Understanding the poem ‘Half-caste’ by John Agard
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain how Agard presents the conflict between race, identity and societal viewpoints.
Key learning points
- John Agard was born in Guyana to a Caribbean father and Portuguese mother.
- 'Half-caste' was a term which was used to describe mixed race people.
- Agard objects to the term 'half-caste' as it implies mixed race people are only half a person.
- He uses a facetious tone in the poem to explore the derogatory meanings linked to the term 'half-caste'.
- Agard embraces the joy that having mixed identities can bring.
Keywords
Caste - social system based on hierarchical divisions, often associated with occupation and status
Mixed race - individuals of multiple racial heritage
Dual heritage - having ancestry from two distinct cultural or ethnic backgrounds
Facetious - treating serious issues with inappropriate humour, often to entertain or provoke amusement
Derogatory - expressing a disrespectful or negative attitude, often aimed at a person or group
Common misconception
'Half-caste' is a word used to describe people whose parents have different racial or cultural backgrounds.
This is a historical term and is now considered inappropriate and disrespectful to use. Instead, we may use terms such as 'mixed race' or 'dual heritage' to discuss someone's cultural or racial background.
Teacher tip
Look at some of Picasso's artworks and listen to some of Tchaikovsky's music to encourage students to experience the 'beauty' of these things that were created through a mixture of different elements (as identified by Agard in the poem).
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.What does the term 'dual heritage' mean?
Q2.What is informal language?
Q3.What is discrimination?
Q4.What is imagery?
Q5.What is a dialect?
Q6.What does it mean to write something phonetically?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What does the word 'caste' mean?
Q2.What does the word 'derogatory' mean?
Q3.How could the term 'half-caste' have derogatory connotations?
Q4.What is interesting about the spellings in the poem 'Half-caste' by John Agard?
Q5.Which of these interpretations of the poem 'Half-caste' is most accurate?
Q6.In 'Half-caste', Agard plays on the negative meaning of 'half-caste, listing aspects of culture that are more beautiful because they consist of a combination of elements. We could argue he is being...
To help you plan your 10 English lesson on: Understanding 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: Understanding 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.
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' unit, dive into the full secondary English curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.