New
New
Year 11
AQA

Writing a comparative response to unseen poetry

I can write a confident and clear comparative response.

New
New
Year 11
AQA

Writing a comparative response to unseen poetry

I can write a confident and clear comparative response.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. A comparative introduction should use correlatives and comparatives in order to create links between ideas.
  2. A comparative introduction might offer smaller variations in a wider similarity between poems.
  3. A comparative introduction might offer nuanced differences between poems.
  4. Effective analytical writing may include: active voice, tentative language, and explanation of ideas.
  5. Less successful analytical writing may include passive voice and repetition.

Common misconception

That using tentative language makes your argument seem less convincing.

Using tentative language acknowledges that we are exploring poets' intentions and that there are many valid interpretations of a text.

Keywords

  • Nuance - a very slight difference in appearance, meaning or sound

  • Transience - the state or fact of lasting only for a short time

  • Effective - successful in producing a desired or intended result

  • Generic - relating to or characteristic of a whole group or class of similar things

  • Tentative - writing in a way that shows you are not certain

Asking pupils to share how they would express the ideas of enjambment would be a useful exercise to gather words and ideas that other students could magpie.
Teacher tip

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.
Something that is successful in producing a desired or intended result is ...
ineffective.
Correct answer: effective.
uncompelling.
Q2.
Something that is logical, well organised, and easy to understand is something ...
Correct answer: coherent.
incoherent.
enigmatic.
Q3.
Arguably, enjambment creates a sense of ...
staticity.
immobility.
Correct answer: progression.
Correct answer: continuation.
Q4.
An effective introduction contains ...
Correct answer: detailed analysis of quotations.
a clear idea of your argument.
Correct answer: an examination of literary techniques.
Q5.
Writing in a way that shows you are not certain is called using language.
Correct Answer: tentative
Q6.
Which of the following sentences use tentative language?
Laskey's use of "snow" is a metaphor for transience.
Correct answer: Laskey may use caesuras to offer the reader a chance to reflect.
Correct answer: Robertson could use irregularity to show the unpredictability of life.

6 Questions

Q1.
A conjunction that illustrates how two words or phrases within a sentence relate to each other is called a conjunction.
Correct Answer: correlative
Q2.
A conjunction that shows similarities or differences between ideas is called a conjunction.
Correct Answer: comparative
Q3.
'A very slight difference in appearance, meaning, sound' is the definition of ...
Correct Answer: nuance, nuanced
Q4.
'Relating to or characteristic of a whole group or class of similar things' is the definition of ...
Correct Answer: generic
Q5.
Ideally you should use voice in your analytical writing.
Correct Answer: active, the active
Q6.
'The state or fact of lasting only for a short time' is the definition of ...
Correct Answer: transience

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