A poppy is a plant with large, delicate flowers that are typically red and have small, black seeds.

Remembrance is the act of remembering the dead.

A call to arms is a call to defend or make ready to fight.

Recruitment is the action of enlisting new people in the armed forces.

Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another.

Understanding the concept of remembrance in John McCrae’s ‘In Flanders Fields’

English

In 'Unseen Poetry', pupils need to consider the choices made by a poet, to explain how they convey meaning without having context or prior knowledge of the poem to draw on. In 'A World at War: Poetry, pupils have several opportunities to write their own poems in the style of the war poems studied, which pushes them to consider the craft of writing poetry more closely. 

In 'Myths and Legends Re-Told', pupils explore the way that poets use imagery and structural features, to inspire their own choices in narrative writing. In 'A World at War: Poetry', pupils practise adopting Wilfred Owen's style in their own poetry and also use a range of literary techniques encountered through the different poems, to produce a piece of descriptive writing.

In this unit, pupils explore how poets responded to the horrors of the First World War. They first explore Brooke's 'The Soldier', before looking at McCrae's 'In Flanders Fields' and Naidu's 'The Gift of India'. They finally write a comparative response on perspectives of war and sacrifice.

Comparing poetry from the First World War

Depiction of war, threats of war, death or the aftermath of war.

Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

Which flower does John McCrae talk about in 'In Flanders Fields'?

What service is John McCrae's 'In Flanders Fields' often read aloud in?

A call to 'defend or make ready to fight' is known as a call to {{ }}.

Who is the speaker in John McCrae's 'In Flanders Fields'?

What inspired John McCrae to write 'In Flanders Fields'?

Which word does Rupert Brooke's 'The Soldier' end on?

An emotional connection between humans and animals.

An emotional connection between humans and objects.

An emotional distance between humans and animals.

An emotional distance between humans and objects.

To imply that England is worthy of worship.

To suggest that soldiers will be punished for fighting in the war.

Why does Rupert Brooke use religious imagery in 'The Soldier'?

The concluding sentence should summarise your argument with a clear focus on the {{ }} intentions.

What does the 'how' part of a question mean you should analyse?

'A dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware'

'In that rich earth a richer dust concealed'

'Washed by the rivers, blest by suns of home.'

Rupert Brooke's 'The Soldier' implies that England acted as a parental figure to the soldier - which quote best shows this?

Content guidance

Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

Adult supervision recommended

Introduction

What will you need for this lesson?

Are you ready to learn?

Equipment

Content guidance

Supervision

Worksheet