Exploring William Carlos Williams's poem 'The Hunters in the Snow'
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can write an ekphrastic poem inspired by Bruegel's 'The Hunters in the Snow' and William Carlos Williams's poem of the same name.
Key learning points
- William Carlos Williams's 'The Hunters in the Snow' is an ekphrastic poem.
- An ekphrastic poem is a poem which describes a piece of art, and is inspired by it.
- Each of Williams's seven stanzas refers to something in Pieter Bruegel’s painting 'The Hunters in the Snow'.
- Bruegel's 'The Hunters in the Snow' depicts a rural scene in winter.
Keywords
Depict - to portray in a picture or to describe in writing.
Ekphrastic - a poem which describes a piece of art, and is inspired by it.
Dejected - depressed, downcast.
Rural - the countryside.
Common misconception
Williams didn't use any methods in his poem because he is just describing a painting.
Every word in a poem is carefully selected. Williams could have made any number of choices about what he depicted in terms of focus, structure, tone and language. We can explore these methods, and add layers of meaning to the painting.
Teacher tip
Consider how you will read 'The Hunters in the Snow'. How many times will you read the poem? Who will read the poem and how? Are there words that your pupils will need a glossary for?
Equipment
You need a copy of the poem 'The Hunters in the Snow' by William Carlos Williams from the 1991 Collected Poems: 1939-1962, Volume II published by New Directions.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision required
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.In the unit 'Myths, legends and stories that inspire', we learn about a number of different artists and poets. Match each person to something we know about them.
16th century painter
20th century American poet
20th century British poet
Q2.In the unit 'Myths, legends and stories that inspire', we look at some poems by Williams Carlos Williams. Williams carefully selects the adjectives in his poems. Which of the following are adjectives?
Q3.In the unit 'Myths, legends and stories that inspire', we look at some poems by Williams Carlos Williams. He uses a simile in one of them. What is a simile?
Q4.In the unit 'Myths and Legends', we look at a poem called 'Landscape with the Fall of Icarus' by Williams Carlos Williams. Williams doesn't use any punctuation in this poem which increases the …?
Q5.In the unit 'Myths, legends and stories that inspire', we look at a poem called 'Landscape with the Fall of Icarus' by Williams Carlos Williams. What type of poem is it?
Q6.In the unit 'Myths, legends and stories that inspire', we look at some poems by Williams Carlos Williams. Williams uses enjambment in every line of these poems. What does this mean?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Williams Carlos Williams poem 'The Hunters in the Snow' (Myths, legends and stories that inspire) is an ekphrastic poem. Why is it an ekphrastic poem?
Q2.Williams Carlos Williams poem 'The Hunters in the Snow' (Myths and Legends) describes a number of things in Pieter Bruegel's painting of the same name. Match the item to how Williams describes it.
icy
sturdy
huge
winter-struck
Q3.A pupil said of Pieter Bruegel's painting 'The Hunters in the Snow' (Myths, legends and stories that inspire): "The hunters look dejected". What does the word dejected mean?
Q4.Match each stanza of William Carlos Williams poem 'The Hunters in the Snow' (Myths, legends and stories that inspire) to its focus.
the mountains
the hunters
the broken sign above the inn
the bonfire and the women around it
the skaters
a bush
Q5.Pieter Bruegel's painting 'The Hunters in the Snow' (Myths, legends and stories that inspire) depicts a winter scene which means it is of the countryside, rather than a city, town or urban area.
Q6.Williams Carlos Williams's poem 'The Hunters in the Snow' (Myths and Legends) doesn't uses any punctuation. We would describe each line of his poem as ...
To help you plan your 8 English lesson on: Exploring William Carlos Williams's poem 'The Hunters in the Snow', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 8 English lesson on: Exploring William Carlos Williams's poem 'The Hunters in the Snow', 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.
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