Reading and responding to 'Pike' by Ted Hughes
I can engage with a poem and research the subject.
Reading and responding to 'Pike' by Ted Hughes
I can engage with a poem and research the subject.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- ‘Pike’ was written by Ted Hughes in 1960; the poem consists of eleven verses, each with four lines.
- Hughes often used animals, landscapes and elemental forces as symbols in his work.
- Hughes uses vivid imagery in the poem to create a rich and sensory description of the pike and its environment.
- Researching about the subject of a poem can greatly enhance readers' understanding.
- The goal of research is to enrich and engage readers in a poem.
Keywords
Subject - the main topic or idea that the poet is writing about
Imagery - the use of language to create a mental picture or sensory experience for the reader or listener
Research - to find out more about a topic or idea, using reliable sources
Common misconception
Pupils may find some of the language new or unfamiliar to them.
An extended definition list could be created to support pupils in understanding. Explain that it is normal to not understand all the language in a poem, especially when we first read it.
To help you plan your year 5 english lesson on: Reading and responding to 'Pike' by Ted Hughes, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 5 english lesson on: Reading and responding to 'Pike' by Ted Hughes, 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 2 english lessons from the Poetry inspired by animals unit, dive into the full secondary english curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
Equipment
You need a copy of the poem ‘Pike’ which is featured on pages 38-39 in the 2019 Faber & Faber edition of ‘The Thought Fox: Collected Animal Poems Vol 4’ written by Ted Hughes for this lesson.
Licence
Lesson video
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Starter quiz
6 Questions
Exit quiz
6 Questions
the main topic or idea that the poet is writing about
the use of language to create a mental picture or sensory experience
to find out more about a topic or idea, using reliable sources
describes the pike from infancy
describes the pike’s natural habitat and how they are apex predators
describes the speaker’s own experience of keeping pike in a fish tank
describes a pond where the speaker used to fish