weak or easily challenged; lacking strength, clarity, or significance

opening paragraph of an analytical response where you state your overarching argument

opening sentence of an analysis paragraph where you introduce your argument

final summary of an analytical response that wraps up and reinforces main point

Planning an extended and developed response on Edexcel's Belonging poetry

English

In 'Edexcel Belonging Poetry continued', pupils used a range of reading skills to aid the supported decoding of challenging poems. In 'Unseen Poetry', pupils use these reading skills to decode texts with independence. 

In 'Edexcel Belonging Poetry', pupils compared the language, form and structure of a variety of poems connected by the themes of culture and belonging. In 'Edexcel Belonging Poetry continued', pupils work on making more nuanced comparisons, focusing on the three final poems: *Kumukanda*, *In Wales, wanting to be Italian* and *Us*.

Poetry anthology: continued study

Discriminatory behaviour or images, whether on the grounds of race, gender, disability, religion or belief or sexual orientation, or otherwise.

Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour

Subjects which particular individuals may be sensitive to, eg, adoption, migration, bereavement or death, divorce.

Depiction or discussion of sensitive content

Depiction or discussion of distress or humiliation e.g. bullying.

Depiction or discussion of peer pressure or bullying

Do these poems share similar themes or ideas? 

Do the poets use similar tones or create similar moods?

Do both poems use lots of literary methods?

Were both poems published around the same time as each other?

Which of these questions are useful to ask yourself when deciding which two poems to compare from the Edexcel Belonging poetry anthology?

Which of these categories would we **not** use to group the Edexcel Belonging anthology poems?

leading with a comparison of literary methods

leading with a comparison of two quotations, one from each poem

lead with a comparison of the wider context of both poems

leading with a comparison of the key ideas or messages of each poem

list all of the literary methods you've identified in that paragraph

you must focus on context in your concluding sentence

make a new point that you can develop in the next paragraph

 make the opposite connection to the one you made in your topic sentence

Which of these is good advice for building a concluding sentence?

use some quotes you haven't previously used in your response.

summarise the points you've made in the response.

link your ideas to a third poem in the anthology.

consider why you think each writer chose to the convey their ideas in this way.

consider how the wider context helps to shape your interpretations.

In your conclusion, you should aim to ...

weak or insubstantial; lacking a strong basis

unclear or open to multiple interpretations

Which of the following poems from Edexcel's 'Belonging' anthology could be described as poems about cultural identity?

Which of these poems from Edexcel's 'Belonging' anthology focus on sentimental places?

Which of these poems from Edexcel's 'Belonging' anthology reflect on memories of the speaker's childhood?

linked to the key ideas/messages in a poem

understanding the literal meaning of the poem

identifying the poem's rhyme scheme and meter

interpreting underlying meanings and themes not explicitly stated

summarising the poem's plot and main events

Content guidance

Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour

Depiction or discussion of sensitive content

Depiction or discussion of peer pressure or bullying

Adult supervision recommended

This lesson will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

Planning an extended and developed response on Edexcel's Belonging poetry

Lesson outcome

Content guidance

This lesson will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.