for
your answer.
Pupils’ own responses, such as: I think humans will cause less water pollution in the
future because people are becoming more aware of recycling and the environment.
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Polluted
7. Why do you think species of wildlife are in danger if there is rubbish in the river?
Pupils’ own responses, such as: I think species of wildlife are in danger if there is
rubbish in the river because an animal could harm themselves on a piece of plastic or
swallow some rubbish.
8.
A carpet of hazards
What impression does this quote give the reader about the river?
Pupils’ own responses, such as: I think that this quote gives the impression that the
river is dangerous and unsafe because of the pollution.
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Polluted
Questions
1. Which word means the same as ‘hazards’? Tick one.
streams
wildlife
dangers
options
2. Draw four lines to match and complete the phrases.
plastic...
waters
untouched...
bags
discarded...
nature
murky...
wrappers
3. Fill in the missing word.
The stench of human
.
4. Give an example of alliteration in the poem.
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Polluted
Find and copy one word that means the same as ‘twisted together’.
6. Our rivers are crying for help.
Why do you think the poet chose to put this line on its own?
7. Who do you think this poem has been written for? Why?
8. What do you think will be the impact on wildlife in the future if river pollution continues
to happen?
9. Summarise the main theme of this poem.
.
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Polluted
Answers
1. Which word means the same as ‘hazards’? Tick one.
streams
wildlife
dangers
options
2. Draw four lines to match and complete the phrases.
plastic...
waters
untouched...
bags
discarded...
nature
murky...
wrappers
3. Fill in the missing word.
The stench of human betrayal.
4. Give an example of alliteration in the poem.
Accept any of the following: human hands; pungent and polluted; menacing monster.
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Polluted
5. Find and copy one word that means the same as ‘twisted together’.
tangled
6. Our rivers are crying for help.
Why do you think the poet chose to put this line on its own?
Pupils’ own responses, such as: I think the poet chose to put this line on its own so that
it stands out and emphasises the point that the rivers need help.
7. Who do you think this poem has been written for? Why?
Pupils’ own responses, such as: I think this poem has been written for young people to
educate them about the environment so that they can grow up to be responsible with
their rubbish.
8. What do you think will be the impact on wildlife in the future if river pollution continues
to happen?
Pupils’ own responses, such as: If river pollution continues to happen, I think that this
will have a negative impact on wildlife. I think that it could harm many animals like
birds, which will get their beaks stuck in plastic bottles. It could lead to the decline of
certain species.
9. Summarise the main theme of this poem.
.
Pupils’ own responses, such as: The main theme of this poem is that many rivers are
polluted and that people need to help protect the planet.
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Questions
Polluted
1. Which word means the same as ‘contaminated’ ? Tick one.
polluted
cleaned
spalshed
travelled
2. Our rivers are crying for help.
What type of literary device is this? Tick one.
simile
personification
metaphor
alliteration
3. Fill in the missing word.
Careless humans
Earth’s beauty
4. Give two examples of items that are thrown in the river.
5. Find and copy one word that means the same as ‘restricted or cramped’.
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Polluted
6.
What has become of our planet?
What impression has the poet created by using the word ‘our’?
7. What impression are we given about how humans can sometimes treat the planet?
8. What do you think needs to happen in the future in order to help keep the rivers free
from plastic?
9. Summarise the theme of this poem in 30 words or fewer.
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The River
10. Compare the differences in the vocabulary used in the first stanza compared to the
last stanzas.
What impression does this create for the reader?
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Answers
Polluted
1. Which word means the same as ‘contaminated’ ? Tick one.
polluted
cleaned
spalshed
travelled
2. Our rivers are crying for help.
What type of literary device is this? Tick one.
simile
personification
metaphor
alliteration
3. Fill in the missing word.
Careless humans corrupting Earth’s beauty
4. Give two examples of items that are thrown in the river.
Accept any two of the following: wrappers; bottles; plastic bags.
5. Find and copy one word that means the same as ‘restricted or cramped’.
confined
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Polluted
6.
What has become of our planet?
What impression has the poet created by using the word ‘our’?
Pupils’ own responses, such as: I think the poet has used the word ‘our’ to create
the impression that it is our responsibility to help the planet and we all need to take
care of it.
7. What impression are we given about how humans can sometimes treat the planet?
Pupils’ own responses, such as: The impression we are given is that humans can
sometimes treat the planet in a negative way. I think this because of the vocabulary
used such as, ‘human betrayal’ and ‘careless’.
8. What do you think needs to happen in the future in order to help keep the rivers free
from plastic?
Pupils’ own responses, such as: I think that there should be large fines given to people
who put plastic into the rivers to try and deter them from polluting them in the future.
9. Summarise the theme of this poem in 30 words or fewer.
Pupils’ own responses, such as: The poem is about the pollution in rivers that has been
caused by humans putting plastic in the water and how we need to take responsibility
for the planet.
10. Compare the differences in the vocabulary used in the first stanza compared to the
last stanzas.
What impression does this create for the reader?
Pupils’ own responses, such as: In the first stanza, the poet uses the phrase ‘unspoiled
by human hands’ which shows how the environment was respected by people. In the
final stanzas, it gives the impression that humans have caused damage to the planet by
the choice of words, such as ‘careless’ and ‘interfering’.
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