'What is Normal?' Poetry Full Scheme of Work KS3 (Year 9)
A complete poetry unit for KS3 (recommended year 9). This scheme has been tailored towards a more able group, but can be adapted for a range of abilities.
This scheme of work includes 21 fully planned and resourced lessons covering both classic and contemporary poetry spanning the 19th to 21st centuries. The scheme explores the idea of ‘normal’ and how we interpret normal bodies, minds, relationships, and society.
Resources included:
215 slide PPT with teacher notes, guidance and options for adaptive teaching (more challenging/accessible slide options)
PDF version of the slides (notes not available on this version)
Supplementary materials with printout-friendly versions of work on the slides
A medium-term plan template
Handout-friendly copies of all the poems. Poems include:
‘Mirror’ by Sylvia Plath
‘Warning’ by Jenny Joseph
‘I Felt a Funeral in my Brain’ by Emily Dickinson
‘She Walks in Beauty’ by Lord Byron
‘Medusa’ by Carol-Ann Duffy
‘Sonnet 18’ by William Shakespeare
Medium term plan:
Week 1: Introduction to ‘what is normal?’
Week 2: What is a normal body?
Week 3: What is a normal mind?
Week 4: What is a normal mind pt2?
Week 5: What is a normal relationship?
Week 6: Assessment prep and assessment
Week 7: What are society’s norms?
This scheme is largely thematic with plenty of opportunities to discuss wider ideas and engage in Socratic debates. The ‘Notes’ section of the PPT offers plenty of ideas and alternative tasks to adapt to the needs of your students.
















