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      Analysing stanzas five and six of 'The Highwayman'

      Lesson details

      Learning outcome

      I can analyse and understand the events in stanzas five and six of ‘The Highwayman’.

      Key learning points

      1. Alred Noyes uses figurative language to provide imagery and describe events in stanzas five and six.
      2. Texts written a long time ago may contain unfamiliar vocabulary.
      3. Understanding the author's vocabulary choices is essential to understanding the text fully.
      4. Analysing a text enables readers to understand the events, characters and their actions in greater depth.

      Keywords

      • Narrative poem - a poem that tells a story

      • Build-up - introduces the storyline for some main characters and begins to set up a problem or situation that will build in tension

      • Stanza - a part of a poem consisting of two or more lines grouped together

      • Analyse - to study something in detail to understand its meaning

      Common misconception

      Pupils may struggle to understand the vocabulary, particularly in stanza six.

      Give explicit definitions for any unfamiliar language, using visuals to support the explanations, to help pupils' understanding.

      Teacher tip

      It may be useful to find additional images to illustrate the meaning of key vocabulary.

      Licence

      This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2026), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0
      except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions
      (Collection 2).

      Lesson video

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      Prior knowledge starter quiz

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      Fill in the gap. 'The Highwayman' is an example of a ...

      diary
      Correct answer: narrative poem
      newspaper report

      Q2.
      Order the events of stanzas one-four:

      1 - A Highwayman went riding across a stormy moor at night time.
      2 - He arrived at an old inn-yard.
      3 - He tapped on the windows' shutters, but they were all locked and barred.
      4 - He whistled a tune to the window.
      5 - Bess, his love, appeared at the window.

      Q3.
      Match the poetic devices to their definitions:

      Correct Answer:simile,comparing two things using 'like' or 'as'
      Correct Answer:metaphor,comparing two things by saying that one thing is another
      Correct Answer:onomatopoeia,when a word sounds like the sound it is describing

      Q4.
      Which of these is a metaphor?

      Correct answer: The night was a blanket of sweeping shadows.
      A man on horseback rode quickly along a country lane.
      The windows of the building rattled in the wind.

      Q5.
      Which of the sentences below uses onomatopoeia?

      The leaves danced in the gentle evening breeze.
      The Sun warmed the ground with its golden rays.
      Correct answer: The fire crackled outside the little cottage.

      Q6.
      Which of the sentences below uses a simile?

      The wind whispered secrets through the ancient trees.
      The mountain stood tall, a silent guardian watching over the valley.
      Correct answer: Her smile was like sunshine, brightening even the darkest room.

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      Match the key words to their definitions:

      Correct Answer:narrative poem,a poem that tells a story
      Correct Answer:build-up,introduces the storyline for some main characters and builds tension
      Correct Answer:stanza,a part of a poem consisting of two or more lines grouped together
      Correct Answer:analyse,to study something in detail to understand its meaning

      Q2.
      Match the stanzas with their topics:

      Correct Answer:stanza one,the setting
      Correct Answer:stanza two,the Highwayman
      Correct Answer:stanza three,Bess
      Correct Answer:stanza four,Tim
      Correct Answer:stanza five,the Highwayman speaking to Bess
      Correct Answer:stanza six,the Highwayman leaving

      Q3.
      Match some of the words from stanza five with their definitions:

      Correct Answer:bonny,beautiful
      Correct Answer:thee,you
      Correct Answer:though hell should bar the way,no matter what happens

      Q4.
      Match some of the words from stanza six with their definitions:

      Correct Answer:casement,window
      Correct Answer:brand,a hot iron or poker
      Correct Answer:cascade,a waterfall
      Correct Answer:scarce,barely

      Q5.
      Which of the sentences below contains a simile?

      The highwayman’s cloak fluttered behind him as he disappeared into the night.
      The lantern cast eerie shadows along the lonely, winding road.
      Correct answer: The horse galloped through the forest, its hooves pounding like thunder.

      Q6.
      Which of these does Alfred Noyes use throughout 'The Highwayman'?

      statistics
      Correct answer: metaphor
      Correct answer: simile
      instructions
      Correct answer: onomatopoeia

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