Understanding the poem 'Singh Song!' by Daljit Nagra
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can effectively summarise the poem 'Singh Song!'.
Key learning points
- The speaker works in his fathers' shop and lives with his wife and parents above the shop.
- The speaker often neglects his work in the shop and receives complaints from customers.
- The wife is unconventional and has an acrimonious relationship with her husband's parents.
- The speaker and wife have a very close, loving and intimate relationship.
- Although the poem is not autobiographical it does echo some aspects of Nagra's own life.
Keywords
Dramatic monologue - a poem written in the form of speech from an individual character.
Pun - a humorous use of a word or phrase that has several meanings or that sounds like another word.
First-generation immigrant - a person who was born in a different country to the one they currently live in.
Second-generation immigrant - a person who is born in a country to a parent/parents that were not born in that country.
'Punglish' - a colloquial term for language that is a mixture of Punjabi and English.
Common misconception
Singh's wife is presented exclusively as a sweet and gentle character.
Although Singh does speak softly of his wife, she also has a fierce streak. This is shown when her eyes are described as like 'guns' and through the description of her arguments with Singh's parents.
Teacher tip
This poem is written in 'Punglish' - it may benefit from a video of the poet reading his work directly to highlight the dialect in which it is written.
Equipment
You will need access to a copy of 'Singh Song!' by Daljit Nagra which can be found in the AQA 'Love and Relationships' Anthology.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of sexual content
Supervision
Adult supervision required
Licence
Lesson video
Loading...
Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.'Walking Away' is thought to be semi-autobiographical. Who did Cecil Day-Lewis write the poem for?
Q2.Which of these key ideas would you not associate with 'Letters from Yorkshire'?
Q3.Barrett Browning wrote 'Sonnet 29' during the Victorian era. This society was known for being...
Q4.When did the Romantic period occur?
Q5.In 'Eden Rock', the "light" shining through the mother's hair presents her as kind and gentle because it could symbolise that she has...
Q6.Which word in the title 'Before You Were Mine' is a possessive pronoun?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.The poem 'Singh Song!' is written by Daljit...
Q2.Daljit Nagra was born in the UK but his parents were born in India. As such he is a ...
Q3.The poem 'Singh Song!' is a ...
Q4.Starting with the first, put these events from the poem 'Singh Song!' in chronological order.
Q5.Andeep said 'It seems to me that Singh's father doesn't really trust him'. What evidence from 'Singh Song!' could best support this?
Q6.Which of the below are reasonable themes of the poem 'Singh Song!'?
To help you plan your 11 English lesson on: Understanding the poem 'Singh Song!' by Daljit Nagra, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 11 English lesson on: Understanding the poem 'Singh Song!' by Daljit Nagra, 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 4 English lessons from the Love and relationships poetry continued unit, dive into the full secondary English curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.