Understanding ideas of belonging in McKay’s ‘I Shall Return’
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain how McKay presents ideas of belonging and heritage in ‘I shall return’.
Key learning points
- Arguably, the speaker associates their home with beauty, joy, and a sense of being carefree.
- Conversely, the speaker presents their current situation as bringing them pain.
- Potentially, we might also suggest the speaker feels as if they must hide their heritage in their current situation.
- McKay arguably suggests that returning home will relieve the speaker of this pain.
- We might suggest that we can see an idealised view of rural, peasant life in ‘I Shall Return’.
Keywords
Belonging - a feeling of being happy or comfortable as part of a particular group or particular place
Heritage - the history, traditions, practices, etc. of a particular country or society that continue to be important
Loiter - stand or wait around without apparent purpose
Native - associated with the place or circumstances of a person's birth
Idealise - to think of or represent someone or something as perfect
Common misconception
Typically, literature presents the idea of a simple life as dull and monotonous.
Literary movements such as the Romantics presented an idealised view of a simple, rural existence.
Teacher tip
You might like to explore the context of the Harlem Renaissance in more detail in LC2 to help students understand the context of McKay's writing.
Equipment
There is a copy of McKay's 'I Shall Return' in the additional materials or you can find a copy in the Eduqas 2025 Anthology.
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 words 'golden' and 'sapphire' have connotations of which of the following?
Q2.'A feeling of being happy or comfortable as part of a particular group or particular place' is the definition of which word beginning with 'b'?
Q3.Which of the following is the definition of the word 'wonder'?
Q4.'Free from anxiety or responsibility' is the definition of which of the following?
Q5.'Shall' is a modal verb that indicates which of the following?
Q6.'The history, traditions, practices, etc. of a particular country or society that continue to be important' is the definition of which word beginning with 'h'?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Is the following statement true or false: 'In 'I Shall Return', McKay presents the speaker's home as joyous and special.'
Q2.Which of the following is an accurate summary of McKay's 'I Shall Return'?
Q3.'Stand or wait around without apparent purpose' is the definition of which of the following?
Q4.The speaker of McKay's 'I Shall Return' implies which of the following about their heritage?
Q5.'To think of or represent someone or something as perfect' is the definition of which of the following?
Q6.Is this statement true or false: 'In 'I Shall Return', McKay presents an idealised view of rural, peasant life.'
To help you plan your 11 English lesson on: Understanding ideas of belonging in McKay’s ‘I Shall Return’, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 11 English lesson on: Understanding ideas of belonging in McKay’s ‘I Shall Return’, 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 Poetry anthology (Assessment from summer 2027) unit, dive into the full secondary English curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.