Lesson Objectives By the end of this lesson we will: 1. Be able to tackle an unseen poem

What does “Unseen” mean? 1. It will be a poem you have probably never seen before 2. You are being tested on your ability to “read and respond” thoughtfully 3. You are thinking about what the writer is trying to say 4. Every word of the poem will count

“Write about the poem and its effect on you.” You may wish to include some or all of these points: The poem’s content – what it is about The ideas the poet may have wanted us to think about The mood or atmosphere of a poem How it is written – words or phrases you find interesting, the way the poem is structured or organised Your response to the poem

Content What it’s about? What happens in each section? Is there an order or sequence? Who’s speaking? Story or idea?

Ideas What did the poet want us to think about? Is it a story or an idea or an expression of an emotion? Is there a message?

Your Response It’s perfectly acceptable to say you find a poem confusing or misleading if you can explain why Try to be positive about some aspect of the poem or explain how you relate to an idea or event in it Uses phrases to show your sadness, surprise, enjoyment, anger, frustration, empathy…… The examiner basically wants to know you have read and thought about this poem

Things you should NEVER write! At first I didn’t understand the poem but after reading it a couple of times I think… The poem has no rhythm I think the poem needed to rhyme more because I like poems that rhyme… I think the poet has done a very good job of writing this poem and they obviously thought carefully about it…

Task One Choose a poem and answer the following question: a. How do you think the speaker feels in the poem? b. How does he use language to do this?