Analysing stanzas three and four of 'The Highwayman'
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can analyse and understand the events in Stanzas Three and Four of ‘The Highwayman’.
Key learning points
- Alfred Noyes uses figurative language and poetic devices to create imagery and describe events in stanza three.
- As this poem was set in the 18th century, some of the language choices may be unfamiliar.
- Understanding the meaning of all vocabulary in the poem enables us to analyse and understand each stanza fully.
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 mix up different poetic devices.
The tasks in learning cycles one and two explicitly model how each poetic device is used in each stanza.
Teacher tip
It may be helpful to supplement the slides with additional images to support pupils' understanding of key vocabulary and the events in each stanza.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What is a narrative poem?
Q2.'The Highwayman' was written by ...
Q3.What does 'rural' mean?
Q4.Match the figurative language types to their examples.
his hands were blocks of ice
the sky was as black as coal
the desperate, lonely moor
Q5.Match the poetic devices to their examples.
the horse's hooves hammered the path
racing - racing - racing
chin, skin
Q6.'His eyes were storms, fierce and unyielding' is an example of which literary device?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match the keywords to their definitions.
a poem that tells a story
introduces the storyline for some main characters
part of a poem consisting of two or more lines grouped together
to study something in detail to understand its meaning
Q2.Match the stanzas with what they are about.
the setting
the Highwayman
Bess
Tim
Q3.Fill in the gap: Stanzas Three and Four of the poem form the basis of the __________ of our narrative writing.
Q4.Match the vocabulary to the correct definitions.
a person employed to look after the horses of people staying at an inn
a rural pub, sometimes offering accommodation
a man who owned and managed a pub, inn or small hotel
silent
Q5.Which of these is the correct definition of 'onomatopoeia'?
Q6.Put the events of the narrative poem so far in the correct order.
To help you plan your 5 English lesson on: Analysing stanzas three and four of 'The Highwayman', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 5 English lesson on: Analysing stanzas three and four of 'The Highwayman', 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 'The Highwayman': narrative writing unit, dive into the full primary English curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.