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Analysing how poets present relationships that change over time

Lesson details

Learning outcome

I can write a comparative analysis of ‘Walking Away’ and one other poem.

Key learning points

  1. Summarising each poem individually in relation to the question helps to begin building a thesis statement.
  2. Topic sentences should be specific, precise and express duality.
  3. Evidence should be embedded into analytical paragraphs.
  4. Tentative language should be used to explore interpretations within analysis.

Keywords

  • Summarise - describe the key points or ideas from a text succinctly and accurately

  • Thesis - the primary argument or central idea presented in a piece of academic writing

  • Topic sentence - a sentence that introduces the main idea or theme of a paragraph, guiding its content

  • Embedded - information or objects that are firmly and deeply fixed within something else

  • Tentative language - words or phrases that express a lack of certainty when presenting ideas

Common misconception

It's important to include a contextual link in every analytical paragraph.

Although it is important to include links to wider context in your overall response, it isn't necessary to include a contextual link in every analytical paragraph. In fact, 'bolt-on' contextual links should be avoided.

Teacher tip

Consider printing off Jun's response for learning cycle 2 and encouraging students to 'mark' it before going through how to improve each part.

Equipment

You will need access to 'Mother, any distance' (Armitage), 'Walking Away' (Day-Lewis) and 'Follower' (Heaney). They can be found in the AQA Love and Relationships Poetry Anthology.

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

6 Questions

Q1.
The purpose of a thesis statement in an essay is....

to outline the main point of a paragraph
Correct answer: to present your overarching argument
to link to the writer's intentions
to support your ideas with evidence

Q2.
Match the sections of an essay to their function.

Correct Answer:thesis statement,present your overarching argument

present your overarching argument

Correct Answer:topic sentence,outline the main point of a paragraph

outline the main point of a paragraph

Correct Answer:supporting detail,provide evidence and explore methods and context

provide evidence and explore methods and context

Correct Answer:concluding sentence,summarise the main point of your paragraph

summarise the main point of your paragraph

Correct Answer:conclusion,bring your essay to a close and summarise main points

bring your essay to a close and summarise main points

Q3.
Which sentence embeds a quotation correctly?

The quote "expert" shows that the speaker admires his father.
The speaker admires his father. We can see this in the quote "expert".
Correct answer: By describing his father as an "expert" farmer, we see the speaker's admiration.

Q4.
If something is nuanced it is...

obvious
Correct answer: subtle
impossible

Q5.
Which example sentence uses tentative language?

The writer clearly shows his grief and sadness.
Correct answer: The writer perhaps shows his grief and sadness.
Correct answer: The writer may be presenting his sense of grief.

Q6.
When comparing two poems your __________ needs to be comparative.

Correct answer: topic sentence
context
quotations

6 Questions

Q1.
When identifying your overall argument for a comparative poetry essay it's important that you're led by....

key quotes from the poem
Correct answer: key ideas in the poem
key methods used by the poets

Q2.
A successful comparative topic sentence will...

Correct answer: mention both poems
include a quote
Correct answer: link to your thesis statement

Q3.
When including the wider context of a poem in an essay be sure that you...

include it in every paragraph
Correct answer: only use it when relevant
support it with a method

Q4.
In which part of an analytical essay would you present your overarching argument?

topic sentence
supporting details
Correct answer: thesis statement
concluding sentence

Q5.
To show the relationship between two texts you can use comparative .

Correct Answer: conjunctions, connectives

Q6.
Aim to use language for personal interpretation in analytical writing.

Correct Answer: tentative

To help you plan your 10 English lesson on: Analysing how poets present relationships that change over time, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...