Developing background knowledge about 'London' by William Blake
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can understand the poem and the context in which the poem was written.
Key learning points
- 'London' was published in 1794.
- William Blake was an English poet and artist who believed in social and racial equality.
- In the poem, the narrator is describing a walk around the city of London.
- Romanticism was a movement in art and literature.
- Romantic poets were often critical of industrialisation and valued the simplicity and purity of rural life.
Keywords
The Industrial Revolution - a period when machines and factories changed the way people lived and worked in cities
Context - the setting or background that helps us to understand something better
Society - a group of people living together, sharing customs and ways of living
Romanticism - a movement in art and literature in the 18th and 19th century, which focused more on feelings, imagination and nature
Common misconception
There is archaic and unfamiliar language that pupils will not recognise or understand in the poem.
Explain to pupils that it is normal to not understand all the language in an archaic text, especially when we first read it. That is OK. There will be lots of opportunities to build our understanding.
Teacher tip
Use my turn your turn to support the children's pronunciation of unfamiliar vocabulary. You can also use echo reading to support children who may find it challenging to read it independently.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.True or false? A poem is a piece of writing that uses creative and rhythmic language to express thoughts, feelings, or ideas, often with a specific structure or pattern.
Q2.True or false? A poem can only have one theme.
Q3.What is a poet responsible for when creating a poem?
Q4.What is the most appropriate definition of a simile?
Q5.What is the most appropriate definition of a metaphor?
Q6.What is a 'verse' in poetry?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.‘London’ is a poem written by ...
Q2.Select the statements that are true.
Q3.Match the keywords to their definitions.
a period when machines and factories changed the way people lived.
the setting or background that helps us to understand something better
a group of people living together, sharing customs and ways of living
a movement in art and literature in the 18th and 19th century
Q4.True or false? There are four verses in the poem 'London'.
Q5.Put the subjects of the verses in the correct order.
Q6.True or false? Romantic poets were in favour of industrialisation.
To help you plan your 6 English lesson on: Developing background knowledge about 'London' by William Blake, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 6 English lesson on: Developing background knowledge about 'London' by William Blake, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 2 English lessons from the Poetry of place unit, dive into the full primary English curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.