Dear Year 9 Student,
This Independent Study Assignment should take up to 3 hours to complete.
DO NOT LEAVE ALL THE WORK UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE.
Read through the whole unit and plan your time carefully to make sure you can
complete all of the activities.
Dear Parent/Guardian,
We hope that this Home Learning Assignment is interesting and
challenging for your child. It should take no longer than 3 hours. If you
would like to comment on any aspect of this unit then please write a note in
your child’s planner.
The end result of this project is a speaking and listening task: a
presentation on WW1 and poetry. Please listen to your child’s talk. It should
be about 5 minutes long and interesting to the listener. Students can use the
projectors in their English rooms to show resources which accompany their
talk, but they do not have to use a computer at all if they are unable to. A
copy of the poem is essential, though.
Thank you for your cooperation and support,
The English Department
1) Researching WWI: answer all the questions which follow.
1 hour
1. In preparation for your talk, you must research what it was like for the soldiers at The Front.
Where and what is the frontline?
What are the trenches?
What kinds of duties (fatigues) were the soldiers asked to
perform?
What kind of food would soldiers eat in a typical day in the
trenches?
Draw a cross-section of the typical trench.
What could soldiers receive punishments for?
What did the soldier’s uniform and
equipment consist of?
2)
 Now you have to prepare a presentation (talk) which will last about 5 minutes. Use the
library or the internet to find a WW1 poem written by a poet at the time of the war.
Here is a list of poems you could choose from:
 How to die by Siegfried Sassoon
 The Happy Warrior by Herbert Read
 The Wirers by Siegfried Sassoon
 Flanders Fields by John McRae
 The Call by Jessie Pope
 Counter-attack by Siegfried Sassoon
 In the Trenches by Isaac Rosenburg
OR any other poem that you think looks interesting!
30mins
See the example below to help you analyse your poem. You might also need to create a
glossary (a list of the meanings of the WW1 terms and words) to help your audience
understand.
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Alliteration on
the l makes this
sound soft – but
the soldier is
‘ungainly’ so he is
not comfortable
This is emotive
as the soldier
is too young to
see this misery
A list of three
adjectives emphasises
the poor condition he is
in
The Dug-Out
Siegfried Sassoon
Why do you lie with your legs ungainly huddled,
And one arm bent across your sullen, cold,
Exhausted face? It hurts my heart to watch you,
Deep-shadow’d from the candle’s guttering gold;
And you wonder why I shake you by the shoulder;
Drowsy, you mumble and sigh and turn your head...
You are too young to fall asleep for ever;
And when you sleep you remind me of the dead.
Alliteration again
– the candle is
flickering but
guttering has
more impact – is
harsh
The final line is very
powerful – it appeals to our
emotions
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3) Now prepare a presentation: WW1 and Poetry. You must include the following;
 Lots of relevant information to explain
 Statistics/facts/dates
 Your chosen poem
 An explanation of why you chose the poem
 Information about the poet’s life and involvement with the war
 An analysis of the poem and the writer’s techniques
1 hour 30:
to write and
practise
4) Poetic Techniques Checklist – see if you can spot the following in your chosen poem.
Tick the box if you spot it! Use the example in your presentation.
ALLITERATION
REPETITION
RHYME
EMOTIVE LANGUAGE
LONG PAUSES (CEASURA)
METAPHOR
SIMILE
PERSONIFICATION
SPEAKS TO READER
FIRST PERSON CHARACTER
THIRD PERSON NARRATION
*You can use PowerPoint to present your talk, or you simply use a word document. Remember that you can
book into the computer rooms at lunch to help you do this, and if you speak to Mrs Giles, she can accompany
you after school on Thursday in one of the computer rooms*.Plan you slides (or sections) of your talk like
this:
Slides 1-2
Slides 3-4
Slides 5-6
Slides 7-8
Information on the war
Information about the poet
Information about the
The overall meaning of the
you have chosen
techniques used in the
poem and why you chose it
Information about the
poem
trenches – images too
The poem
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Once you have prepared your presentation materials you must practise your talk. Aim to speak for about 5
minutes.
Remember to use:
A clear voice
Your opinion about the poem
Eye contact
poetic techniques
Relevant facts
precise vocabulary
Interesting facts
Explanation (PEE)
Your objective for Speaking and Listening:
AF3: Adapt and vary structures and vocabulary according to purpose, listeners and what is spoken about,
selecting and using the features of spoken Standard English effectively.
Your objectives for Reading skills:
Af6: Identify and comment on writers’ purposes and viewpoints, and the overall effect on the reader.
AF2: understand, select or retrieve information, events or ideas from texts and use quotation and reference
to text.
Self-Assessment:
What did you enjoy about this I.S.A?.................................................................
……………………….……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
What did you learn?.....................................................................................
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….……………………………………………
What did you find difficult?................................................................................
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
What speaking and listening level would you like to achieve?.........................................................
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Speaking and Listening Levels – your teacher will use these during the talk
Level 4
evidence Level 5
You talk and listen with confidence in more than one
situation/task
You begin to use Standard English in formal situations
You use some features of Standard English and grammar
You talk confidently in a wide range of situations, including
those of a formal nature
You can vary the way you talk to suit the purpose of the task
You engage your listener
You can develop ideas thoughtfully
You begin to vary vocabulary
You can describe events and show your opinion
You begin to vary expression
Level 6
You are fluent in Standard English in formal
situations/tasks
You adapt the way you talk to suit the demands of the
task
You engage your listener
You use varied vocabulary
evidence Level 7
You confidently match your talk to the purpose of the
task
evidence
evidence
Your vocabulary is precise
You use standard English when needed confidently
Your talk is well structured, organised and clear
You use varied expression
With thanks to St. Francis of Assisi, Aldridge.
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