This fully resourced KS3 lesson uses the poem ‘Invictus’ by William Ernest Henley to introduce and explore the powerful themes of fate, freedom, resilience, and self-determination. Suitable for a range of KS3 classes, the lesson combines vocabulary development, contextual understanding, and accessible analysis tasks.
Included in this resource:
Vocabulary-building activity to support confident comprehension of key poetic language
Contextual background on Nelson Mandela and the Invictus Games, helping students understand the poem’s cultural significance
Guided analysis tasks encouraging students to explore meaning, theme, and the poet’s message
Opportunities for paired and whole-class discussion
A differentiated written extension task, ideal for developing analytical writing skills
A full lesson plan, teaching slides, and all accompanying resources
Successfully taught to Year 7 (higher ability) and Year 9 (mixed ability) classes, this lesson works well as a stand-alone exploration of poetry or as part of a wider scheme of work focusing on resilience, identity, or thematic poetry.
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£4.00