Understanding the concept of remembrance in John McCrae’s ‘In Flanders Fields’
I can explain how John McCrae presents the experience of dying at war.
Understanding the concept of remembrance in John McCrae’s ‘In Flanders Fields’
I can explain how John McCrae presents the experience of dying at war.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- The poem begins by introducing the symbol of the poppy
- There are crosses marking the graves of the many fallen soldiers, who died in these fields in Belgium
- The second stanza focuses on the men and how they once were, creating empathy for the dead
- The final stanza is a call to arms, encouraging others to continue to fight for freedom
Keywords
Poppy - A poppy is a plant with large, delicate flowers that are typically red and have small, black seeds.
Remembrance - Remembrance is the act of remembering the dead.
Call to arms - A call to arms is a call to defend or make ready to fight.
Recruitment - Recruitment is the action of enlisting new people in the armed forces.
Empathy - Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another.
Common misconception
That all war poetry is designed to dissuade people from fighting.
Pro-war poetry is designed to encourage people to volunteer to fight.
To help you plan your year 9 english lesson on: Understanding the concept of remembrance in John McCrae’s ‘In Flanders Fields’, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 9 english lesson on: Understanding the concept of remembrance in John McCrae’s ‘In Flanders Fields’, 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 3 english lessons from the Comparing poetry from the First World War unit, dive into the full secondary english curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
Equipment
You will need access to a copy of John McCrae's 'In Flanders Fields' for this lesson. There is a copy in the additional materials.
Content guidance
- Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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