Analysing the poem ‘Half-caste’ by John Agard
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain how Agard uses language and structure to express his viewpoint.
Key learning points
- The short lines and lack of punctuation make the poem sound conversational in tone.
- The lack of punctuation could create a sense of strong emotion, illustrating Agard's frustration.
- It is written in a mixture of dialects, perhaps reflecting the merging of identities.
- Agard uses direct address to encourage the reader to challenge their prejudices.
- Agard uses a series of comparisons to underline the ridiculousness of these prejudicial thoughts.
Keywords
Interpersonal conflict - disagreement or tension between individuals or groups
Prejudices - unjustified negative opinion towards an individual or group, based on an unfair perception of them
Unconscious - mental processes or actions not actively perceived or controlled by the individual
Facetious - treating serious issues with inappropriate humour, often to entertain or provoke amusement
Dialect - regional or social variety of language with distinct grammar, pronunciation or vocabulary
Common misconception
The poem is solely directed at the silent listener ("yu") who is addressed in the opening of the poem.
It could be argued that this silent listener could symbolise all readers (or listeners) of this poem since the speaker discusses how they will behave when they are "introduced" to the "yu" figure, implying they haven't yet met.
Teacher tip
Before showing Andeep's and Laura's opinions in the first learning cycle, encourage your students to write their own opinions on a sticky note and display them all together. Discuss the similarities and differences between them all.
Equipment
You need access to a copy of ‘Half-caste’ by John Agard. This can be found in the Edexcel Poetry Anthology (we will be using the ‘Conflict’ cluster).
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Agard's poem 'Half-caste' challenges the inappropriate and out-dated term 'half-caste'. Nowadays, instead of saying 'half-caste', we could use the terms ...
Q2.What does the word 'facetious' mean?
Q3.John Agard is passionate about his Caribbean heritage. We know this because ...
Q4.What type of language is used to indicate personal interpretations of a text?
Q5.Which types of conflict can we most strongly identify in the poem 'Half-caste'?
Q6.Which of these examples does Agard provide in 'Half-caste' to explore the beauty of combining different elements?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What does the term prejudice mean?
Q2.What does unconscious mean?
Q3.Which of these types of language does Agard use in 'Half-caste' to make the speaker seem friendly and 'normal'?
Q4.In the poem 'Half-caste', the words "yuh", "mih" and "dem" are all examples of which type of spelling?
Q5.Which of the following quotes from 'Half-caste' is an example of an imperative?
Q6.What is an unconscious prejudice?
To help you plan your 10 English lesson on: Analysing the poem ‘Half-caste’ by John Agard, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 10 English lesson on: Analysing the poem ‘Half-caste’ by John Agard, 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 'Conflict' unit, dive into the full secondary English curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.