Exploring titles in unseen poetry
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explore the significance of titles in unseen poetry.
Key learning points
- The poem's title can be used to clarify the meaning of the poem in terms of themes and subject matter.
- You can analyse the title of the poem alongside your analysis of the quotes.
- A poem's title often gives an indication of the atmosphere and tone.
Keywords
Rendezvous - a meeting at an agreed time and place
Monosyllabic - (of a word or utterance) consisting of one syllable
Plosive - sounds articulated with an abrupt release of air like 'p', 'b', 'd', or 't'.
Sombre - having or conveying a feeling of deep seriousness and sadness
Polysyllabic - (of a word) having more than one syllable
Common misconception
That titles shouldn't form a part of your analysis.
The title forms our first impression of the poem and therefore is a rich area for analysis.
Teacher tip
It would be useful to have students share what they would use as the title for Seeger's poem to see the different ideas and how it might affect the meaning of the poem.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.The name of a book, composition, or other artistic work is the ...
Q2.How does the word 'The' before a noun differ from the word 'A' before a noun?
Q3.Light imagery such as "radiance" and "shining" implies ...
Q4.Which of the following is the definition of 'plosive' sounds?
Q5.How might we interpret plosive sounds?
Q6.Natural imagery such as "blossoms" and "flowers" implies ...
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Polysyllabic words are words with ...
Q2.We might interpret monosyllabic words as showing a sense of ...
Q3.Having a "rendezvous" with Death suggests you __________ your death.
Q4.'Having or conveying a feeling of deep seriousness and sadness' is the definition of ...
Q5.Brooke's use of "glory" and "radiance" in 'The Dead' imply ...
Q6.Overall, Brooke's 'The Dead' implies that death is a __________ experience.
To help you plan your 11 English lesson on: Exploring titles in unseen poetry, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 11 English lesson on: Exploring titles in unseen poetry, 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 Unseen poetry unit, dive into the full secondary English curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.