Year 5 - English
Exploring themes of hate and anger in 'The Wall'
Poetry by Valerie Bloom
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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, pupils study the poetry of Valerie Bloom. They will read a selection of Valerie's poetry, practise responding to it, and they will listen to her reading her poetry too.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to reflect on poetry with themes of hate and anger, writing a personal response to a poem.
Key Notes
- 'The Wall' uses symbolism - the use of objects, images, or actions that represent ideas beyond their literal meaning.
- The wall in the poem can represent a physical isolation as well as an emotional one.
- A poem can have several meanings and interpretations; each person's response can be different and unique to them.
- We can respond to a poem by writing a personal response to it.
Vocabulary To Learn
- symbolism: the use of objects, actions or ideas to represent deeper meanings or concepts
- interpretation: the process of understanding and assigning meaning to a poem
- personal response: reflections that we make about a poem after reading or listening to it
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Not all pupils may be familiar with symbolism, especially common symbols.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain this English learning goal in two key points.
'The Wall' uses symbolism - the use of objects, images, or actions that represent ideas beyond their literal meaning. The wall in the poem can represent a physical isolation as well as an emotional one.
2. Define this language term and use it in a sentence. 'symbolism'
the use of objects, actions or ideas to represent deeper meanings or concepts.
3. Correct this common English misunderstanding.
Mistake: Not all pupils may be familiar with symbolism, especially common symbols. Correction: To support pupils, adults could model out loud the associations that can be made about the objects .
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