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      Planning an extended written response on the Eduqas 2025 poetry anthology

      Lesson details

      Learning outcome

      I can plan an extended comparative response.

      Key learning points

      1. One way to help you organise poems in an anthology is to sort them into ‘mini-clusters’ by theme.
      2. When you’re approaching a comparative question, begin by identifying the key theme.
      3. Once you’ve established the key theme, consider how the named poem responds to the theme.
      4. To choose a comparative poem, ensure you choose one with an overall similarity but nuanced differences.
      5. One way to plan your answer is to create a multi-paragraph outline.

      Keywords

      • Theme - a subject or topic of discourse or of artistic representation

      • Nuanced - has subtle details that make it complex and interesting

      • Propaganda - information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, often used to promote a political cause

      • Nationalist - a person who strongly identifies with their own nation and strongly supports its interests

      • Ideological - based on or relating to a particular set of ideas or beliefs

      Common misconception

      While comparing poems, you should only look for similarities between them.

      To create an effective comparison, you want to find nuanced differences within overall similarities.

      Teacher tip

      You may wish to ask pupils to create their multi-paragraph outlines as homework if you would rather spend more time gathering ideas and quotations.

      Equipment

      You will need a copy of the Eduqas 2025 Anthology for this lesson.

      Content guidance

      Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

      Supervision

      Adult supervision recommended

      Licence

      This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0
      except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions
      (Collection 2).

      Lesson video

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      Prior knowledge starter quiz

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      Which of the following poems are in the Eduqas 2025 anthology?

      Berry's 'Homing'
      Correct answer: Owen's 'Disabled'
      Owens' 'Exposure'
      Ghose's 'Decomposition'

      Q2.
      Match these poems with their overall theme.

      Correct Answer:Armitage's 'Remains',war

      war

      Correct Answer:Blake's 'The Schoolboy',nature

      nature

      Correct Answer:Kay's 'Dusting the Phone',love

      love

      Q3.
      Which of the following is the definition of a topic sentence?

      explains the overarching argument
      Correct answer: explains the focus of an individual paragraph
      summarises the individual paragraph

      Q4.
      Match the elements of a multi-paragraph outline with the definitions.

      Correct Answer:thesis statement,overarching argument about the essay

      overarching argument about the essay

      Correct Answer:supporting detail,analysis of methods that supports the topic sentence

      analysis of methods that supports the topic sentence

      Correct Answer:concluding sentence,summarises each paragraph

      summarises each paragraph

      Q5.
      Which of the following contexts are explored in the Eduqas 2025 Anthology?

      Correct answer: the First World War
      the Russian Revolution
      the Cold War
      Correct answer: the Second Boer War

      Q6.
      'Has subtle details that make it complex and interesting' is the definition of which word beginning with 'n'?

      Correct answer: nuanced
      numerical
      nonsensical

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      Put the multi-paragraph outline in order.

      1 - thesis statement
      2 - topic sentence
      3 - supporting detail
      4 - concluding sentence
      5 - conclusion

      Q2.
      Which of the following shares the theme of war with Owen's 'Disabled'?

      Correct answer: Hardy's 'Drummer Hodge'
      Wordsworth's 'I wandered lonely as a cloud'
      Rossetti's 'Cousin Kate'

      Q3.
      'A subject or topic of discourse or of artistic representation' is the definition of which word beginning with 't'?

      Correct Answer: theme, Theme

      Q4.
      Put the suggested questions for approaching a comparative question in order:

      1 - what is the key theme highlighted in the question?
      2 - how does the named poem present the theme?
      3 - what other poems can we think of that relate to that theme?
      4 - how do those poems complement or contrast the named poem?
      5 - which poem do you think would be the most effective comparison? Why?

      Q5.
      Is the following statement true or false: 'Both Owen's 'Disabled' and Garland's 'Kamikaze' explore ideas of isolation in the aftermath of war'.

      Correct Answer: True, T, true, t

      Q6.
      'Information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, often used to promote a political cause' is the definition of which word beginning with 'p'?

      Correct Answer: propaganda, Propoganda

      To help you plan your 11 English lesson on: Planning an extended written response on the Eduqas 2025 poetry anthology, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...