Analysing ideas of uncertainty and intensity in Kay's 'Dusting the Phone'
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can analyse how Kay presents ideas of uncertainty and intensity in ‘Dusting the Phone’.
Key learning points
- Arguably, the use of sentence fragments and language such as “assault” create a sense of intensity in the poem.
- We might interpret the personification of the phone as the speaker desperately seeking human contact.
- Potentially, we might see the use of multiple metaphors as suggesting a sense of uncertainty.
- Furthermore, the structure of the poem might also be seen as creating a sense of uncertainty.
Keywords
Uncertainty - a situation in which something is not known or certain
Intensity - the quality of being felt strongly
Irrational - not using reason or clear thinking
Common misconception
Using an irregular structure always creates a sense of freedom.
While it can create a sense of freedom, an irregular structure can also create ideas of unpredictability and uncertainty.
Teacher tip
It might be useful to ask pupils to read the poem aloud and pause at the caesuras to help them see how the stop-start nature of the poem relates to ideas of uncertainty.
Equipment
You will need a copy of the Eduqas 2025 Anthology for this lesson.
Licence
Lesson video
Loading...
Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which of the following is an accurate summary of Kay's 'Dusting the Phone'?
Q2.'Giving human feelings and actions to objects or ideas' is the definition of .
Q3.'A word or a phrase used to describe something as if it were something else' is the definition of which of the following?
Q4.'The act of doing or saying something again' is the definition of which word beginning with 'r'?
Q5.'A situation in which something is not known' is the definition of which of the following?
Q6.If something sustains you then it does which of the following?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Arguably, the use of personification in Kay's 'Dusting the Phone' might suggest which of the following?
Q2.Arguably, the irregularity in Kay's 'Dusting the Phone' might represent which of the following?
Q3.'The quality of being felt strongly' is the definition of which of the following?
Q4.'A pause that occurs within a line of poetry, usually marked by some form of punctuation' is the definition of which word beginning with 'c'?
Q5.'Not using reason or clear thinking' is the definition of which of the following?
Q6.Is this statement true or false: The use of continual metaphors in Kay's 'Dusting the Phone' suggests ideas of uncertainty.
To help you plan your 10 English lesson on: Analysing ideas of uncertainty and intensity in Kay's 'Dusting the Phone', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 10 English lesson on: Analysing ideas of uncertainty and intensity in Kay's 'Dusting the Phone', 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.