Mid-term break - Seamus Heaney - analytical writing using GCSE style question (2 lessons)

**Lesson 1 **

To explore the themes, ideas and message of the poem ‘A Mid-Term Break’ in preparation for an assessed piece
To infer the message of the poem.

To explore the methods which allow the poet to communicate this message.

To explain our viewpoint of why the writer may have written the poem.
CONTENT: Consideration of the poem’s title; reading for understanding and comprehension; contextual information; discussion about the poet’s use of imagery; completion of planning sheet to aid with assessment writing preparation.

SKILLS: WM, CON, I Slides 8 – 12 offer demonstrate prompts for students on specific images – this may be used as a scaffold tool for lower ability pupils to guide their analysis in view of the their written assessment in the following lesson. Copy of the poem – Mid-term Break by Seamus Heaney

Lesson 2

To write an assessed piece with thematic analysis of a poem Write a thesis statement.

Analyse the poet’s choice of language and structure in relation to a theme.

To check work and highlight writing codes in our analysis.

Students are assessed on the following end of unit GCSE style question:

How does the poet Seamus Heaney present the theme of loss through the eyes of the child narrator?

SKILLS: Assessed marking codes: Thesis Statement (TS); Writer’s technique (WT); Evidence (E); Analysis of quotation (AQ), Writer’s Message (WM)
Students reminded of thesis statements with an example in the PPT on slide 18.

Students also prompted to Identify the key words in the question

• Decide what will be the focus of their thesis statement
• Pick out 3 – 5 quotations to base their analysis around Copy of the poem – Mid-term Break by Seamus Heaney

Success criteria on PPT slide 19.