New
New
Year 11
AQA

Developing a personal response to an unseen poem

I can develop my personal response to an unseen poem.

New
New
Year 11
AQA

Developing a personal response to an unseen poem

I can develop my personal response to an unseen poem.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. To form a personal response, you might start by asking how the poem makes you feel.
  2. You might then consider ideas of which word(s) or phrases stand out to you and which you don't understand.
  3. To develop your personal response, you might consider reframing your ideas.
  4. When reframing, you might talk about what is evocative, pertinent or ambiguous in the poem.

Common misconception

That your feelings about a poem are irrelevant.

How you respond to a poem forms the basis of your argument about a poem - it helps you to understand how a poet has created meaning.

Keywords

  • Pertinent - relating directly to the subject being considered; relevant

  • Personal - belonging to or affecting a particular person rather than anyone else

  • Evocative - bringing strong images, memories or feelings to mind

  • Ambiguity - a situation in which something has more than one possible meaning

  • Reframe - to change the way something is expressed or considered

It might be useful for pupils to share their personal response to the poem to see how people respond differently.
Teacher tip

Equipment

You will need a copy of Helen Dunmore’s ‘Next Door’ which is available in the additional materials.

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of sensitive content

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

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).

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6 Questions

Q1.
'Belonging to or affecting a particular person rather than anyone else' is known as ...
generic.
Correct answer: personal.
informal.
universal.
Q2.
Which of the following words are a synonym for sad?
Correct answer: poignant
Correct answer: despondent
euphoric
exultant
Q3.
The mood of a text relates to which of the following?
the logical response of the reader
Correct answer: the emotional response of the reader
the intellectual response of the reader
Q4.
'Bringing strong images, memories, or feelings to mind' is the definition of ...
Correct Answer: evocative, evocation, evoke
Q5.
'Mirroring' someone else means you __________ them.
Correct answer: are copying
are distant to
Correct answer: are imitating
Q6.
Words such as "demolition", "screech", "slam" suggest ideas of ...
regret.
Correct answer: tension.
respect.

6 Questions

Q1.
The subject matter of Helen Dunmore's 'Next Door' is ...
interior deign.
Correct answer: neighours.
buildings.
Q2.
'To change the way something is expressed or considered' is the definition of ...
Correct Answer: reframe, reframing, re-frame, re-framing
Q3.
A synonym of 'evocative' is ...
inconsequential.
Correct answer: powerful.
Correct answer: moving.
ineffective.
Q4.
'Relating directly to the subject being considered; relevant' is the definition of .
Correct Answer: pertinent
Q5.
'A situation in which something has more than one possible meaning' is the definition of .
Correct Answer: ambiguity, ambiguous
Q6.
Poignant is a synonym of ...
ambiguity
Correct answer: sadness
apathy

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