- Year 10
- Edexcel
Understanding the poem 'No Problem' by Benjamin Zephaniah
I can explain how Zephaniah presents racial conflict in Britain.
Copyrighted materials: to view and download resources from this lesson, you’ll need to be in the UK and
- Year 10
- Edexcel
Understanding the poem 'No Problem' by Benjamin Zephaniah
I can explain how Zephaniah presents racial conflict in Britain.
Copyrighted materials: to view and download resources from this lesson, you’ll need to be in the UK and
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Lesson details
Key learning points
- Zephaniah was born in Birmingham, and grew up during the 1960s and 1970s.
- Growing up, Zephaniah suffered racial abuse.
- 'No Problem' is based on Zephaniah's own experiences; he is the speaker in the poem.
- The poem is about Zephaniah's self worth, growing up in a society which did not value him.
- Zephaniah was a dub poet who mostly performed his poetry with reggae music.
Keywords
Prejudice - preconceived opinion or judgement, often negative, towards a group
Racism - discrimination or prejudice based on race or ethnicity
Patois - regional or non-standard language, often characterised by slang or dialectical variations
Dub poet - a poet who performs their work to reggae music
Common misconception
Benjamin Zephaniah wrote in an exaggerated phonetic way to represent the accent of the speaker.
Zephaniah was a dub poet which meant that he performed his work aloud. This phonetic spelling should be viewed more as a transcription of Zephaniah's own cultural patois.
To help you plan your year 10 English lesson on: Understanding the poem 'No Problem' by Benjamin Zephaniah, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 10 English lesson on: Understanding the poem 'No Problem' by Benjamin Zephaniah, 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.
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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.
Explore more key stage 4 English lessons from the 'Conflict' unit, dive into the full secondary English curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
Equipment
You will need access to a copy of 'No Problem' by Benjamin Zephaniah. You can find this poem in the Edexcel Poetry anthology ('Conflict' cluster)
Content guidance
- Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
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