Comparing personal responses to unseen poetry
I can compare and interrogate my personal responses to unseen poetry.
Comparing personal responses to unseen poetry
I can compare and interrogate my personal responses to unseen poetry.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- You might begin to form a comparative response by considering which poem you have a greater emotional reaction to.
- Then, you might develop your comparison by considering which one you find more provocative, pertinent, or ambiguous.
- Comparing your personal responses can help you to understand how poets have created meaning.
- Interrogating why you react differently to poems can help you understand the world around you and yourself.
Keywords
Interrogate - to ask questions in order to seek answers or information
Ambiguous - something unclear or vague which is open to more than one possible interpretation
Pertinent - relevant or applicable to a particular matter
Provocative - cause a strong emotional reaction
Poignant - causing or having a very sharp feeling of sadness
Common misconception
That considering which poem you have a stronger emotional reaction to is not worthwhile.
Comparing your personal responses to poems can help you to see how the poet has managed to create meaning and mood through their writing.
To help you plan your year 11 english lesson on: Comparing personal responses to unseen poetry, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 11 english lesson on: Comparing personal responses to unseen poetry, 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 Unseen poetry unit, dive into the full secondary english curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
Equipment
You will need a copy of Michael Laskey’s ‘Nobody’ and Robin Robertson’s ‘Donegal’ which are available in the additional materials.
Content guidance
- Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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