Year 10 - English
Power and Conflict poetry: developing comparative essay writing skills
'Power and Conflict'
Study Hub
Study Guides
This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
In this unit, pupis explore 12 of the 15 poems from the 'Power and Conflict' anthology. Pupils complete two lessons about each poem: one on understanding and one on analysis. Pupils study the poems in three groups, and they pause after each group to compare how those poems present common themes.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to develop your comparative essay writing skills whilst writing about poems from the Power and Conflict anthology.
Key Notes
- Topic sentences must be comparative when comparing texts.
- Comparisons should be made between ideas, intentions, themes, and messages.
- Correlative and comparative conjunctions are a good way to signpost your comparative writing.
- Within paragraphs, evidence can move back and forth between the two poems and be linked with connectives.
- Drawing a direct comparison of quotations should take place at least once across the essay.
Vocabulary To Learn
- discourse marker: a word or phrase whose job is to organise writing or spoken language into segments
- imperative: give an authoritative command
- superlative: highest attainable level of something
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- A comparative response just needs to reference two poems.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain this English learning goal in two key points.
Topic sentences must be comparative when comparing texts. Comparisons should be made between ideas, intentions, themes, and messages.
2. Define this language term and use it in a sentence. 'discourse marker'
a word or phrase whose job is to organise writing or spoken language into segments.
3. Correct this common English misunderstanding.
Mistake: A comparative response just needs to reference two poems. Correction: A comparative response must explicitly compare two poems on big ideas. It is important to use discourse markers to signpost comparisons.
More Lessons In This Unit
- An introduction to themes in the Power and Conflict poetry anthology Study Guide
- Analysing ideas of power and conflict in Blake's 'London' Study Guide
- Analysing the concept of power in Shelley's 'Ozymandias' Study Guide
- Analysing the poem 'Bayonet Charge' Study Guide
- Analysing the poem 'Charge of the Light Brigade' Study Guide
- Analysing the poem 'Exposure' Study Guide
- Analysing the poem 'Extract from The Prelude' Study Guide
- Analysing the Poem 'Kamikaze' Study Guide
- Analysing the poem 'My Last Duchess' Study Guide
- Analysing the poem 'Poppies' Study Guide
- Analysing the Poem 'Remains' Study Guide
- Analysing the poem 'Storm on the Island' Study Guide
- Analysing the poem 'War Photographer' Study Guide
- Comparing 'Poppies' and Duffy's 'War Photographer' Study Guide
- Comparing 'Power and Conflict' war poems Study Guide
- Comparing conflict in war poems from the Power and Conflict anthology Study Guide
- Comparing Romantic poets' attitudes to nature Study Guide
- Comparing the presentation of power in 'My Last Duchess' and 'Ozymandias' Study Guide
- Developing interpretations of 'Remains' with Simon Armitage Study Guide
- Understanding the connections between Romanticism and Shelley's 'Ozymandias' Study Guide
- Understanding the poem 'Bayonet Charge' Study Guide
- Understanding the poem 'Charge of the Light Brigade' Study Guide
- Understanding the poem 'Exposure' Study Guide
- Understanding the poem 'Extract from the Prelude' Study Guide
- Understanding the Poem 'Kamikaze' Study Guide
- Understanding the poem 'London' Study Guide
- Understanding the poem 'My Last Duchess' Study Guide
- Understanding the poem 'Poppies' Study Guide
- Understanding the poem 'Remains' Study Guide
- Understanding the poem 'Storm on the Island' Study Guide
- Understanding the poem 'War Photographer' Study Guide
- Writing introductions and topic sentences for poetry comparison Study Guide
Browse all guides in the Year 10 English guide library.