Power and Conflict Scheme
This comprehensive scheme of learning is designed to explore the Power and Conflict poetry cluster from the AQA GCSE English Literature specification. Grounded in academic reading research, each lesson helps students engage critically with the poems while developing their analytical and comparative writing skills. All resources are fully formatted, ready to be used in the classroom, and adaptable to suit a range of learner needs.
Key Components:
Academic Reading Approach:
Each lesson incorporates academic reading techniques, encouraging students to actively engage with the texts through annotating, questioning, and re-reading. This method fosters deeper comprehension and critical thinking about the poems and their thematic connections.
Guided Close Reading: Structured lessons guide students through close readings of each poem, focusing on language, form, structure, and historical context to develop a nuanced understanding of the poet's message and intent.
Poem-by-Poem Breakdown:
The scheme covers all the poems in the Power and Conflict cluster, such as "Ozymandias," "Remains," "The Charge of the Light Brigade," and "Exposure."
Each poem is introduced through its context and historical background, followed by a detailed exploration of its key themes, imagery, and poetic techniques.
Key Themes and Comparisons: Lessons are designed to emphasize thematic links between the poems, encouraging students to make connections between ideas such as the effects of war, the abuse of power, and the fragility of human experience.
Scaffolding Analytical Writing:
Each lesson includes scaffolded tasks to help students structure effective comparative responses, a key skill for the exam.
Model Paragraphs: Sample responses and model paragraphs are provided to demonstrate how to structure analytical essays, use subject-specific vocabulary, and incorporate quotations seamlessly.
Comparison Skills: Students will practice comparing poems, focusing on how different poets present similar themes through different perspectives, using comparative grids, graphic organizers, and sentence starters.
Engaging Learning Tasks:
Group Discussions: Structured group discussions and debate tasks encourage collaborative learning, allowing students to develop their own interpretations of the poems while listening to diverse perspectives.
Creative Writing: Students will engage in creative tasks such as writing poetry in response to the themes explored in the cluster or adopting the perspective of a character within a poem.
Visual Analysis: Lessons incorporate visual aids, such as artwork or media clips, to help students visualize the historical context and themes presented in the poems.
Assessment and Progress Tracking:
Formative Assessments: Each lesson includes built-in formative assessments, such as quick quizzes, annotated extracts, and peer-assessed work, allowing teachers to monitor students' understanding and progress.
Summative Essay: At the end of the unit, students will complete a summative essay, comparing two poems from the cluster, using the analysis and comparison skills developed throughout the scheme.
Contextual Understanding:
The scheme integrates historical, cultural, and biographical context to help students understand the circumstances that influenced each poet.
Students will explore how context impacts a poem’s meaning, such as the significance of the British Empire in "Kamikaze" or the psychological effects of war in "War Photographer."
Fully Formatted Resources:
All resources are fully designed and formatted, ready for immediate use. This includes lesson slides, handouts, contextual information sheets, comparison grids, and exam-style question prompts.
