Comparing experiences of war in poetry
I can explore reasons why poets write about war and begin to make connections between the poems in the Edexcel ‘Conflict’ anthology.
Comparing experiences of war in poetry
I can explore reasons why poets write about war and begin to make connections between the poems in the Edexcel ‘Conflict’ anthology.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- Poets have been writing about wars for hundreds of years.
- Sometimes poets sensationalise dying for your country as a form of propaganda.
- Poets who have first hand experience of combat often depict the brutal reality of war.
- Some of the poems in the Edexcel ‘Conflict’ anthology reflect on experiences of particular wars in history.
Keywords
Honour - behaving with integrity, and moral dignity; show respect or admiration for someone
Propaganda - manipulative information disseminated to influence opinions, often biased or misleading
Brutal - extremely cruel, harsh, or violent in action or manner
Sensationalise - present information in an exaggerated or attention-grabbing way to evoke shock or excitement
Cynicism - sceptical or distrustful attitude towards motives, sincerity, or the goodness of human nature
Common misconception
All of the poems in this anthology focus on a particular war from history.
There are some war poems in the anthology which focus on particular conflicts (e.g. 'Destruction of Sennacherib' and 'Charge of the Light Brigade') but others which focus more on societal conflicts (e.g. racism, social class).
To help you plan your year 10 english lesson on: Comparing experiences of war in poetry, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 10 english lesson on: Comparing experiences of war in 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 'Conflict' unit, dive into the full secondary english curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
Equipment
You need access to a copy of the Edexcel GCSE Poetry Anthology for this lesson. We will be using the ‘Conflict’ cluster.
Content guidance
- Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
- Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
Starter quiz
6 Questions
Exit quiz
6 Questions
behaving with integrity and moral dignity
manipulative information disseminated to influence opinions
extremely cruel, harsh or violent
present information in an exaggerated or attention-grabbing way
sceptical or distrustful attitude towards motives