Exploring imagery in 'The City of my birth' by Karl Nova
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain the effect of imagery in a poem.
Key learning points
- 'The City of my birth' is a poem written by Karl Nova, published in his 2017 collection 'Rhythm and Poetry'.
- Imagery refers to the use of language that evokes vivid pictures in the reader's mind.
- In the poem, Nova uses visual language to paint a vivid picture of London for the reader.
- The atmosphere that Nova creates is one of a busy, energetic and joyful city.
- Nova's poetry is influenced by hip-hop culture and it has a natural rhythm and flow.
Keywords
Imagery - the use of vivid and sensory language that appeals to the reader's senses, creating vivid mental pictures and enhancing the emotional impact of the poem
Atmosphere - the feeling or mood created in a section or whole of a text
Visual - relating to the sense of sight
Common misconception
Pupils may not know what free verse poems are.
Explain that free verse poems have no fixed rhyme scheme or structure. However, this doesn't mean they can't include rhyming words.
Teacher tip
Show pupils a video clip of Karl Nova reciting this poem. Hearing the poet himself read it aloud will help them hear the natural rhythm and flow.
Equipment
You need a copy of the poem ‘The City of my birth’, which is featured on page 90 in the 2017 Caboodle Books edition of ‘Rhythm and Poetry’, written by Karl Nova, for this lesson.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What is the impact of a poem?
Q2.Match the keywords to their definitions.
when a line of poetry continues onto the next line without a pause
the use of language to create a mental picture or sensory experience
the mood created in a section or whole of a text
Q3.True or false? Poetry about a place has to contain negative imagery.
Q4.True or false? Poets cannot experiment with word order, punctuation and phrasing when developing a poem.
Q5.What is a free verse poem?
Q6.What is a rhyme scheme?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Where was Karl Nova born?
Q2.Which poetry collection does 'The City of my birth' feature in?
Q3.Which culture is Karl Nova particularly inspired by?
Q4.Select the two most appropriate words to fill the gaps: 'The City of my birth' has a natural _____ and _____.'
Q5.Which of these London landmarks does Karl Nova refer to in his poem 'The City of my birth'?
Q6.Match the London landmark to its description.
the large river that flows through London
a very famous clock in the Elizabeth Tower of the Houses of Parliament
a bridge that crosses the Thames near the Houses of Parliament
To help you plan your 6 English lesson on: Exploring imagery in 'The City of my birth' by Karl Nova, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 6 English lesson on: Exploring imagery in 'The City of my birth' by Karl Nova, 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.