strongly captures attention or interest, often persuading or captivating; hard to ignore

the dispersion of people from their homeland to multiple regions across the world

linking words used to compare similarities or differences

a sentence expressing the main idea of a paragraph, guiding its focus

information linked to text, shaping our interpretation of it (e.g. when/where it was published)

Building analytical paragraphs about Edexcel's Belonging poetry

English

In 'Edexcel Belonging Poetry', pupils compared the language, form and structure of a variety of poems connected by the themes of culture and identity. In 'Edexcel Belonging Poetry continued', pupils work on making more nuanced comparisons between poems.

In 'Single Poet Study: Maya Angelou', pupils explored how Angelou uses her poetry to present strong relationships to people and place. In 'Edexcel Belonging Poetry', pupils analyse how a variety of different relationships to culture and place have been presented across time.

In this unit, pupis explore 12 of the 15 poems from the 'Belonging' anthology. Pupils complete two lessons on each poem: one on understanding and one on analysis. Pupils study the poems in a thematically linked order so they can complete comparative and thematic lessons at key points in the unit. 

Poetry anthology: first study

Subjects which particular individuals may be sensitive to, eg, adoption, migration, bereavement or death, divorce.

Depiction or discussion of sensitive content

not interesting, containing errors or mistakes

unclear or imprecise, lacking definite details or distinctness

strongly captures attention or interest, often persuading or captivating

to compare similarities or differences between texts

What are comparative conjunctions used for?

He judiciously ate a large meal before running a marathon.

The child judiciously spent hours playing video games instead of studying.

She judiciously allocated her time to prioritise tasks effectively.

They judiciously drove recklessly through the busy city streets.

In which of the these sentences is the word 'judiciously' used correctly?

an exploration of how each writer uses language.

an exploration of how each writer uses form and structure.

When writing a comparative analysis between two poems, you should lead with ...

be chosen judiciously and copied accurately.

only be used when relevant to your overall point.

explore how and why the writer used language and structure in the way they did.

When including links to wider context, they should ...

at the beginning of every analytical paragraph

just before you make a relevant point about the wider context

Where should your topic sentence go in an analytical response?

open to more than one interpretation, unclear or uncertain in meaning

not correct or precise, containing errors or mistakes

correct or precise, without errors or mistakes, reflecting truth or reality 

closely connected or appropriate to the matter at hand

without a specific pattern or purpose, happening by chance

immediately or without delay, in a very short amount of time

having a prejudice or inclination toward one side or viewpoint over others

in a wise and careful manner, showing good judgement or discretion

Which of these words are examples of comparative vocabulary?

choose one poem as a primary focus and mostly use evidence from this.

analyse more than two poems - the more, the better.

ensure a balanced argument by focusing on both poems equally.

analyse both poems but only use evidence from one.

When comparing two texts, the most effective responses will aim to ...

some relevant wider contextual information.

a comparison of key ideas or inferences from each poem.

a sentence which shows that you've understood what happens in each poem.

When writing analytical paragraphs, it's a good idea to lead with ...

in every single paragraph of your analysis.

only when it is relevant to the current argument you are making.

sparingly - it isn't very important to your analysis.

Content guidance

Depiction or discussion of sensitive content

Adult supervision recommended

This lesson will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

Building analytical paragraphs about Edexcel's Belonging poetry

Lesson outcome

Content guidance

This lesson will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.