Teaching notes
Unit 3: Introducing poetry
Introduction
This unit will give students a useful overview of poetry and a brief history of this literary form
through the ages. It will show them the skills they will need to respond to poetry as well as highlight
the importance of active learning strategies.
Main aim
Skills
Explain what is meant by poetry and introduce
the skills required for responding to poems.
• Have an overview of the literary form
poetry.
• Understand the key skills needed for
responding sensitively to poems.
• Recognise the importance of an active
learning approach to studying poems.
Resources
Coursebook: Unit 3
Worksheet 3.1: How well do you know the literary terms used to discuss poetry?
Presentation: Unit 3: Introducing poetry
Extract sheet 3.1: The ‘General Prologue’ to The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer
Teaching notes
Worksheets
Worksheet 3.1 How well do you know the literary terms used to discuss poetry? Asks students to match
literary terms to their definitions. The terms refer to common imagery, sound and rhetorical devices. You
can use this as a starter activity to assess prior knowledge.
Presentation: Unit 3, slides 1–11
Responding to poetry is covered first in the coursebook, before responding to prose and drama. This
presentation introduces poetry in four ways:
• slides 2–6, comparing what poetry looks like compared with prose and drama
• slide 7, some definitions of poetry
• slide 8, a list of key skills for exploring poetry
• slides 9–11, poetry extracts (and modern English versions) of Old, Middle and Modern English texts.
The most obvious place to show the presentation is at the start of the unit.
© Cambridge University Press 2018
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Differentiation
Supporting your students
Worksheet 3.1 How well do you know the literary terms used to discuss poetry? is designed to build on
knowledge your students are likely to have already. The matching exercise will highlight the extent of your
students’ knowledge. You can use this assessment to inform future lessons on poetry, for example
perhaps more time needs to be devoted to sound devices than imagery.
Challenging students
The extension activity in the coursebook section 3.2 Developing skills for responding to poetry provides an
opportunity for relevant research about poetry. Students are asked to search for the 1890 recording
Tennyson made of his 1854 poem ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’.
Homework
See the activity recommended for ‘Challenging students’.
The homework could then feed into a starter activity. Ask them to answer these questions:
• How does Tennyson’s reading bring to life the poetic form?
• What else do you find striking about the recording?
© Cambridge University Press 2018
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