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Year 11
Eduqas

Understanding 'Excerpt from The Prelude' by William Wordsworth

I can explain what I think the poem is about and why I think it was written.

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Year 11
Eduqas

Understanding 'Excerpt from The Prelude' by William Wordsworth

I can explain what I think the poem is about and why I think it was written.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. The Prelude is a semi-autobiographical poem which was published after Wordsworth's death.
  2. Written in the first person, this nostalgic poem reflects on a moment when Wordsworth was ice-skating as a child.
  3. Wordsworth had a deep appreciation for nature and spent much of his time outdoors.
  4. The intense feelings of innocence and joy felt by Wordsworth as a child, is matched by the intense beauty of nature.
  5. Wordsworth was one of the most influential Romantic poets, exploring the human experience in his poetry.

Keywords

  • Excerpt - a short extract taken from a larger text.

  • Nostalgia - a sense of longing for the past.

  • Rapture - a feeling of intense pleasure or joy.

  • Euphoria - a feeling of intense excitement and happiness.

  • Semi-autobiographical - a text that is partly-true to real life and partly-fictional.

Common misconception

Students often think that this poem is just about Wordsworth's time ice-skating as a child.

The poem also portrays the sheer power and beauty of nature. It is as much about nature as it is Wordsworth's childhood.


To help you plan your year 11 english lesson on: Understanding 'Excerpt from The Prelude' by William Wordsworth, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

You could set students a creative writing task inspired by this poem: Describe a childhood memory. This could be done as an extended home learning task or as a brief starter activity to get them thinking about the power of memory.
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Teacher tip
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Equipment

You will need access to a copy of the Eduqas poetry anthology for this lesson.

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Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
supervision-level

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

copyright

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
If something is autobiographical, what does that mean?
Correct answer: that it is entirely based on the writer's life
that it is purely fiction
that it is partly-based on the writer's life
Q2.
What might the word 'rapture' mean?
intense anger and disappointment
intense stress and anxiety
Correct answer: intense pleasure or joy
intense peace and tranquility
Q3.
If someone is 'bellowing', they are ...
laughing
whispering
Correct answer: yelling
crying
Q4.
What kind of mood is created here in the opening to Wordsworth's 'The Prelude': "And in the frosty season, when the sun/ Was set, and visible for many a mile"?
a dangerous, sinister mood
an exciting and fun mood
Correct answer: a calm and peaceful mood
Q5.
What method is used in the following quotation from Wordsworth's 'The Prelude': "We hiss'd along the polish'd ice"?
rhetorical question
alliteration
pathetic fallacy
Correct answer: onomatopoeia
Q6.
To feel nostalgic is to ...
feel intense disappointment
Correct answer: long or yearn for the past
imagine a brighter and more hopeful future
ignore or repress one's feelings and emotions

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Who wrote 'The Prelude'?
Wilfred Owen
Lord Byron
Correct answer: William Wordsworth
Owen Sheers
Q2.
Which of the following statements about 'The Prelude' are true?
Wordsworth began writing it at 21.
Correct answer: It is a semi-autobiographical poem.
It is 100 pages long.
Correct answer: It is about Wordsworth's life journey.
It was published just before his death.
Q3.
What kind of setting does Wordsworth create in the beginning of the 'The Prelude'?
a very dark, frightening and intense setting
Correct answer: a very rural, domestic and tranquil setting
a bustling and vibrant city setting
a grim, filthy and unpleasant setting
Q4.
Complete the quotation from Wordsworth's 'The Prelude': "The loud bellowing, and the hunted hare."
Correct Answer: Pack
Q5.
What do we know about Wordsworth's relationship with nature?
Wordsworth hated the cold, so only enjoyed nature during the summer.
Correct answer: He had a deep appreciation for nature and spent much of his time outdoors.
Correct answer: He was a Romantic poet, and often explored the power of nature in his work.
Wordsworth's relationship with nature changed after his mother died.
Q6.
What might Wordsworth's 'The Prelude' teach us about memory?
It shows us that the past (our memories) does not shape our present and future.
Correct answer: It demonstrates the sheer power of our childhood memories.
It shows us how fleeting memories are - they do not last.
Correct answer: Arguably, it shows us how precious memories were to Wordsworth.
It shows us how subjective memory is.

Additional material

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