Exploring ideas of voice and identity in Berry's 'Homing'
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain how Liz Berry presents the importance of voice and identity.
Key learning points
- The subject of the poem is likely the speaker’s relative.
- The speaker implies that the subject felt is necessary to hide their regional dialect.
- The speaker is trying to keep the dialect alive by recreating it.
- Arguably, Berry’s intention is to suggest the importance of accents to identity.
Keywords
Dialect - a particular form of a language which is peculiar to a specific region or social group
Industrial - of or pertaining to industry, manufacturing, commerce, trade, business
Extended metaphor - a version of metaphor that extends over the course of multiple lines or stanzas of poetry
Elocution - the skill of speaking using standard forms of pronunciation
Intention - something that you want and plan to do
Common misconception
That the meaning of a poem remains static throughout.
In 'Homing', the subject's accent is portrayed as something negative at the beginning of the poem. However, by the end it is portrayed as something vital to identity and heritage.
Teacher tip
You could explore perceptions of the Black Country as an industrial place to enhance the pupils' understanding of negative views.
Equipment
You will need access to a copy of the AQA World and Lives anthology for this lesson.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
Depiction or discussion of peer pressure or bullying
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.If something is nourishing then it is...
Q2.Describing something as 'rusted' suggests...
Q3.A figure of speech that involves comparing two things using the verb "to be" is a...
Q4.Referring to what a poet wanted and planned to do is referring to their...
Q5.If something is hidden away then what might that imply?
Q6.Generally, we think of birds as symbolising...
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Of or pertaining to industry, manufacturing, commerce, trade, business is known as...
Q2.A particular form of a language which is peculiar to a specific region or social group is the...
Q3.In the first stanza of Berry's 'Homing', elocution is presented as being perceived as to regional accents.
Q4.In Berry's 'Homing', the speaker says they want to "swallow" their relative's voice. What might the implication of this be?
Q5.In Berry's 'Homing', the speaker wants to "forge" or recreate their relative's accent. What might this imply?
Q6.In Berry's 'Homing', the image of the at the end of the poem could have been intended to suggest a connection between voice, place and identity.
To help you plan your 10 English lesson on: Exploring ideas of voice and identity in Berry's 'Homing', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 10 English lesson on: Exploring ideas of voice and identity in Berry's 'Homing', 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.
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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.