Comparing childhood in 'Sunday Dip' and 'Mild the Mist Upon the Hill'
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can compare how Clare and Brontë present ideas of childhood in ‘Sunday Dip’ and ‘Mild the Mist Upon the Hill’.
Key learning points
- Arguably, both poets present childhood in an idealised way.
- Both poets use language to depict childhood as a place of safety and protection.
- Arguably, Clare creates an excited, joyful tone while Brontë creates a reflective, joyful tone.
- The use of regularity and enjambment in both poems could reflect the continual joy of childhood.
- Romantics revered childhood and presented it in an idealised way.
Keywords
Nostalgia - a feeling of pleasure and also slight sadness when you think about things that happened in the past
Romanticism - an artistic movement from the late 18th and early 19th century, focused on emotions and nature
Revere - feel deep respect or admiration
Idealised - to think of or represent someone or something as perfect
Reflective - showing or involved in careful thinking; thoughtful
Common misconception
That society has always considered childhood as a space for play and exploration.
Before the Enlightenment, children were generally considered small versions of adults.
Teacher tip
In order to think about why childhood is important, it may be useful for pupils to try to think about how their own childhood has influenced them.
Equipment
You will need access to a copy of the Edexcel Belonging anthology for this lesson.
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.'The state or period of being a child' is known as ...
Q2.When comparing poems, you should look for ...
Q3.Clare's 'Sunday Dip' portrays childhood as ...
Q4.'The continuation of a sentence beyond the end of a line, stanza or couplet' is the definition of ...
Q5.Which of the following is an accurate sumary of Brontë's 'Mild the Mist Upon the Hill'?
Q6.'A feeling of pleasure and also slight sadness when you think about things that happened in the past' is the definition of ...
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.The use of "beneath" and "sheltering" in Clare's 'Sunday Dip' and Brontë's 'Mild Mist Upon the Hill' create a sense of ...
Q2.The use of regularity in both Clare's 'Sunday Dip' and Brontë's 'Mild the Mist Upon the Hill' creates a sense of ...
Q3.'To think of or represent someone or something as perfect' is the definition of ...
Q4.The Romantics typically childhood.
Q5.'Showing or involved in careful thinking; thoughtful' is the definition of being ...
Q6.Thinking about 'Sunday Dip' and 'Mild the Mist Upon the Hill', both "breathe" and "dance" can create a sense of ...
To help you plan your 10 English lesson on: Comparing childhood in 'Sunday Dip' and 'Mild the Mist Upon the Hill', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 10 English lesson on: Comparing childhood in 'Sunday Dip' and 'Mild the Mist Upon the Hill', 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.
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