Understanding ideas of time, identity and place in Seneviratne's 'A Wider View'
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain how Seneviratne connects ideas of the past and present and presents ideas of time, identity and place in ‘A Wider View’.
Key learning points
- ‘A Wider View’ begins in the past and considers the life of the speaker’s great-great grandfather.
- Arguably, the Industrial Revolution has made his life physically harsh and metaphorically restricted it.
- When shifting to the present time, the poem implies that the past “echoes” and impacts the present.
- Seneviratne arguably reminds the reader of the importance of place when considering identity and heritage.
Keywords
Metaphorical - something used symbolically to represent something else
Industrialisation - the process of transforming the economy from a focus on agriculture to a reliance on manufacturing
Perception - a belief or opinion, often held by many people and based on how things seem
Echo - the repetition of a sound; to repeat what someone else has said or thought
Transcends - to go beyond or rise above a limit, or be greater than something ordinary
Common misconception
That everyone considers time to be linear: moving from past, to present, to the future.
Many works of literature consider time to be cyclical and consider us to be repeating or echoing what has happened in the past.
Teacher tip
You might like to look at the context of the Industrial Revolution in more detail if this is something the students are unfamiliar with.
Equipment
You will need access to a copy of the AQA World and Lives anthology for this lesson.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
Loading...
Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.The was a period of time where people saw the shift from agricultural work to mass production in factories.
Q2.What does the word 'identity' mean?
Q3.What do we mean by 'perception'?
Q4.What tense is this sentence written in: 'Today, my footsteps echo in the sodium gloom.'?
Q5.What is the definition of 'transcends'?
Q6.If something is non-linear that means...
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match the keywords to their definitions.
Q2.The desire for a 'wider view' might suggest...
Q3.‘A Wider View’ begins in the and considers the life of the speaker’s great-great grandfather.
Q4.Starting with the first, put these stanza summaries about 'A Wider View' in the order the poem appears.
Q5.In 'A Wider View' Seneviratne is perhaps reminding the reader of the importance of __________ when considering identity.
Q6.The last line from 'A Wider View refers to the shape between generations. What shape is referenced?
To help you plan your 10 English lesson on: Understanding ideas of time, identity and place in Seneviratne's 'A Wider View', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 10 English lesson on: Understanding ideas of time, identity and place in Seneviratne's 'A Wider View', 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 'World and Lives' unit, dive into the full secondary English curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.