Writing about John McCrae’s ‘In Flanders Fields’ as a call to arms

English

In 'Unseen Poetry', pupils need to consider the choices made by a poet, to explain how they convey meaning without having context or prior knowledge of the poem to draw on. In 'A World at War: Poetry, pupils have several opportunities to write their own poems in the style of the war poems studied, which pushes them to consider the craft of writing poetry more closely. 

In 'Myths and Legends Re-Told', pupils explore the way that poets use imagery and structural features, to inspire their own choices in narrative writing. In 'A World at War: Poetry', pupils practise adopting Wilfred Owen's style in their own poetry and also use a range of literary techniques encountered through the different poems, to produce a piece of descriptive writing.

In this unit, pupils explore how poets responded to the horrors of the First World War. They first explore Brooke's 'The Soldier', before looking at McCrae's 'In Flanders Fields' and Naidu's 'The Gift of India'. They finally write a comparative response on perspectives of war and sacrifice.

Comparing poetry from the First World War

Depiction of war, threats of war, death or the aftermath of war.

Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

'To be determined in character, action, or ideas' means to be {{}}.

The ideas around the central focus of the question

The 'how' part of a question asks you to analyse {{}}.

Which of the following should a closing sentence do?

McCrae’s use of a refrain makes the reader think of the devastation of war.

McCrae's use of collective pronouns creates empathy for the dead soldiers.

Arguably, McCrae’s use of natural imagery offers a hopeful mood to the reader.

Which of the following sentences includes a tentative verb/adverb?

Everyone may have a different interpretation of a word or technique.

Which of the following are reasons why you should use tentative writing in analytical essays?

Which of the following might flowers be thought to symbolise?

Bird song might be thought to symbolise {{}}.

A line repeated periodically through the poem.

The continuation of a sentence beyond the end of the line.

'A result or effect, typically one that is unwelcome or unpleasant.' is the definition of {{}}.

Content guidance

Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

Adult supervision recommended

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

Writing about John McCrae’s ‘In Flanders Fields’ as a call to arms

Lesson outcome

Content guidance

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