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Lesson 3 of 10
  • Year 9

How Simon Armitage writes about life in 'About his person' and 'Poem'

I can listen and respond to Simon Armitage talking about ‘About his person’ and ‘Poem’.

Lesson 3 of 10
New
New
  • Year 9

How Simon Armitage writes about life in 'About his person' and 'Poem'

I can listen and respond to Simon Armitage talking about ‘About his person’ and ‘Poem’.

These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

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These resources were created for remote use during the pandemic and are not designed for classroom teaching.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Armitage was inspired to write ‘About his person’ by reading news reports of people who were found dead.
  2. He liked the idea that you could build a picture of someone’s character from the objects they had on them.
  3. Armitage was inspired to write ‘Poem’ from reading different biographies and autobiographies.
  4. He suggests that reading different biographies can give us a completely different impression of the same person.

Keywords

  • Biography - the life story of a person written by someone else

  • Impression - an idea or opinion of what something or someone is like

  • Authentic - the quality of being real or true

Common misconception

A biography offers an authentic impression of that person.

We all might have different perspectives on the same person, so different biographies are likely to portray the same person in different ways.


To help you plan your year 9 English lesson on: How Simon Armitage writes about life in 'About his person' and 'Poem', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

The tasks in this lesson are very personal responses and pupils should not be asked to share their responses if they feel uncomfortable.
Teacher tip

Equipment

There are copies of Armitage's 'About his person' and 'Poem' in the additional materials.

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of sensitive content

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), 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

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6 Questions

Q1.
'The life story of a person written by someone else' is the definition of which of the following?

autobiography
Correct answer: biography
fiction

Q2.
'The act of doing or saying something again' is the definition of which word beginning with 'r'?

Correct Answer: repetition, repeat, repetitive, Repetition

Q3.
Which of the following pairs of words rhyme?

Correct Answer:worse,purse

purse

Correct Answer:night,sight

sight

Correct Answer:drive,thrive

thrive

Q4.
Something that is authentic is which of the following?

something valuable
something false or untrue
Correct answer: something real or true

Q5.
'An idea or opinion of what something or someone is like' is the definition of which of the following?

improvement
Correct answer: impression
impressive
immense

Q6.
The definition of a keepsake is which of the following?

something valuable and expensive
Correct answer: an object that has sentimental value
something that you make yourself

Assessment exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Armitage's 'About his person' was inspired by which of the following?

The memory of a friend.
An autobiography that he read.
Correct answer: News reports of people who had died.

Q2.
Which of the following objects were found on the person in Armitage's 'About his person'?

Correct answer: a postcard
Correct answer: a keepsake
a pen
ten pounds

Q3.
Armitage's 'Poem' was inspired by which of the following?

Correct answer: biographies and autobiographies
news reports and journals
diary entries and calendars

Q4.
Is the following statement true or false: 'Armitage suggests that you could read different books about the same person and come away with completely different views about them.'

Correct Answer: True, T, true, t

Q5.
Which of the following items does Armitage say is the most important item found on the person in 'About his person'?

Correct answer: the lack of a ring
the lack of money
the lack of a diary

Q6.
Is the following statement true or false: 'Armitage suggests that you can build an impression of someone's identity based on the objects they carry with them.'

Correct Answer: True, T, true, t

Additional material

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