Planning a written response on poetry from the Eduqas anthology
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can plan a successful comparison and select evidence judiciously.
Key learning points
- When comparing poems, you should choose a poem that matches the poem you have been given thematically.
- You can compare any of the poems from the anthology, though the poems should have some similarities for comparison.
- Thesis statements help you to refine your argument and give you a point of reference to return to as you write.
- Evidence should be selected judiciously - it is important to choose the quotation that best supports your argument.
Keywords
Adversity - a challenge or difficulty one might face
Legacy - the remaining memory or impact a person leaves behind when they die
Judicious - exercising good judgement in a thoughtful and careful manner
Common misconception
Students might think that they can only compare two poems from the same thematic cluster within the anthology.
Students can compare any pair of poems as long as the poems have some similarities.
Teacher tip
It might be interesting to ask students if they can think of any other interesting combinations of poems from different clusters to compare for task A learning cycle 1.
Equipment
You will need access to a copy of the Eduqas poetry 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.Which of the following poems from the Eduqas poetry anthology are about war?
Q2.Which of the following poems was written by Imtiaz Dharker?
Q3.Which of the following poems tells the story of a wife trying to help her husband recover from his physical and mental war wounds?
Q4.Which of the following poems has a non-human speaker?
Q5.Which poem is the following quotation from: "Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots,"
Q6.Complete the quotation from Blake's 'London': "And the Soldiers sigh/ Runs in blood down Palace walls".
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What is a legacy?
Q2.Which poems in the Eduqas anthology explore the idea of legacy?
Q3.Which poem might you pair with 'Valentine' if you were writing about the reality of relationships?
Q4.Which of the following criteria makes for strong evidence?
Q5.Why wouldn't we choose this quotation for evidence: "But most thro' midnight streets I hear/How the youthful Harlots curse/Blasts the new-born Infants tear"?
Q6.Why can it be helpful to write your thesis statement before you start writing your full analytical response?
To help you plan your 10 English lesson on: Planning a written response on poetry from the Eduqas anthology, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 10 English lesson on: Planning a written response on poetry from the Eduqas anthology, 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 until summer 2026) unit, dive into the full secondary English curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.