ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
MEDIUM TERM PLAN
YEAR 7
Poetry Unit – Mystery and Mayhem
Aims:
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This scheme of work aims to develop students' knowledge, understanding and enjoyment of poetry and
to meet National Curriculum and Key Stage 3 Framework requirements.
It is designed to make students enthusiastic about reading pre-1914, post-1914 and contemporary
poems, to analyse them, and then recreate the effects in their own writing.
The scheme not only requires students to write their own poetry, but also aims to build the skills
required for analytical writing about poems required at GCSE and beyond.
The medium term planning format allows teachers the freedom to choose resources and plan individual
lessons, including starter activities. However, in order to ensure equality of provision and progression
for all pupils, teachers will adhere to the stated objectives and outcomes for each week.
Duration: 4 weeks
Resources:
‘The Highwayman’ by Alfred Noyes
‘The Lady of Shalott’ by Tennyson **
‘The Pied Piper of Hamelin’ by Robert Browning **
‘The Listeners’ by Walter de La Mere
‘The Lake’ by Roger McGough
‘The Ballad of Charlotte Dymond’ by Charles Causley
National Curriculum Coverage:
** Specified major poet pre-1914 (4 to be studied KS3-4)
* Example of major poet post-1914 (4 to be studied KS3-4)
Recent and contemporary poetry
Poetry from other cultures and traditions
Most students will: read poems both as shared text and within groups. They will write poetry showing
understanding of both the poetic techniques used by the poets studied, and the themes within their work.
They will produce pieces of analytical writing and also engage in speaking and listening activities.
Some student will not have progressed so far and will: read the poems and enjoy and engage with most
of the material and related activities. They will write about, and in response to, the poems and will write
their own poems. These pupils may need a variety of scaffolds to support reading and writing.
Some students will have progressed further and will: respond to the poems as pieces of well crafted
writing and then attempt to replicate these devices in their own work. They will read and discuss poems
independently. Analytical writing will show control of language and some evidence of independent study.
KEY TEACHING AND LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Pupils should be taught to:
WORD LEVEL
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Define and deploy words with precision, including their exact implication in context (Wd14)
Understand and have the terminology to describe the role of word classes (Wd16)
SENTENCE LEVEL
TEXT LEVEL – READING
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Identify the main points, processes or ideas in a text and how they are sequenced and developed by
the writer (R7)
Recognise how writers’ language choices can enhance meaning e.g. repetition, emotive vocabulary,
varied sentence structure or line length, sound effects (R14)
Explore how form contributes to meaning in poems from different times and cultures e.g. story telling
in ballads (R19)
TEXT LEVEL – WRITING
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Plan, draft, edit, revise, proof-read and present a text with readers and purpose in mind (Wr1)
Collect, select and assemble ideas in a suitable planning format, e.g. flow chart, list, star chart (Wr2)
Experiment with visual and sound effects of language, including the use of imagery, alliteration,
rhythm and rhyme (Wr8)
Make links between their reading of fiction, plays and poetry and the choices they make as writers
(Wr9)
Write reflectively about a text, taking account of the needs of others who might read it (Wr19)
TEXT LEVEL – SPEAKING AND LISTENING
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Use talk as a tool for clarifying ideas, e.g. by articulating problems or asking pertinent questions
(S/L1)
Listen for and recall the main points of a talk, reading or television programme, reflecting on what has
been heard to ask searching questions, make comments or challenge views expressed (S/L6)
POSSIBLE TEACHING SEQUENCE
Week 1: The Highwayman
OBJECTIVES:
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Understand and have the terminology to describe the role of word classes (Wd16)
Identify the main points, processes or ideas in a text and how they are sequenced and developed by
the writer (R7)
Recognise how writers’ language choices can enhance meaning e.g. repetition, emotive vocabulary,
varied sentence structure or line length, sound effects (R14)
Explore how form contributes to meaning in poems from different times and cultures e.g. story telling
in ballads (R19)
RESOURCES:
‘The Highwayman’ by Alfred Noyes
Optional Worksheets (see attached)
IDEAS FOR TEACHING:
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Revise poetic terminology – through wordsearch or other starter activity.
Introduce different genres, explain oral tradition of poetry, particularly narrative poems.
Brainstorm – what do we know about highwaymen?
Share first stanza or a selection of lines to predict what may happen.
Read poem as shared text – teacher to read to reinforce sound effects. List on flip chart/wall/ICT
for later reference. Pairs could annotate techniques on an extract.
Optional worksheets on sound techniques.
Complete flowchart of events or timeline to prepare for storyboard.
Give list of quotations to be used as captions for storyboard for lower ability. Or groups/pairs could
find their own.
Could ask more able pupils to write a stanza using same rhythm and techniques from point of view of
Tim/Bess/a soldier.
Storyboard should focus on capturing the atmosphere of tension, passion and mystery at different
stages in the poem. How does the poet achieve this?
OUTCOME:
Storyboard of key moments with quotations as captions.
NOTES:
Week 2: The Lady of Shalott
OBJECTIVES:
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Identify the main points, processes or ideas in a text and how they are sequenced and developed by
the writer (R7)
Explore how form contributes to meaning in poems from different times and cultures e.g. story telling
in ballads (R19)
Plan, draft, edit, revise, proof-read and present a text with readers and purpose in mind (Wr1)
Listen for and recall the main points of a talk, reading or television programme, reflecting on what has
been heard to ask searching questions, make comments or challenge views expressed (S/L6)
RESOURCES:
‘The Lady of Shalott’ by Tennyson **
Images of the poem on OHT (see attached)
‘The Pied Piper of Hamelin’ by Robert Browning ** (optional extension material)
IDEAS FOR TEACHING:
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Prediction exercise based on visual images of poem or selection of key lines from poem.
Tension graph of events in poem labelled with quotations.
Listening/drawing task – pupils listen to reading of first part of poem and draw images/symbols of
what they see/hear.
Cloze exercise on one stanza – pupils replace rhyme words.
Non-fiction writing task (estate agent details for castle) should follow the teaching sequence for
writing: examine examples of actual details; list conventions; teacher models how to begin; class
contributes ideas; individual work with scaffolds for those who need them.
The task requires pupils to read the poem closely for information and adopt the appropriate
persuasive language.
Extension/optional study of ‘The Pied Piper’ could lead to a different non-fiction outcome for the
week – letters of complaint from the townspeople to the council about the rats.
OUTCOME:
Non-fiction writing – estate agent brochure/details on the vacated castle.
NOTES:
Week 3: Mysteries
OBJECTIVES:
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Define and deploy words with precision, including their exact implication in context (Wd14)
Recognise how writers’ language choices can enhance meaning e.g. repetition, emotive vocabulary,
varied sentence structure or line length, sound effects (R14)
Write reflectively about a text, taking account of the needs of others who might read it (Wr19)
Use talk as a tool for clarifying ideas, e.g. by articulating problems or asking pertinent questions
(S/L1)
RESOURCES:
‘The Lake’ by Roger McGough
Cloze exercise (attached)
‘The Listeners’ by Walter de La Mere
Lines from the poem (attached)
IDEAS FOR TEACHING:
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Spend one lesson on each poem and a further lesson preparing for the essay.
Both poems will read well from OHP, revealed line by line or stanza by stanza.
Cloze exercise on ‘The Lake’
Question sheet on ‘The Lake’
Pairs discuss: ‘What has happened to the lake’ and present back theories as to how the pigs got
there.
Prediction exercise using extracts from The ‘Listeners’. Could also do a glossary matching game to
address the archaic language.
Pairs discuss: What do we learn about the traveller? What is his purpose there? What are the
listeners? Provide 3 quotations to back up each theory.
 Preparation for the analytical writing:
- Agree list of techniques used to create atmosphere of mystery and suspense. Annotate copy of poem.
- Model how to plan essay and contents of each paragraph.
- Give key words and sentence starters.
OUTCOME:
Analytical writing on how an atmosphere of mystery and suspense is created (in one of the poems).
NOTES:
Week 4: Ballads – The Ballad of Charlotte Dymond
OBJECTIVES:
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Plan, draft, edit, revise, proof-read and present a text with readers and purpose in mind (Wr1)
Collect, select and assemble ideas in a suitable planning format, e.g. flow chart, list, star chart (Wr2)
Experiment with visual and sound effects of language, including the use of imagery, alliteration,
rhythm and rhyme (Wr8)
Make links between their reading of fiction, plays and poetry and the choices they make as writers
(Wr9)
RESOURCES:
‘The Ballad of Charlotte Dymond’ by Charles Causley
News articles to be turned into ballads
Other ballads – optional
IDEAS FOR TEACHING:
Read first five stanzas first to set the scene. Identify words and phrases that date the scene to
1844.
 Pupils can investigate what the conventions of a ballad are. For example:
- Tells a story, usually tragic
- Quatrains, rhyming abcb
- Regular, strong rhythm
- Longer first and third line (6,5,6,5 or 7,6,7,6 syllables)
- May use dialogue and questions
- May end with a moral or address the reader
 Responses to the poem could include writing the police report, role-playing the police interview with
Matthew.
 Bring in a news article and model how you would go about turning it into a ballad. Less able pupils could
continue this, whilst others should bring in their own articles. Poems should adhere to the
conventions listed above.
 Encourage pupils to compile a list of useful rhyme words related to their topic before they begin
writing, and to plan out the content of stanzas.
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OUTCOME:
Own poetry – ballad based on a current news event
NOTES: