Understanding the poem 'Catrin' by Gillian Clarke
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain how Clarke presents internal parental conflict in her poem.
Key learning points
- 'Catrin' is a personal poem reflecting Clarke's own relationship with her daughter.
- 'Catrin' reflects the internal conflict parents face as their children grow.
- Clear comparisons can be made to 'Poppies' as both poems focus on parental conflicts.
- Whilst 'Catrin' focuses on one conflict between parent and child, the message is a timeless one.
Keywords
Parental - related to or characteristic of a parent or parenthood
Prevalent - widespread or commonly occurring within a particular area or at a particular time
Incubator - a medical device that provides a controlled environment to support the growth of (often) premature or ill babies
Inner conflict - psychological struggle within a person, often involving contradictory emotions or desires
Interpersonal conflict - disagreement or clash between individuals due to differing opinions, needs, or interests
Common misconception
This poem is entirely autobiographical, written about Clarke's experiences of motherhood.
This poem was written just after the birth of Clarke's fist daughter so does reflect on her experiences of motherhood but the later scenes of a older child playing out are necessarily fictional.
Teacher tip
In the first leaning cycle, consider printing out the images used to create the storyboard and have students arrange them on A3 paper so they can full annotate the structure of the poem as you discuss it together.
Equipment
You need access to a copy of ‘Catrin’ by Gillian Clarke for this lesson. You can find this in the Edexcel Poetry Anthology (we will be using the ‘Conflict’ cluster).
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What does the word 'maternal' mean?
Q2.Jane Weir's poem 'Poppies' is about...
Q3.Which of these emotions would you associate with Jane Weir's poem, 'Poppies'?
Q4.What is symbolism?
Q5.What is imagery?
Q6.Why is it useful to analyse the structure of a poem?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What does the word 'parental' mean?
Q2.Match each type of conflict to the correct definition.
conflict within someone's mind
conflict with at least one other person
conflict caused by outside circumstances
Q3.What could the "rope" symbolise in Clake's 'Catrin'?
Q4.Clarke wrote 'Catrin' just after...
Q5.Which of these anthology poems is best to compare to 'Catrin'?
Q6.Which of the following is an accurate comparison of 'Catrin' and 'Poppies'?
To help you plan your 11 English lesson on: Understanding the poem 'Catrin' by Gillian Clarke, 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 'Catrin' by Gillian Clarke, 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 Conflict poetry continued unit, dive into the full secondary English curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.