Relationship cluster – AQA poetry

This unit of work provides a basis for teaching the old spec AQA poetry curriculum for the Relationships cluster of the Moon on the Tides anthology. This is only suitable for teachers still using the old spec so 2015 will be the last year that this PPT can be used. There are suggested learning objectives for approximately half a term of teaching for high ability pupils with success criteria provided for some lessons. For example, pupils are asked to compare two poems by Carol Ann Duffy ('Hour' and 'Quickdraw') with particular attention to techniques and their effect on the reader.
Pupils are also asked to consider some unseen poetry. For extension activities, pupils are encouraged to explore writing their own poetry and to think about song lyrics as being poetry. It is hoped that this will help to engage pupils more closely with the topics covered. Page numbers for the Moon on the Tides booklet have not been included, in case teachers are providing their own copies of the poems.

In summary, this resource is a starting point to enable pupils to:
- Compare poems in terms of their form, structure, techniques and effects
- Analyse unseen poems
- Structure their ideas in a logical sequence
- Consider human relationships and how the speaker interacts with the subject

It is not intended to be an exhaustive unit of work as it allows teachers to edit as they see fit, according to their individual needs and the needs of their pupils. As it is for higher ability groups, it is assumed that pupils will have a good working knowledge of poetic techniques, however I recommend compiling a revision list of key terms as part of your teaching of this module.
GCSE, aged 14-16