Year 7 - English
Analysing 'Search for My Tongue'
Poetry about place and home
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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 read and respond to poems that explore the links between place and identity. They start by exploring a selection of poems including Grace Nichol's 'Island Man' and Lemn Sissay's 'Anthem of the North'. They then write and perform their own poems about place and home.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to analyse the imagery in 'Search for your Tongue' and link this with the theme of pride.
Key Notes
- 'Search for My Tongue' shows the importance of language in shaping our identity.
- Initially, Bhatt fears she has lost her mother tongue, Gujarati, after immigrating to America.
- Bhatt then finds her mother tongue again, writing the second stanza in Gujarati.
- Bhatt ends the poem showing great pride in her ability to still speak her mother tongue.
- Bhatt uses plant imagery in the poem to reflect the power of one's native language.
Vocabulary To Learn
- Belonging: feeling happy or comfortable as part of a group
- Immigrant: a person who has come to a different country to live there permanently
- Pride: a feeling of pleasure or satisfaction because of something you have achieved, possess or are part of
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Students may misconceive what the phrase "my tongue" means initially.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain this English learning goal in two key points.
'Search for My Tongue' shows the importance of language in shaping our identity. Initially, Bhatt fears she has lost her mother tongue, Gujarati, after immigrating to America.
2. Define this language term and use it in a sentence. 'Belonging'
feeling happy or comfortable as part of a group.
3. Correct this common English misunderstanding.
Mistake: Students may misconceive what the phrase "my tongue" means initially. Correction: Explain the figurative language involved in the phrase "my tongue" and the link to language.
More Lessons In This Unit
- Analysing 'This Poem is Taking Place on Stolen Land' Study Guide
- Analysing the poem 'Island Man' by Grace Nichols Study Guide
- Comparing poems about place and home Study Guide
- Considering the nature of home Study Guide
- Exploring example poems about place and home Study Guide
- Exploring memories of home in the poem 'Childhood Tracks' Study Guide
- Exploring regional pride in the poem 'Anthem of the North' Study Guide
- Exploring the link between place and identity Study Guide
- Exploring what home means through the poem 'Filter' Study Guide
- Performing our poems about place and home Study Guide
- Planning ideas for a poem about your home Study Guide
- Using punctuation in poetry Study Guide
- Writing our own poetry about home Study Guide
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