Bayonet Charge - Ted Hughes - War/Conflict Poetry

This lesson aims to improve students’ understanding of Ted Hughes’s message and imagery in the war poem ‘Bayonet Charge.’ By the end of the lesson, students demonstrate their knowledge of the text analytically, through assured, appropriate, and sustained interpretations of content, language, and structure.

Students learn through a logical and step-by-step learning journey, including:
-Understanding the context of the poem and defining the key terminology 'bayonet', 'over the top', 'trenches', and 'no-man's land';
-Understanding key information about the poet Ted Hughes;
-Reading and interpreting the poem;
-Interpreting the poem, with a particular emphasis upon how Hughes creates visual and auditory imagery;
-Finding and analysing the language features used throughout the poem, and considering how these link to the poet's message;
-Writing an extended analysis piece based upon how Hughes creates imagery in order to capture the soldier's horrifying final moments;
-Peer assessing each other's learning attempts.

Included is:
- Whole lesson PowerPoint - colourful and substantial;
- Copy of poem;
- Interpretation worksheet (plus an answer sheet for teachers/CAs);
- Analysis task template and 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.