Inspire poetry about the ‘Sustainable Science’ theme for 2024
From Creative Manchester, in partnership with Great Science Share for Schools, comes a brand new opportunity to share scientific ideas and curiosity.
It’s time again to ignite your pupils’ inner poet!
Sharing science through creative writing is a great way to celebrate literacy and inspire young people to think differently about their scientific questions.
Inspire your pupils!
Three new bespoke videos created by poet, Chad Campbell, are ideal stimulus for your pupils to get writing.
The Time Capsule (5-7 poetry prompt)
One of the cool things that scientists and writers share in common is that they’re both really interested in things in our world that are special and things that can’t be replaced, like pandas, and sunsets, and daffodils.
This first writing prompt is called ‘The Time Capsule’ and it inspires you to imagine your page like a place to put all the things that you really love about our world — as small as a cat or big as a sunset — so that other people can see the special and important things about your world.
Great Poetry Share 5-7, Duration 1 min
This is a chance to think about what you love, what you care about, and to write it down in your own time capsule poem!
Care Instructions (7-11 poetry prompt)
Scientists and writers are really good at helping us to see the things in our world that might need our care and attention: the forests, the oceans, the air we breathe, and of course all the people and creatures who we share the planet with!
For this prompt, ‘Care Instructions’, you are inspired to imagine that the planet — just like your favourite shirt or sweater — needs a set of care instructions. This is a chance to get curious about the things in the world around you that need protecting and to write a poem like a set of care instructions on how to look after those things.
Great Poetry Share 7-11 - Duration 1 min
Giving a Voice (11-14 poetry prompt)
One of the great things that science does is that it can help us to know the world around us really well — and, as a poet once said, we care about what we particularly know. One of the really cool things that poems can do is lend things a voice that might not otherwise have a voice, things that, just like us, want a sustainable world, a world that sustains them.
In this prompt — ‘Giving a Voice’ — you are asked to choose something that doesn’t have voice (or at least not a human voice!) and lend it your own voice for a poem. It could be a creature or an animal, it could be a tree, a forest, an ocean, or a bird.
Great Poetry Share 11-14 - Duration 1 min
Choose something that could use your voice and write a poem about the world that it wants to sustain, the world that it needs!
It’s easy to share!
USE TWITTER AND TAG @GREATSCISHARE AND HASHTAG #GSSFS2024
What next?
If your pupils wish, they can submit their poem to Creative Manchester’s Micropoetry Competition - it’s your choice. The competition is open to all and you do not need to be based in Manchester to enter.
How to enter
To enter the competition, you can submit entries by email to salcnews@manchester.ac.uk. The same competition rules apply for emailed micropoems, so they must be no longer than 280 characters, including spaces and the #micropoem24 hashtag.
Alternatively, post your micropoem on X, including the hashtag #micropoem24.
All poems must be written in English and must reflect the theme. Micropoems that do not have the hashtag #micropoem24 and/or are submitted outside the competition period (17 January to 10 April) will not be considered.
If entering our Under 18 category, please email these to salcnews@manchester.ac.uk and highlight you are submitting for that category.
Now jump to other 2024 Great Science Enrichment Activities
