year 8 poetry unit

1. Vans are better than Converse
• Firstly…
• On the one hand…
• In one way…
• My belief is…
• It could be argued that…
• They are similar because…
• However,
Make sure you have an opinion
using one of the phrases before you
have sat down!
Using connectives to compare

2. Our learning pathways:
Learning objective: to understand how to approach a poetry
comparison
To use connectives and comparative vocabulary to compare and
contrast two poems
I understand
what the
task is asking
me to do
I can
reduce my
learning of
the poems
down to
key points
on a plan
I can use
PEEL to
write a
detailed
analysis of
each poem
Level 5A

3. ‘The Dragon’ versus ‘The Kraken!’
Who would win and why?

4. Team Dragon

5. Team Kraken

6. Which poem is the best at describing
the mythical creature?

7. Clamps
• Compare
• Language techniques
• Atmosphere
• Meaning
• Personal response
• Structure
Which poem is
the best at
describing the
mythical
creature?
15 mins
On your paper, in pairs, then fours, create 4 PEELS to answer the question.
Scribe /spokesperson / manager / quote-detective
Use a grid to compare and contrast
Report back to the class

8. RECAP PROGRESS:
What do we know now about the poems?
What do we need to know about comparing?

9. The Dragon of Death
The Kraken
Below the thunders of the
upper deep;
Far, far beneath in the
abysmal sea,
His ancient, dreamless,
uninvaded sleep
The Kraken sleepeth:
faintest sunlights flee
About his shadowy sides:
above him swell
Huge sponges of
millennial growth and
height;
And far away into the
sickly light,
From many a wondrous
grot and secret cell
Unnumbered and
enormous polypi
Winnow with giant arms
the slumbering green.
There hath he lain for
ages and will lie
Battening upon huge sea-
worms in his sleep,
Until the latter fire shall
heat the deep;
Then once by man and
angels to be seen,
In roaring he shall rise and
on the surface die.
Alfred, Lord Tennyson
(1809-1892)
In a faraway, faraway forest
Lies a treasure of infinite worth.
But guarding it closely forever
Looms a being as old as the
earth.
Its body’s as big as a boulder,
And armored with shimmering
scales.
Even the mountain tops tremble
when
It thrashes it’s seven great tails.
Its eyes tell a story of terror,
They gleam with an angry red
flame
As it timelessly watches its
riches.
And the Dragon of Death is it’s
name.
Its teeth are far sharper than
daggers.
It can tear hardest metal to
shreds.

10. PEEL

11. Our learning pathways:
Learning objective: to understand how to approach a poetry
comparison
To use connectives and comparative vocabulary to compare and
contrast two poems
I understand
what the
task is asking
me to do
I can
reduce my
learning of
the poems
down to
key points
on a plan
I can use
PEEL to
write a
detailed
analysis of
each poem
Level 5A
Hold up
your
planners
at the
relevant
colour

13. Dragon versus Kraken
• Dragon is more
detailed
• Dragon has killed and
will kill to protect its
cache
• Lots of similes
• Strong rhyme pattern
• Lots of equal stanzas
• Upbeat, like a fable
• Kraken is less
descriptive of creature,
more of surrounding
sea
• Kraken dies when it
reaches the surface
• It sleeps for a long time
• One stanza; uses
enjambment but no
rhythm/rhyme pattern
• More serious tone

14. A template for a PEEL paragraph:
In ______ by ____ and ____ by ____ both poets
use ______ to help them express their feelings
about _______.
For example, in ______ the poet writes that
_______. This means ________.
Similarly / in contrast in ___ the poet writes
___________ ______ This makes the reader
think of____.
Remember: each of your main
paragraphs should include at least
one quotation!!!

15. Our learning pathways:
Learning objective: to understand how to approach a poetry
comparison
To use connectives and comparative vocabulary to compare and
contrast two poems
I understand
what the
task is asking
me to do
I can
reduce my
learning of
the poems
down to
key points
on a plan
I can use
PEEL to
write a
detailed
analysis of
each poem
Level 5A
Hold up
your
planners
at the
relevant
colour

16. Overall PROGRESS:
What do we know now about the poems?
How do we compare successfully?