Annotation prompts for John Agard’s ‘Checking Out Me History’. ‘Checking Out Me History’ is about how we are educated and how it can be biased. The annotation prompts are a supportive tool, intended to encourage further poetry analysis and interpretation. Resources included: an editable PowerPoint presentation on John Agard’s ‘Checking Out Me History’; a poetry planning table; 20 poetry analysis questions; and a booklet containing the poetry questions, with space to respond. This poetry resource can also be found, in video format, on Poetry Essay’s YouTube channel.

Annotation prompts for Katherine Philips’ ‘Orinda to Lucasia’. ‘Orinda to Lucasia’ is poem that explores the bond between Orinda and Lucasia. The annotation prompts are a supportive tool, intended to encourage further poetry analysis and interpretation. Resources included: an editable PowerPoint presentation on Katherine Philips’ ‘Orinda to Lucasia’; a poetry planning table; 20 poetry analysis questions; and a booklet containing the poetry questions, with space to respond. This poetry resource complements the video annotation of Katherine Philips’ ‘Orinda to Lucasia’, on Poetry Essay’s YouTube channel.

Annotation prompts for Lewis Carroll’s ‘Jabberwocky’. ‘Jabberwocky’ is a nonsense poem. It was first written in the sequel to ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’, called ‘Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There’ (1871). The annotation prompts are a supportive tool, intended to encourage further poetry analysis and interpretation. Resources included: an editable PowerPoint presentation on Lewis Carroll’s ‘Jabberwocky’; a poetry planning table; 20 poetry analysis questions; and a booklet containing the poetry questions, with space to respond. This poetry resource complements the video annotation of Lewis Carroll’s ‘Jabberwocky’, on Poetry Essay’s YouTube channel.

Annotation prompts for Mimi Khalvati’s ‘Ghazal’. ‘Ghazal’ is a poetic form consisting of rhyming couplets and a refrain (recurring phrase – especially at the end of a stanza). It originated in Arabia – long before the birth of Islam. Ghazal can be an expression of the pain of loss / separation / beauty of love in spite of pain. The annotation prompts are a supportive tool, intended to encourage further poetry analysis and interpretation. Resources included: an editable PowerPoint presentation on Mimi Khalvati’s ‘Ghazal’; a poetry planning table; 20 poetry analysis questions; and a booklet containing the poetry questions, with space to respond. This poetry resource complements the video annotation of Mimi Khalvati’s ‘Ghazal’, on Poetry Essay’s YouTube channel.

Annotation prompts for Seamus Heaney’s ‘Death of a Naturalist’. ‘Death of a Naturalist’ focuses on collecting frogspawn and the reaction to the tadpoles developing into frogs. The annotation prompts are a supportive tool, intended to encourage further poetry analysis and interpretation. Resources included: an editable PowerPoint presentation on Seamus Heaney’s ‘Death of a Naturalist’; a poetry planning table; 20 poetry analysis questions; and a booklet containing the poetry questions, with space to respond. This poetry resource complements the video annotation of Seamus Heaney’s ‘Death of a Naturalist’, on Poetry Essay’s YouTube channel.

Annotation prompts for W H Auden’s ‘In Memory of W B Yeats’. ‘In Memory of W B Yeats’ is an elegy – it mourns death. The poem commemorates the life and work of the Irish poet William Butler Yeats (13.06.1865 – 28.01.1939). The annotation prompts are a supportive tool, intended to encourage further poetry analysis and interpretation. Resources included: an editable PowerPoint presentation on W H Auden’s ‘In Memory of W B Yeats’; a poetry planning table; 20 poetry analysis questions; and a booklet containing the poetry questions, with space to respond. This poetry resource complements the video annotation of W H Auden’s ‘In Memory of W B Yeats’, on Poetry Essay’s YouTube channel.

Annotation prompts for W B Yeats’ 'To a Friend Whose Work Has Come To Nothing’. 'To a Friend Whose Work Has Come To Nothing’ is addressing a companion whose work has been futile or unproductive. It is about maintaining dignity and integrity in the face of defeat. The annotation prompts are a supportive tool, intended to encourage further poetry analysis and interpretation. Resources included: an editable PowerPoint presentation on W B Yeats’ 'To a Friend Whose Work Has Come To Nothing’; a poetry planning table; 20 poetry analysis questions; and a booklet containing the poetry questions, with space to respond. This poetry resource complements the video annotation of W B Yeats’ 'To a Friend Whose Work Has Come To Nothing’, on Poetry Essay’s YouTube channel.

Annotation prompts for Wilfred Owen’s ‘Exposure’. Wilfred Owen’s ‘Exposure’ focuses on the impact of weather and the harsh conditions that were encountered during World War 1. The annotation prompts are a supportive tool, intended to encourage further poetry analysis and interpretation. Resources included: an editable PowerPoint presentation on Wilfred Owen’s ‘Exposure’; a poetry planning table; 20 poetry analysis questions; and a booklet containing the poetry questions, with space to respond. This poetry resource complements the video annotation of Wilfred Owen’s ‘Exposure’, on Poetry Essay’s YouTube channel.

Annotation prompts for Carol Ann Duffy’s ‘War Photographer’. ‘War Photographer’ is about someone who takes pictures of war for a living. The annotation prompts are a supportive tool, intended to encourage further poetry analysis and interpretation. Resources included: an editable PowerPoint presentation on Carol Ann Duffy’s ‘War Photographer’; a poetry planning table; 20 poetry analysis questions; and a booklet containing the poetry questions, with space to respond. This poetry resource can also be found, in video format, on Poetry Essay’s YouTube channel.

Annotation prompts for John Donne’s ‘A Hymn to God the Father’. ‘A Hymn to God the Father’ centres on forgiveness. The annotation prompts are a supportive tool, intended to encourage further poetry analysis and interpretation. Resources included: an editable PowerPoint presentation on John Donne’s ‘A Hymn to God the Father’; a poetry planning table; 20 poetry analysis questions; and a booklet containing the poetry questions, with space to respond. This poetry resource can also be found, in video format, on Poetry Essay’s YouTube channel.

Annotation prompts for Jane Weir’s ‘Poppies’. ‘Poppies’ is about a mother’s experience of pain / loss as her son leaves home for war. The annotation prompts are a supportive tool, intended to encourage further poetry analysis and interpretation. Resources included: an editable PowerPoint presentation on Jane Weir’s ‘Poppies’; a poetry planning table; 20 poetry analysis questions; and a booklet containing the poetry questions, with space to respond. This poetry resource can also be found, in video format, on Poetry Essay’s YouTube channel.

Annotation prompts for James Fenton’s ‘In Paris with You’. In ‘In Paris with You’ the persona in the poem seems to have recently been in a relationship with someone that was unsuccessful. The annotation prompts are a supportive tool, intended to encourage further poetry analysis and interpretation. Resources included: an editable PowerPoint presentation on James Fenton’s ‘In Paris with You’; a poetry planning table; 20 poetry analysis questions; and a booklet containing the poetry questions, with space to respond. This poetry resource can also be found, in video format, on Poetry Essay’s YouTube channel.

Annotation prompts for Norman MacCaig’s ‘Summer Farm’. ‘Summer Farm’ firstly focuses on the detail of the farm before exploring a metaphysical world. The annotation prompts are a supportive tool, intended to encourage further poetry analysis and interpretation. Resources included: an editable PowerPoint presentation on Norman MacCaig’s ‘Summer Farm’; a poetry planning table; 20 poetry analysis questions; and a booklet containing the poetry questions, with space to respond. This poetry resource complements the video annotation of Norman MacCaig’s ‘Summer Farm’, on Poetry Essay’s YouTube channel.

Annotation prompts for Philip Larkin’s ‘Born Yesterday’. ‘Born Yesterday’ was written for Kingsley Amis’ newborn daughter, Sally Amis (1954). The annotation prompts are a supportive tool, intended to encourage further poetry analysis and interpretation. Resources included: an editable PowerPoint presentation on Philip Larkin’s ‘Born Yesterday’; a poetry planning table; 20 poetry analysis questions; and a booklet containing the poetry questions, with space to respond. This poetry resource complements the video annotation of Philip Larkin’s ‘Born Yesterday’, on Poetry Essay’s YouTube channel.

Annotation prompts for Seamus Heaney’s ‘Storm on the Island’. ‘Storm on the Island’ is about a storm striking an unspecified island. The annotation prompts are a supportive tool, intended to encourage further poetry analysis and interpretation. Resources included: an editable PowerPoint presentation on Seamus Heaney’s ‘Storm on the Island’; a poetry planning table; 20 poetry analysis questions; and a booklet containing the poetry questions, with space to respond. This poetry resource complements the video annotation of Seamus Heaney’s ‘Storm on the Island’, on Poetry Essay’s YouTube channel.

Annotation prompts for Vernon Scannell’s ‘Nettles’. ‘Nettles’ is written from a father’s perspective – he witnesses his son falling into a bed of nettles, before attempting to eradicate them. Metaphorically it represents parents not being able to protect their offspring from life’s impending problems. The annotation prompts are a supportive tool, intended to encourage further poetry analysis and interpretation. Resources included: an editable PowerPoint presentation on Vernon Scannell’s ‘Nettles’; a poetry planning table; 20 poetry analysis questions; and a booklet containing the poetry questions, with space to respond. This poetry resource complements the video annotation of Vernon Scannell’s ‘Nettles’, on Poetry Essay’s YouTube channel.

Annotation prompts for W B Yeats’ ‘A Coat’. ‘A Coat’ is literally about an outer garment with sleeves; a natural covering (e.g. fur of an animal); a layer or covering of anything. However, this coat could be an extended metaphor for Yeats relinquishing an older style, belief or poetic voice, and embracing another one. The annotation prompts are a supportive tool, intended to encourage further poetry analysis and interpretation. Resources included: an editable PowerPoint presentation on W B Yeats’ ‘A Coat’; a poetry planning table; 20 poetry analysis questions; and a booklet containing the poetry questions, with space to respond. This poetry resource complements the video annotation of W B Yeats’ ‘A Coat’, on Poetry Essay’s YouTube channel.

Annotation prompts for W H Auden’s ‘O lurcher-loving collier, black as night’. ‘O lurcher-loving collier, black as night’ is a poem that describes a collier (a coal miner or person who carries or sells coal). The annotation prompts are a supportive tool, intended to encourage further poetry analysis and interpretation. Resources included: an editable PowerPoint presentation on W H Auden’s ‘O lurcher-loving collier, black as night’; a poetry planning table; 20 poetry analysis questions; and a booklet containing the poetry questions, with space to respond. This poetry resource complements the video annotation of W H Auden’s ‘O lurcher-loving collier, black as night’, on Poetry Essay’s YouTube channel.

This essay is based on Tennessee Williams’s ‘The Glass Menagerie’. It would be helpful to A Level students studying ‘The Glass Menagerie’. It is approximately 1,569 words long and 3 pages in length. The essay answers the following question: How successful are the techniques Williams uses to suggest the ‘The Glass Menagerie’ is a memory play? For more learning resources, please visit Poetry Essay’s website.

This essay is based on ‘Lady Chatterley’s Lover’ and ‘The Changeling’. It would be helpful to A Level students studying these texts. It is approximately 2,040 words long and 4 pages in length. The essay answers the following question: Compare the ways the writers of Lady Chatterley’s Lover and The Changeling portray women choosing self-fulfilment over duty? For more learning resources, please visit Poetry Essay’s website.