Text for Scotland S1 Teacher Guide
Unit 5 Scottish Poetry
5
Scottish Poetry
Answers
1 Narrative poems
Student Book pages 110-111
Activity 1
2
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3
The king needs to find a skilful sailor
Sir Patrick Spens is named
The King writes a letter telling Sir Patrick that he has to go on the dangerous voyage
Sir Patrick bravely takes on the mission although he knows that it is hopeless
One of his sailors has a premonition that the ship will sink
The ship sinks
The ladies wait in vain for the sailors to return
The ship lies at the bottom of the ocean with all the sailors and Lords on it
Many possible answers: Perhaps Verse 6 where the storm is predicted; Verse 8 where
the storm happens
Activity 2
1 The king; a knight; Sir Patrick Spens; un-named member of the crew; Scots nobles; ladies
2 Like: Sir Patrick Spens because he is brave and skilful
Dislike the knight for suggesting that someone else goes on a dangerous mission
Dislike the Lords for being cowardly during the storm
3 He is heroic because he accepts the King’s orders even though he knows that it is
impossible.
He is heroic in his preparations for the voyage.
Also, because it is Sir Patrick that the ladies are waiting for – not the Lords.
Finally, the Lords lie at his feet even in death.
Activity 3
1
The King – last two lines of verse 1
A Knight – last two lines of verse 2
Sir Patrick Spens – all of verse 5 and first two lines of verse 6
One of the sailors – last two lines of verse 6 and all of 7
2
Could mention the repetition of pattern in verse 4; first line of verse 6; line 3 of verse
7; first line of verse 9; first line of verse 10
3a toun/ town; bluid/ blood; braid/ broad as in long; lauch/ laugh; wha/ who; richt/ right
3b skeely/ skilful (verse 1); neist/ next (verse 4); yestre’en/ last night (verse 7); schoone/
shoes (verse 8); aboone/ above (verse 8)
Answers
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Text for Scotland S1 Teacher Guide
Unit 5 Scottish Poetry
5
Scottish Poetry
2 Rhyme
Student Book pages 112-113
Activity 1
2
 A description of the heroic character
 Lochinvar rides relentlessly to the wedding
 He enters the wedding and is challenged by the groom’s family
 He says that he loves Ellen and asks her to leave with him
 The poem reaches the point where she has to decide
3 It is a fast paced poem. The action and speed of the poem is captured by the repetition of
“he rode” in verse one and the repetition of how he did not stop in verse 2. The adverb
“boldly” in verse 3 keeps the pace going and the groom’s father with “his hand on his sword”
also presents action.
Activity 2
1 Rhyme scheme for remaining verses is: a, a, b, b, c, c. Lines rhyme in pairs – rhyming
couplets.
2a Many examples of rhyme.
Half-rhyme: war/ Lochinvar; sword/ word; stone/none
2b Half-rhyme might be used to allow a sensible word to be used rather than forcing a rhyme.
Particularly true when a poem has to keep to a conventional rhyming pattern.
It also slows the pace.
3 Rhyme and repetition
Student Book pages 114-115
Activity 1
2 Bridges, houses, hedges, ditches, meadows, horses, cattle, stations, a child, brambles, a
tramp, a green, a cart, a mill and a river
3 Faster, charging, driving (rain), wink of an eye, whistle by, clambers, scrambles, run away
4 That we just see these scenes once and then never again. Our life is like this train journey
moving from scene to scene.
Activity 2
2 Fast-er than fair-ies, fast-er than wit-ches
Brid-ges and hous-es, hed-ges and dit-ches
The pattern is repeated but not exactly the same in every line.
3 It is imitating the rhythm of a moving train.
Knowledge about language: Comparative and superlative adjectives
1 Comparative is used when contrasting two items. Superlative is more than two. More is
used for comparative; most is superlative. E.g
Comparative
Superlative
more happy
most happy
more subtle
most subtle
more interested
most interested
Answers
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Text for Scotland S1 Teacher Guide
Unit 5 Scottish Poetry
5
Scottish Poetry
more annoyed
most annoyed
more complete
most complete
2 e.g. “From a Railway Carriage” has a faster rhythm than “Sir Patrick Spens”. (comparative)
“Sir Patrick Spens” is the most dramatic of the poems. (superlative)
4 Active reading
Student Book pages 116-117
Activity 1
2
Mars: Fine red clothes
Venus: Green silk dress
Moon: ostrich feathers
Earth: neglected perhaps ragged clothes
Activity 2
1
Apart from Earth: vanity, fashionable, frivolity
2
Earth is neglected, dirty even but nonetheless “bonnie” or pretty because of its plainness.
3
Earth is different because it can cry/ show emotion. It is also childlike in comparison to the
other planets.
4
It means that the earth is given no thought at all by the others. The poet sympathises with
the Earth and values the ability to show emotion/ compassion.
Activity 3
1a “But” indicates a turning point or a change in the argument.
1b Earth can cry/ show emotion. This is more important than wealth and showing off finery.
2 bonnie; broukit; bairn; braw; crammasy; goun; auld; mune; shaks; gowden; wheen o’
blethers; nane; thochtie, greet, haill, clanjamfrie
3 Answers could perhaps comment on the onomatopoeia of “greet” or “blethers” or
“clanjamfrie” to suggest the noise embodied in the meaning of the words.
5 Imagery
Student Book pages 118-119
Activity 1
2
real spikes; got into position; limbs seriously tense; one knee on the asphalt; crouched
over; like a predator waiting for prey, took flight; so fast; arms pounding; flew past; raced
straight, left standing behind, ran and ran, pounding feet, streak lightning
3
Joyful – euphoria; it felt as though I could run forever. Comfortable and happy when
running; my feet became the land
4a I raced straight towards the future/ The past was left standing behind; run for ever; years
on; past forty
4b The poet is referring to her own life as a race. She has grown old in the space of the one
race.
5
She feels dejected as she has become old without noticing and her speed has gone.
Answers
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Text for Scotland S1 Teacher Guide
Unit 5 Scottish Poetry
5
Scottish Poetry
Activity 2
Real spikes like rose thorns – This is effective because it suggests pain and perhaps the pain
of running. It is also effective because her shoes are red and this colour is the stereotypical
colour of a rose.
I crouched . . . like a predator ready for prey – This is effective because it shows her
eagerness to win and defeat anyone. Her reflexes are sharp like an animal waiting to pounce
in its victim.
I might just stop like a heartbeat – This is effective because it ties in with the idea of the race
as her life. As she is dejected that she is becoming old she is worried that she will lose her
speed.
Activity 3
1
She feels that her life is fast moving and competitive.
6 Writers’ language choices
Student Book pages 120-121
Activity 1
2
wee – means small
sleekit – means slender
cowrin – shows it is scared
tim’rous – afraid in relation to the size of man
beastie – diminutive form of beast
wee-bit hoosie – reference to the size of the mouse’s nest
silly wa’s – feeble walls
wee bit heap o’ leaves and stibble – suggests the small size of the nest
Alliteration of harsh <k> sound in “crash! The cruel coulter passed” to bring together the
idea of the plough cutter and the destruction it causes.
Activity 2
1/ 2 Bleak December’s winds ensuin’ – the word bleak suggests something really unpleasant
so the weather that is coming will be terrible.
Fields laid bare an’ waste – shows how difficult winter on a farm was as no crops can grow in
the cold. The word waste implies that no comfort can be gained from the land at this time of
year.
Weary winter – everything slows down in winter. This personification helps us see this.
Winter’s sleety dribble – the rain is constant, cold and snow like. Dribble uses onomatopoeia.
Cranreuch cauld- this is a thick harsh winter frost. The alliteration of the harsh <k> sounds
emphasises this.
Activity 3
1 Grief and pain
2 guess and fear
3 Many possible interpretations. Generally, use the punctuation to place pause rather than
end of lines. Overall tone should be contemplative, sombre.
3
8 Writer’s point of view
Student Book pages 125-127
Activity 1
Answers
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Text for Scotland S1 Teacher Guide
Unit 5 Scottish Poetry
5
Scottish Poetry
2
Statement
We should all be proud of our
country
The writer is proud of
Scotland’s scenery
Scotland is a country which
has a troubled past
The same old ideas are used
to describe Scotland
There is a lot more to
Scotland than you might think
The poet is proud of Scotland
and Scottish people.
Poet
Sir Walter Scott
George Gordon Byron
Maurice Lindsay
Some words in the poem
supporting this
This is my own, my native
land
The steep frowning glories
Tyrell McConnall
The grey defeats that are
dead and gone
Bagpipes and haggis
Hugh MacDiarmid
incomplete
Robert Burns
O Scotia! My dear, my native
soil!
3 McConnall. He criticises the images of Scotland. The phrase “you must be joking” shows
disdain.
Activity 2
1 Perhaps images of thistles, bagpipes, Highland Games, tartan, kilts, football, whisky . . .
2 Most of the images are old, though not as ancient as they are believed to be. Many of them
are Victorian representations of Scotland.
Knowledge about language: there/ their/ they’re and where/ were/ we’re
1a The children put their shoes in the cupboard.
1b In the box under the stairs there were six, tiny black and white kittens.
1c “We mustn’t disturb them, they’re too small at the moment,” said dad.
2a “Do you know where my new scarf is?” asked mum.
2b “We put it in the box with the kittens because they were cold,” admitted Jake.
2c “When we come home from school, we’re going to name them,” he continued.
2d Meanwhile, the kittens were purring contentedly in their warm bed.
9 Writing about poems
Student Book pages 128-129
Activity 1
2b Rain – its colour and its sad mood
Fog – its dancing movement
Snow – the patterns of its snowflakes
Thunderstorm- its flashing colours
2c Weather
2d There is excitement/ danger with the lightning.
Activity 2
1 Sample answers – many possibilities.
Your thoughts
Structure and form
Meaning
Imagery
Language (pick out key words and phrases)
Answers
“Your Dresses”
The poet uses a different verse for each idea
about a different weather type.
The poem is about the weather and the
different moods that it makes us feel.
She uses some similes and metaphors. For
example the main metaphor is the one about
the weather being different dresses.
The poet uses the difference between “like”
and “love” to show which one she prefers
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Text for Scotland S1 Teacher Guide
Unit 5 Scottish Poetry
5
Scottish Poetry
most.
Explain your own ideas about the poem.
3
Statement Carol Ann Duffy describes the mood of each type of weather.
Reference She uses words like “swirls” and “dance on the lawn” to describe the fog.
Comment This made me think that she likes the way the fog seems to move quickly
and create a happy atmosphere.
10 Planning
Student Book pages 130-131
Activity 1
1 There are several possible combinations.
A The first six verses describe the mouse’s life and how Burns has destroyed its nest.
D The poem is about how we treat the natural world.
C The poet uses lots of words and phrases to make the mouse seem small and fragile.
F Burns uses Scots words to talk to the mouse as if it is a friend.
B The last verse is a description of how Burns feels about his own life.
E Finally, I liked the way the poem made me think about how we can destroy nature.
Assessment task: Reading Activity: Analysis of two poems
Student Book pages 132-134
1
The living room – explanation of the grandmother dancing.
Her bedroom – explanation of how the room loves her.
2
Kitchen – family fights on Christmas day.
Hall – poor repair.
Small room – hamster might do damage.
Toilet – unpleasant memories of grandfather’s visits! or noise of the pipes.
Parents’ bedroom – image suggests arguments or troubled relationship.
Brother’s bedroom – her brother’s personality
3
Her own bedroom. She uses the word “love” to describe this room. It is a personal space.
4 The room is mentioned and then the description follows. It puts the reader’s attention on
the room.
5
It contrasts the dreams of the house looking for more pleasant ideas than the reality.
6
The robins dancing is a comic image and finishes the poem with a happy mood. The idea
of the roof as a dance floor suggests that they are enjoying themselves.
7
The metaphor of the parents’ bedroom having a “bed in a choppy sea” – effective
because a choppy sea is caused by a storm and this suggests a troubled relationship.
Reference to any of the rooms metaphorically having feelings could also be used.
8
Someone imaginative. Probably a young child who still likes hiding.
9
Beneath the table – because of solitude and hiding
Answers
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Text for Scotland S1 Teacher Guide
Unit 5 Scottish Poetry
5
Scottish Poetry
Under the stair – the idea of a second home makes it sound personal
Bedroom –it is a place to dream about what you will become
Above the wardrobe – it is a place where you can keep things known only to you
The attic – a place of retreat
10
Quotation
This quite fantastic
person who you
know your going to
be
When your parent
is a pest
The hideaway
inside your head
A person needs a
hiding place
What this tells us about the poet and how she thinks
She uses “fantastic” because she believes that we all have the potential
to do wonderful and exciting things with our lives
The idea of parents being a “pest” suggests that sometimes she
disagrees with them and wants to think on her own.
She thinks that inside your mind you can dream about anything that you
want and tell no-one.
She means that we all need time on our own. It is her conclusion to the
poem.
11 It is a metaphor for bad dreams or things that scare us.
12 Thinking and being on your own helps you develop and discover your own ideas.
13
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Impressions of each home: in “No. 115 dreams” the house seems busy, active,
argumentative, crowded, a bit run down too. In “Hiding Places” the home seems more
sedate, a personal place. The poem is about her feelings there as much as being
about the home itself.
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Both poems contain the idea of the place being personal and in particular their own
bedroom. In “No 115 dreams” the place is about family too. “Hiding Places” refers to
parents but only in relation to the poet and how they are a “pest”.

Many possible ideas. The above bullet points explain similarities and contrasts of
ideas. It is also possible to comment on similarity/contrast of style as noted below.

Structure/rhythm – comment on the verse form of both poems. “Hiding Places” uses
ballad type verse with abcb rhyme. Lots of rhyme helps it move with pace and sound
light in tone. “No. 115 dreams” uses many half-rhymes and has longer lines. This
makes it slower in pace. The listing of the rooms (repetition) gives the poem a
structure as well. Also the short verses break the regular rhythm.
Language – many possible comments. Possible comments could be on the use of
language choice. For example, there are many words in “No. 115 dreams” which
suggest a troubled background: fighting; worried; troubled; dislikes; keeping schtum;
sick of. In contrast the repetition of the word “dreams” balances the poem. In “Hiding
Places” there are many words which create a childlike fantasy world: world beneath
the table; second home; fantastic; best kept secret; hideaway; magic light.
Answers
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Text for Scotland S1 Teacher Guide
Unit 5 Scottish Poetry
5
Scottish Poetry
Further reading/ ideas: Unit 5 Scottish Poetry
Books
The Hat – Carol Ann Duffy Faber and Faber 2007: a collection of children’s poems suitable
for S1.
The Thing that Mattered Most Scottish Poetry Library 2006 : a modern collection of Scottish
poems for children.
The Penguin Book of Ballads Penguin 1975
Scottish Ballads Canongate 1994
The Works MacMillan 2005: a collection of poetry for children from across the UK, A series of
books.
Internet
www.spl.org.uk The Scottish Poetry Library website. An excellent resource with biographies
and poems from hundreds of poets from Scotland and beyond.
http://www.rampantscotland.com/poetry/blpoems_index.htm A collection of hundreds of
Scottish poems.
http://www.poetryofscotland.co.uk/ A collection of poetry from the ballads through to modern
times.
http://www.robertburns.org/ One of many excellent sites about Burns. This one has an
encyclopedia and his full works online.
http://www.scottsabbotsford.co.uk/ The site for Abbotsford – the home of Sir Walter Scott. It
has information about his life and links to the archive of his works.
http://robert-louis-stevenson.classic-literature.co.uk/ The complete works of Stevenson online.
Answers
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