Before You Were Mine - Carol Ann Duffy - Love/ Relationships Poetry

This interesting and engaging lesson enables students to build their knowledge of the content, language, and structure of Carol Ann Duffy’s contemporary relationships poem ‘Before You Were Mine.’ In particular, students learn how the poet’s use of vocabulary, devices, and poetic structure portray the contrasts in the mother’s life between past and present.

Students learn through a logical and step-by-step learning journey, including:
-Discussing and applying the key messages and meanings in the poem;
-Understanding key contextual information about the poet and her life;
-Reading and interpreting the poem;
-Understanding the poem, with a particular emphasis upon the content, language, and structural features;
-Writing an extended analysis piece based upon how Duffy reflects on her mother’s past and the changes that she has made to her life since becoming a mother;
-Peer assessing their partners' analysis attempts.

Included is:
- Whole lesson PowerPoint - colourful, engaging and substantial; (including hyperlink to a reading of the poem)
- Copy of poem;
- 'How has Ma Changed?' comparison worksheet;
- Analysis template with in-built success criteria for creating well-structured responses;
- Comprehensive lesson plan.

There are also opportunities for group learning, peer assessment, and whole class discussion. This was originally taught to middle-ability year 9/10 groups, but can easily be differentiated for groups of different ages and abilities.

All images are licensed for commercial use, and image rights are listed on the last page of the presentation.