Year 11 - English
Understanding the poem 'Checking Out Me History'
Power and conflict poetry continued
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
In this unit, pupis read and analyse three more poems from the 'Power and Conflict' anthology. Pupils complete two lessons about each poem: one on understanding and one on analysis. At the end of the unit, pupils analyse themes from across the anthology and write a sophisticated comparative essay,
Lesson Summary
You will learn to explain how Agard presents identity in 'Checking Out you History'.
Key Notes
- Agard received a Eurocentric perspective on history, growing up in Guyana whilst it was a British colony.
- Agard shares his indignation that the education system restricted him from understanding his full identity.
- In his poem, Agard affirms his Caribbean heritage through his use of Guyanese creole.
- Agard celebrates Caribbean figures, neglected in his history lessons, in the italicised sections of the poem.
- One of Agard's messages could be the importance of breaking free from restrictive systems.
Vocabulary To Learn
- Eurocentric: focusing on European culture to the exclusion of the rest of the world
- Indignant: showing anger or frustration at unfair treatment
- Creole: a language developed from a mixture of different languages
- Colonisation: the act of settling and establishing control over the indigenous people of an area
- Indigenous: the people inhabiting a land before the arrival of colonists
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Students may think that Agard went to school in Britain and that is the reason for his Eurocentric education.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain this English learning goal in two key points.
Agard received a Eurocentric perspective on history, growing up in Guyana whilst it was a British colony. Agard shares his indignation that the education system restricted him from understanding his full identity.
2. Define this language term and use it in a sentence. 'Eurocentric'
focusing on European culture to the exclusion of the rest of the world.
3. Correct this common English misunderstanding.
Mistake: Students may think that Agard went to school in Britain and that is the reason for his Eurocentric education. Correction: Agard was schooled in Guyana whilst it was a British colony, this is the reason for his Eurocentric education. Learning about the colonisation of Guyana can help students to understand Agard's indignation.
More Lessons In This Unit
- 'Power and Conflict' poetry: writing a sophisticated comparative response Study Guide
- Analysing the Poem 'Checking Out Me History' Study Guide
- Analysing the poem 'The Emigree' Study Guide
- Analysing the Poem 'Tissue' by Imtiaz Dharker Study Guide
- Comparing 'Checking Out Me History' and 'The Émigrée' Study Guide
- Comparing 'Tissue' with other poems Study Guide
- Exploring theme, message and intent across the 'Power and Conflict' anthology Study Guide
- Refining comparative essay writing Study Guide
- Revising key themes in the 'Power and Conflict' anthology Study Guide
- Understanding the poem 'The Emigree' Study Guide
- Understanding the Poem 'Tissue' by Imtiaz Dharker Study Guide
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