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teachwire.net/secondary

The aim of this lesson is introduce students to the basic

techniques for analysing poetry and hopefully, get them

interested in studying it! Students will learn key skills

such as the ability to embed quotations and identify layers

of meaning within a text. They should also be able to

identify the viewpoint of the writer and apply criticism.

The poetry of Maya Angelou, Wilfred Owen and Carol Ann

Duffy gives students a variety of poetic styles and allows

them to develop their preferences and opinions.

Use a variety of verse to keep KS3 students keen as they learn key analysis skills

POETRY, PLEASE!

WHY

TEACH THIS?

Students will need to analyse language at GCSE.

This lesson using a variety of interesting

and different poetry is a great introduction to this

vital skill.

MAIN ACTIVITIES

Lesson plan: English KS3

DISCOVER

7 of the best poetry analysis resources

for KS3 at

teachwire.net/poetry7

KEY CURRICULUM LINKS

+ How to select evidence from a poem

+ To explore poetic devices and their effect

+ How to structure an answer using PEE

STARTER ACTIVITY Start off the lesson with a tarsia puzzle. Split the class into pairs or small groups and ask students to match up a selection of poetic devices with their definition e.g. simile, metaphor, imagery etc. Children always enjoy completing these puzzles and it’s a great introduction to the key terminology they’ll be using in the rest of the lesson. This should take about ten minutes with one minute left for students to discuss which devices they would expect to see used in poetry, and why.

The Dragon of DeathAs a class read though the

poem The Dragon of Death

(Jack Prelutsky), or even

better, ask a student to

read it. From completing

the tarsia puzzle students

should be able to pick out

a poetic device that the

author has used in the

poem. For younger or less

able students they can use

the definitions from earlier in the lesson to help. More

able students should be able

to recall these without any

additional prompts. Next to

the line that students have

picked out ask them to write

down what the words show.

PEE on the pageNow students can spot the

techniques a writer has

used, the next step is learn

how to write their findings

in an articulate and well

considered paragraph. The

best way to do this is to

remind students that when

it comes to structuring an

answer to a question they

need to PEE on the page!

Point: Your answer

to a question

Evidence: A quotation

taken from the text

Explore: Explain what they

learnt from the quotation

If students have trouble

with this concept, put an

example up on the board.

If they’re still struggling to

apply the poetic devices you

could try asking them to

draw the dragon described

in the poem – or perhaps

just label a picture of a

dragon for those who are

less artistic.

What are the key skills you need to learn to analyse poetry?Q

SUMMARY

At the end of the lesson there should be around ten minutes left for summarising. Getting students to read each other’s work through is a good way of making them reflect on their own. Ask learners to take a look at the devices their partner has explored and whether they have explained the effect of these devices. Ask them to set two targets for their partner. Finally ask students to think about what they have discovered over the course of the lesson. What three new things have they learnt? What two things did they know already? What is a questionthey still have?

If you have extra time why not finish with a fun activity which should help solidify students’ learning? Ask for a volunteer to come to the front of the class and – surreptitiously! – pick out an object in the classroom. They can then describe it using only the poetic devices they’ve learnt – can the rest of the class guess what the object is?

Home learningAsk students to look over the poetic devices and their definitions to ensure they understand them fully. After a week test pupils on these to ensure that they haven’t forgotten them!

GOING DEEPER

If students get through the main activity

quickly, why not set them a creative task using the first poem

The Dragon of Death? Ask students to write

their own poem based around a mythical

creature or figure. Get them to consider all the poetic devices

and to include as many as possible in their

own work.

teachwire.net/secondary

THE AUTHOR

Claire Elliott is an English teacher at

Colchester Academy, a Bright Tribe Trust school in Essex which this year celebrated outstanding GCSE results. She has 17 years of experience

teaching KS3 and 4 students.

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Putting it togetherThe main activity revolves

around three different

poems: Maya Angelou’s

Still I Rise, Dulce Et

Decorum Est by Wilfred

Owen and Stealing by Carol

Ann Duffy. For reluctant

poets the differences

between these authors can

provide a good riposte to

denouncements of poetry

as being ‘all the same’. Ask

the students to pick their

favourite poem and read it

thoroughly. Once they’ve

done this they can annotate

the poem with the poetic

devices that have been used.

Finally ask them to write

two PEE paragraphs based

on what they have found

exploring the language and

poetic devices. While doing

this they should incorporate

the following:

1. Use a quotation to

support their ideas.

2. Explore why they have

chosen the quotation.

3. Explain the effect it has

on the reader.

4. Embed quotations.

5. Identify layers of

meaning in a text and

explore them i.e. what does

the technique suggest?

What else do you think it

could be suggesting?

6. Clearly identify the

viewpoint of the writer.

7. Give their interpretation

of a text, weighing up

the evidence.

8. Be critical about the

writer’s viewpoint.

Lower ability students

can be supplied with a

writing frame to help

them structure their

answer. At the end of the

task ask all students to look

back over their response

and check that:

a) They have selected

a quotation.

b) They have explored

in some detail what that

quotation shows.

c) They have explained

the effect it would have on

the reader.

Examining the poems,

including The Dragon of

Death, should take around

half the lesson, 25 – 30

minutes in total.

STRETCH AND

CHALLENGE

With a few changes this lesson can easily

be adapted to cater for more able students. When completing

the tarsia puzzle, for example, ask students

to write their own definitions for each device rather than matching the word

and explanation. Older students in year 8 and 9

should also be able to write definitions

without a guide.