First reading activities: Eduqas poetry anthology

Last updated: 15/11/2023
Contributor: Teachit Author
First reading activities: Eduqas poetry anthology
Main Subject
Key stage
Exam board
Category
English
Resource type
Role play/debate/discussion
Student activity

A lovely set of 10 engaging group tasks and first reading activities on a range of war poems featured in the Eduqas GCSE English Literature Poetry Anthology.

Students read 'Manhunt', 'The Soldier', 'A Wife in London', 'Dulce et Decorum Est' and 'Mametz Wood' and working as a group, consider the poems' titles, themes, date of publication, use of figurative language, vocabulary, structure and any similarities and differences.

Great as an introductory lesson to elicit students' initial ideas and responses to the poems and to develop students' oracy skills.  

Example tasks from the classroom resource: 

  1. Look at each of the five titles. What do you think each of the poems will be about, based just on the title?
  2. As a group, read through all of the poems together. 
  3. What theme do these poems have in common? Make a list of the words/phrases in each poem which relate to this theme.
  4. Have a guess at when you think that each of these poems may have been written (or the period in history that it may be about). Use the internet to find out the year in which each was written and the event that each is about.
  5. As a group, rank the poems in order for each of the following categories:
  • Easiest/hardest to understand
  • Time order (either when they were written or time period in poem)
  • Most/least enjoyable to read
  • Optimistic/pessimistic tone
  • Should be read slowest/fastest
  1. Are there any of these poems which you feel are paired — either because they are very similar or opposites? Discuss this as a group, then make notes on your ideas.

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