TEACHING SEQUENCE OVER 2 OR 3 ONE HOUR SESSIONS FOR ENGLISH LITERATURE SPEC. A PRE-1914 AND POST-1914 POETRY Target groups: Higher In this particular sequence, the aim was to have students dealing with more than one poem at a time, exploring the texts critically and in detail, and getting used to making connections and comparisons as a matter of course. The outcome was a timed essay written over a flexible hour, as this was their first experience of responding in this way. Assessment Objectives AO1, AO2, AO3 and AO4 in Section 6 of the specification are all touched upon. The sequence assumes previous teaching and student knowledge of some poetic forms, features, tone and use of connectives. RESOURCES (included) Form bank Context bank (can be created by students themselves as work progresses or as homework tasks) Tone bank Connectives bank Rapid Reactions Sheets Exploring Connections grids ADDITIONAL RESOURCES Copies of poems from Anthologies. (As annotation no longer allowed, the Rapid Reactions Sheets and the Connections grids become important notes for revision and boys prefer them to copious copied notes). Copies of the banks, sheets and grids also required as OHTs and display as work in progress. Work on essay writing may be necessary before Lesson 3. 1
LESSON 1 INTRODUCTION Teacher explains that the next few lessons will involve looking at.. (topic e.g. emotion or the way structure, form and style reflect meaning) in a number of poems written by different people at different times. The emphasis is to be on detailed study and understanding, making comparisons and focusing on how, why and effect rather than just what. DEVELOPMENT Using the HOME/EXPERT grouping approach, divide class into HOME groups. The HOME groups work on a single teacher selected poem using the Rapid Reactions Sheets. Depending on the difficulty and length of the poem, up to 30 minutes can be spent. Longer poems can be broken up, with sections rather than the whole text given to individuals. The use of the banks and grids can be encouraged at this stage to keep discussions focused and using appropriate terminology. PLENARY As the HOME group members have to be the EXPERTS in the next lesson, the plenary can consist of individuals giving up to 3 minute summaries of their knowledge of the poem to each other, with advice and support from the other group members. LESSON 2 The class now works in EXPERT group mode. There are opportunities for EN1 assessment to take place here. The group work will dominate the lesson. Each student must aim to be critically familiar with all four poems by the end of the lesson. Homework is to consolidate that knowledge by revising for the timed essay which forms LESSON 3. In the trial, the EXPERT group part of the lesson really engaged the students and more time can be devoted to this exploring and connecting as seems fit. Similarly, the HOME group sessions could be extended to include research time for contexts using ICT. At all times students were encouraged to keep detailed note on the sheets, with points supported by quotation. 2
RAPID REACTIONS *Subject matter (what the poem is about, situation) *Voice or Voices (people involved, view-point) *Attitudes, ideas, feelings and emotions *Form and structure (type of poem, layout, development within the poem) *Poetic features *Similar to... because 3
FORM BANK FREE VERSE: is poetry free from any regular pattern. It tends to follow the speech rhythms of language and uses the line as the basic unit of rhythm. It also uses the space on the page to indicate pauses or complete silences. The gaps tell us how to read it, what words need to be emphasised. Many modern poets prefer this form as it gets rid of the old ideas of what poems should sound like. ELEGY: a poem which expresses a strong state of feeling, usually with a melancholy theme; often over the death of someone or the passing of something important; can show a sense of loss or decay. SONNET: a poem fourteen lines long, often rhyming, usually with 10 syllables in each line; it often consists of an octave and a sestet. DRAMATIC MONOLOGUE: a poem where the poet takes on another voice; it allows a kind of masking; it also allows the poet to take risks with voice and content; a tradition inherited from drama and other famous poets like Browning and Eliot. 4
CONTEXT BANK HAVISHAM: Miss; a character in Dicken s Great Expectations ; a lady half crazed by the desertion of her lover on her wedding day; in revenge, brought up a girl called Estella to use her beauty to torture men; kept room, dress, cake as it was on that fateful day. ANNE HATHAWAY: married to Shakespeare in November 1582; eight years older than him; provided him with a daughter and twins; stayed in Stratford-upon-Avon when London became Shakespeare's base; he died in 1616 and she dies in 1623. MARILYN MONROE: Hollywood sex goddess; married to famous baseball player and later a famous playwright; starred in a number of films in 1950s and 1960s; real name Norma Jean Baker; had troubled childhood; only 36 when she died; thought to be suicide but questions raised because of associations with the Kennedy brothers. SALOME: daughter of Herodias; said to have caused the beheading of John the Baptist; Bible story; danced at a birthday party for Kind Herod and given any wish; at suggestion of mother, requested the head of John the Baptist; his head was brought to her on a platter. ULYSSES: Roman name for Greek hero, Odysseus; went on famous adventures known as the Odyssey; took him 10 years; captured by Cyclops and Circe (a witch); sirens lured his men to their deaths; when he arrived home his wife, Penelope, was surrounded by suitors; she had agreed to marry any man who could use her husband s bow; in disguise, Ulysses was the only man to do the task; he then killed all the suitors. ELVIS PRESLEY: a 1950s rock n roll performer; formerly a truck driver; his sexy dance movements and singing sent his fans into a frenzy; said to be the only white singer at the time able to sing the blues; in later life became addicted to drugs; died in his mansion in Graceland aged 42 in 1977; known as the King of Rock. BATMAN AND ROBIN: comic book characters; Batman, the Caped Crusader, was created by Bob Kane in 1939; designed to be a hero as appealing as Superman; reputedly based on a Leonardo da Vinci sketch of a man trying to fly and the masked heroes of 1930s films; Batman is Bruce Wayne who witnessed his parents murder and vowed to avenge their deaths by bringing criminals to justice; known for his athletic body and use of high technology to fight crime in Gotham City. Robin was introduced in 1940s as the Boy Wonder and Batman s side-kick to give Batman someone to talk to. 5
TONE BANK Tone is the term to describe the emotional atmosphere that is created in a piece of writing. As you cannot hear the writer s tone of voice, tone comes from the kind of language used. There are many words to describe tone. Here are some. You can add more as you come across them. playful melancholy mocking sad sarcastic light-hearted clinical assertive cynical dramatic sharp frivolous calm serious impersonal intimate solemn gloomy heavy personal wistful religious angry bitter aggressive reassuring patronising resentful detached ironic conversational confident soothing pleading scathing humorous pompous contemptuous CONNECTIVES BANK (for comparing and contrasting) COMPARISON: in the same way similarly likewise as with equally just as like CONTRAST: in contrast whereas unlike however on the other hand conversely otherwise 6
EXPLORING CONNECTIONS THEMATICALLY (THE WHAT BIT!) Poem Death Childhood Age Memory Isolated figures Parent/child relationship Male/female relationship Women s position Attitude to life/experience 7
Poem Form EXPLORING CONNECTIONS STYLISTICALLY (THE HOW BIT) Imagery (Simile, metaphor, personification) Vocabulary (key words eg verbs, adjectives) Tone Sounds (alliteration, onomatopoeia, assonance, rhyme) Senses Patterns/ Repetitions/ Word play Movement/ Pace/Rhythm 8
EXPLORING CONNECTIONS FOR PURPOSE/INTENTION/EFFECT (THE WHY BIT!) Poem Entertain Describe Tell a story Make you think Inform Celebrate Express emotion Ask a question Express opinion/point of view 9