Some tips and hints on writing poetry:

• Be observant. Use all your senses to experience the way time, space and energy affect the world around you.

• Use your imagination. Don’t be afraid to dream of a different sort of world. Don’t forget to use all your imaginary senses in your imaginary world.

• Ask yourself questions. What if? Why? What does it mean?

• Think about your own feelings. How do they connect with your subject?

• Try connecting up the big world with the small world – the whole universe with your own life.

• If you find yourself thinking crazy thoughts, follow them and see where they lead.

• Try and find words that say thing clearly. Play around with the choice and order of the words until it feels right.

• Read it out loud. Listen very carefully to the sounds the words make. Play around with the words some more until you like the way it sounds.

• Relax. Don’t worry. Have fun.

Further information and inspiration can be found at:

The Association for Science Education produces the Star* project pack – science poems by Michael Rosen, as well as other poetry books, including children’s poems from their science poetry competition.

The Science Museum's Education team has produced a variety of printed publications including posters and teacher's notes. 

The British Council’s learn english web pages have a good selection of science poems and links.

Support advice and ideas for teaching poetry in schools is available from the Poetry Society’s poetry class project.

There is an excellent selection of almost 200 poems with scientific themes at FirstScience.com.