Understanding ideas of love and obsession in Kay's 'Dusting the Phone'
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain how Kay presents ideas of love and obsession in 'Dusting the Phone'.
Key learning points
- Kay’s poem traces the thoughts and feelings of someone waiting for a call from a lover.
- We might suggest that the poem captures the uncertainty and obsessive nature of love.
- Arguably, it is this uncertainty of love that makes the speaker feel trapped and frightened rather than happy.
Keywords
Deduce - to reach an answer or a decision by thinking carefully about the known facts
Illicit - something that society disapproves of; something not permitted
Obsessive - thinking about something or someone, or doing something, too much or all the time
All-consuming - completely filling one's mind and attention
Common misconception
Love poems always contain ideas of warmth and happiness.
Love is not always warm or happy - love poems often reflect the uncertainty, worry, and pain that love can bring people.
Teacher tip
You might like to begin by asking students what words or ideas they associate with love and then to consider if 'Dusting the Phone' meets their expectations of a love poem once they have read it.
Equipment
You will need a copy of the Eduqas 2025 Anthology for this lesson.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which of the following words creates the idea of being constricted?
Q2.Which of the following are connotations of the word "sirens"?
Q3.'Thinking about something or someone, or doing something, too much or all the time' is the definition of which of the following?
Q4.Which of the following is the definition of a hoax?
Q5.'Completely filling one's mind and attention' is the definition of which of the following?
Q6.Which of the following is the definition of 'calamitous'?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which of the following is an accurate summary of Kay’s ‘Dusting the Phone’?
Q2.In Kay's 'Dusting the Phone', the speaker says that they feel which of the following?
Q3.Love is associated with which of the following in the poem?
Q4.In Kay's 'Dusting the Phone', which of the following does the speaker feel towards their relationship?
Q5.'To reach an answer or a decision by thinking carefully about the known facts' is the definition of which of the following?
Q6.'Something that society disapproves of; something not permitted' is the definition of which of the following?
To help you plan your 10 English lesson on: Understanding ideas of love and obsession 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: Understanding ideas of love and obsession 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.