Understanding ideas of power imbalance in Femi's 'Thirteen'
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain how Femi presents concepts of power imbalance.
Key learning points
- The title 'Thirteen' has connotations of an unlucky, transitional period.
- The poem implies the officers now perceive the boy as threatening because he has transitioned from child to adolescent.
- There is a power imbalance between the officers and the boy.
- The boy feels physically intimidated and scared by the officers,
- The poem is based on Femi’s real-life experience of being stopped by police and falsely accused when he was thirteen.
Keywords
Power imbalance - a situation of inequality between parties that leaves one side relatively unable to defend its own interests
Transition - the process or a period of changing from one state or condition to another
Visceral - felt in or as if in the internal organs of the body
Liminal - occupying a position at, or on both sides of, a boundary or threshold
Intimidation - the action of frightening or threatening someone
Common misconception
Poems are purely works of imagination.
While poems draw on the poet's imagination, many poems are drawn from real-life experiences which is why there is such an emotional resonance in them.
Teacher tip
You may wish to explore ideas around policing and power imbalance.
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
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What type of pronoun is 'you'?
Q2.What tense is 'I will' written in?
Q3.A star generally has __________ connotations.
Q4.Thirteen as a number is generally considered...
Q5.The action of frightening or threatening someone is known as being...
Q6.Being "cornered" means...
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which of the following is an accurate summary of Femi's poem 'Thirteen'?
Q2.A situation of inequality between parties that leaves one side relatively unable to defend its own interests is a power...
Q3.Which of these words suggests a power imbalance?
Q4.The process or a period of changing from one state or condition to another is called a...
Q5.The poem 'Thirteen' reflects a real-life experience for the poet since he...
Q6.Felt in or as if in the internal organs of the body is known as a __________ feeling.
To help you plan your 10 English lesson on: Understanding ideas of power imbalance in Femi's 'Thirteen', 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 power imbalance in Femi's 'Thirteen', 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.