Understanding the poem 'Bayonet Charge'
I can explain how Hughes presents the enduring impact of war.
Understanding the poem 'Bayonet Charge'
I can explain how Hughes presents the enduring impact of war.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- ‘Bayonet Charge’ depicts a soldier in the midst of a harrowing battle.
- ‘Bayonet Charge’ exposes how war damages people, innocence and the natural world.
- Hughes’ intention may be to criticise the patriotic ideals surrounding war and expose the true horrors of war.
- Hughes may have based his poem on his father’s stories of WW1 .
- Hughes' fathers stories were so vivid that Hughes felt he himself had witnessed the apocalyptic carnage.
Keywords
Patriotic - having devotion or love for one’s country
Dehumanise - deprive someone of the qualities that make them human
Harrowing - highly distressing
Common misconception
Poetry about war is always based on first-hand experience.
Many poems about war are from the perspective of family members who are also impacted by their loved ones going to war.
To help you plan your year 10 english lesson on: Understanding the poem 'Bayonet Charge', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 10 english lesson on: Understanding the poem 'Bayonet Charge', 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 4 english lessons from the 'Power and Conflict' unit, dive into the full secondary english curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
Equipment
You will need access to a copy of the AQA Power and Conflict Anthology for this lesson.
Content guidance
- Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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Starter quiz
6 Questions
Exit quiz
6 Questions
having devotion or love for one’s country
deprive someone of the qualities that make them human
highly distressing