Skip to content
Oak National Academy
Oak National Academy
Teachers
Pupils
New
New
Year 5

Analysing stanzas five and six of 'The Highwayman'

I can analyse and understand the events in stanzas five and six of ‘The Highwayman’.

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils
New
New
Year 5

Analysing stanzas five and six of 'The Highwayman'

I can analyse and understand the events in stanzas five and six of ‘The Highwayman’.

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Alred Noyes uses figurative language to provide imagery and describe events in stanzas five and six.
  2. Texts written a long time ago may contain unfamiliar vocabulary.
  3. Understanding the author's vocabulary choices is essential to understanding the text fully.
  4. Analysing a text enables readers to understand the events, characters and their actions in greater depth.

Common misconception

Pupils may struggle to understand the vocabulary, particularly in stanza six.

Give explicit definitions for any unfamiliar language, using visuals to support the explanations, to help pupils' understanding.

Keywords

  • Narrative poem - a poem that tells a story

  • Build-up - introduces the storyline for some main characters and begins to set up a problem or situation that will build in tension

  • Stanza - a part of a poem consisting of two or more lines grouped together

  • Analyse - to study something in detail to understand its meaning

It may be useful to find additional images to illustrate the meaning of key vocabulary.
Teacher tip

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Video

Skip video

Loading...

Starter quiz

Download starter quiz

6 Questions

Q1.
Fill in the gap. 'The Highwayman' is an example of a ...
diary
Correct answer: narrative poem
newspaper report
Q2.
Order the events of stanzas one-four:
1 - A Highwayman went riding across a stormy moor at night time.
2 - He arrived at an old inn-yard.
3 - He tapped on the windows' shutters, but they were all locked and barred.
4 - He whistled a tune to the window.
5 - Bess, his love, appeared at the window.
Q3.
Match the poetic devices to their definitions:
Correct Answer:simile,comparing two things using 'like' or 'as'

comparing two things using 'like' or 'as'

Correct Answer:metaphor,comparing two things by saying that one thing is another

comparing two things by saying that one thing is another

Correct Answer:onomatopoeia,when a word sounds like the sound it is describing

when a word sounds like the sound it is describing

Q4.
Identify a metaphor used in stanza one:
Correct answer: the wind was a torrent of darkness among the gusty trees
the Highwayman came riding - riding - riding
the Highwayman came riding up to the old inn-door
Q5.
Identify onomatopoeia used in stanza three:
Correct answer: he clattered and clashed in the dark inn-yard
all was locked and barred
Bess, the landlord's daughter
plaiting a dark red love-knot into her long black hair
Q6.
Identify a simile used in stanza four:
his eyes were hollows of madness
Correct answer: his hair like mouldy hay
a stable-wicket creaked

Exit quiz

Download exit quiz

6 Questions

Q1.
Match the key words to their definitions:
Correct Answer:narrative poem,a poem that tells a story

a poem that tells a story

Correct Answer:build-up,introduces the storyline for some main characters and builds tension

introduces the storyline for some main characters and builds tension

Correct Answer:stanza,a part of a poem consisting of two or more lines grouped together

a part of a poem consisting of two or more lines grouped together

Correct Answer:analyse,to study something in detail to understand its meaning

to study something in detail to understand its meaning

Q2.
Match the stanzas with their topics:
Correct Answer:stanza one,the setting

the setting

Correct Answer:stanza two,the Highwayman

the Highwayman

Correct Answer:stanza three,Bess

Bess

Correct Answer:stanza four,Tim

Tim

Correct Answer:stanza five,the Highwayman speaking to Bess

the Highwayman speaking to Bess

Correct Answer:stanza six,the Highwayman leaving

the Highwayman leaving

Q3.
Match some of the words from stanza five with their definitions:
Correct Answer:bonny,beautiful

beautiful

Correct Answer:thee,you

you

Correct Answer:though hell should bar the way,no matter what happens

no matter what happens

Q4.
Match some of the words from stanza six with their definitions:
Correct Answer:casement,window

window

Correct Answer:brand,a hot iron or poker

a hot iron or poker

Correct Answer:cascade,a waterfall

a waterfall

Correct Answer:scarce,barely

barely

Q5.
Identify one example of simile from stanza six:
he rose upright in the stirrups
she loosened her hair in the casement
Correct answer: his face burnt like a brand
the black cascase of perfume came tumbling over his breast
he tugged at his rein in the moonlight and galloped away to the west
Q6.
Which of these does Alfred Noyes use throughout 'The Highwayman'?
statistics
Correct answer: metaphor
Correct answer: simile
instructions
Correct answer: onomatopoeia