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Year 7

Exploring regional pride in the poem ‘Anthem of the North’

I can explore how Lemn Sissay presents pride for his region in ‘Anthem of the North’ and use this to inspire my own writing.

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Year 7

Exploring regional pride in the poem ‘Anthem of the North’

I can explore how Lemn Sissay presents pride for his region in ‘Anthem of the North’ and use this to inspire my own writing.

Download all resources
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Share activities with pupils
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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. An anthem is an upbeat song that has importance for a particular group of people.
  2. 'Anthem of the North' is a celebration of Northern England.
  3. Lemn Sissay shows his pride in his region through 'Anthem of the North'.
  4. Sissay may have been particularly grateful to the North because it supported him through his hardships.
  5. Sissay crafts a powerful stanza through use of direct address and conscious rhyme scheme.

Keywords

  • Region - an area of a country or the world, usually with a set of defining features

  • Anthem - an uplifting song that has importance for a group of people

  • Direct address - communication that is communicated to a particular listener, usually via the pronoun 'you'

Common misconception

Students may be unfamiliar with the term 'region'.

Help students recognise and learn about their own region.


To help you plan your year 7 english lesson on: Exploring regional pride in the poem ‘Anthem of the North’, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

There are recordings of Lemn Sissay passionately performing his poem. You could play this for students so they can better understand the feeling in this anthem. Encourage students to perform their short anthems passionately end of the lesson.
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Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
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Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

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Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What does it mean to have pride in something?
Correct answer: to get a feeling of pleasure and satisfaction from it
to get a feeling of sadness from it
to be jealous about something
Q2.
What is rhyme scheme?
the repetition of a word at the end of a line of poetry
Correct answer: the pattern of rhymes at the end of lines of poetry
the number of syllables in each line of poetry
Q3.
Which of the below is second person pronoun?
Correct answer: you
he
it
they
Q4.
What might the term 'anthem' suggest about the mood of a poem?
it is melancholy
Correct answer: it is upbeat
it is angry
Q5.
What might a poem titled 'Anthem of The North' be about?
it may be about the struggles of life in Northern England
Correct answer: it may be a celebration of culture and identity in the North of England
it is a critique of Northern stereotypes
Q6.
How might the poet of 'Anthem of The North' feel about themselves and the North based on the title of the poem?
Correct answer: they may feel proud of their identity
they may feel critical about the North
Correct answer: they may feel happy to live in the North

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What is a region?
Correct answer: an area within a country
a group of countries
a capital city
Q2.
What is usually the tone of an anthem?
melancholy
Correct answer: upbeat
sarcastic
Q3.
In which region did Lemn Sissay grow up in?
the South of England
the West of England
Correct answer: the North of England
Q4.
What part of Northern history does Sissay give credit to in 'Anthem of The North'?
Correct answer: the emergence of the suffragette movement
the invention of the light switch
it having Roman architecture
Q5.
What technique does Lemn Sissay use in Stanza ten of 'Anthem of The North' to appeal to the reader?
anaphora
Correct answer: direct address
simile
Q6.
Why might the North of England be particularly important to Sissay?
Correct answer: it supported him through a tough childhood
he moved there with his family from Ethiopia and felt welcomed
Correct answer: he felt he belonged there despite not knowing any biological family

Additional material

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