A LEVEL

ENGLISH LITERATURE H071 H471 EMILY DICKINSON

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Sample Lesson Plan GCE English Literature H071 H471 Unit F661 - Poetry an Prose 1!00-1"4# Emily $i%&inson' #(0 ) *+ starte Early ) ,oo& my $og )Lesson Plan
OCR recognises that the teaching of this qualification above will vary greatly from school to school and from teacher to teacher. With that in mind this lesson plan is offered, as a possible approach but will be sub ect to modifications by the individual teacher. !he set list of poems by each poet is available on OCR"s webpage for the specification. !hese lesson plans for teaching poetry for #ection $ of the e%am deliberately use poems outside the required list. !his is to preserve the integrity of OCR"s e%aminations and so that no candidate is disadvantaged. &n the '(() e%amination candidates are e%pected to refer to other poems by the poet from the set list, but may also refer to their wider reading by the same poet. Lesson length is assumed to be one hour.

Learning Ob ectives for the Lesson

Ob ective ) Ob ective * !o encourage students to develop methods of annotating a poem as it is discussed. !o encourage students to e%plore different ideas about a poem with freedom and confidence.

Recap of previous e%perience and prior +nowledge

!his lesson plan does not assume any prior +nowledge of ,ic+inson"s poetry.

-rea+down of Lesson
Se%tion &ntroductory active tas+ $etails #plit students into small groups of ./0. 1and each group a copy of 0*2 chopped up into pieces 3see Resource ) and *4. !he groups should compete to see who can arrange the pieces into the correct order the fastest. !hey will develop their +nowledge of the narrative of the poem whilst doing so. 5- 6 two versions of the chopped up poem are included 6 one is more difficult, the other has been simplified. $ quic+, whole/class discussion based on the tas+ they have ust completed. $s+ the class what they have noticed about ,ic+inson"s use of punctuation 6 how is this poem different from others they have read8 What made it a challenging poem to arrange in order8 1ow did they use the 9storyline: in the poem to help them arrange it, and what is this narrative8 Why might the poem have a number rather than a title8 1and out a copy of the poem. Read it out. 'acilitate e%ploratory discussion of it. $s ideas are shared, model annotation either through pro ecting the poem through an electronic visualiser or through an overhead pro ector. ,raw students" attention to the importance of annotating carefully in $ Level lessons and stress that they may develop their own style or method of annotation 3different colours etc4. 1and out the sheet 90*2 6 What do you thin+: 3#ee Resource .4 to students. ;ive them time to complete it. !he sheet can either be used to facilitate discussion then and there or ta+en from the students to be mar+ed later and used as a starter for a future lesson.
GCE English Literature H071 H471

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-rief written tas+ to help students develop their

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2130 Emily $i%&inson

views Se%tion Written tas+

Plenary

$etails $s+ pupils to answer the question< 91ow does ,ic+inson present the #ea in poem 0*28: =ncourage them to use the points discussed and noted earlier as a basis for their paragraphs. !his can either be a three/paragraph tas+ for this lesson only or ta+en away and finished as homewor+. &t will consolidate what they have learned today and provide an early opportunity for you to assess your students" ability to write critically. !ac+ five pieces of $. paper to the board. $s+ students to volunteer five points that they have learned about ,ic+inson"s style of writing from this lesson. Write down what they say on the paper. !he five sheets can be displayed at the start of ne%t lesson to help students recap on what you have taught them today.

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,e5t' Poem or se%tions o4 te5t & started =arly / !oo+ my ,og / $nd visited the #ea / !he >ermaids in the -asement Came out to loo+ at me / $nd 'rigates / in the @pper 'loor =%tended 1empen 1ands / Presuming >e to be a >ouse / $ground // upon the #ands / -ut no >an moved >e / till the !ide Went past my simple #hoe / $nd past my $pron / and my -elt / $nd past my -odice / too / $nd made as 1e would eat me up / $s wholly as a ,ew @pon a ,andelionCs #leeve / $nd then / & started / too / $nd 1e / 1e followed / close behind / & felt his #ilver 1eel @pon my $n+le // !hen my #hoes Would overflow with Pearl / @ntil We met the #olid !own / 5o One 1e seemed to +now / $nd bowing / with a >ighty loo+ / $t me / !he #ea withdrew / 6otes !he first stan?a encapsulates the idea that the poem can be interpreted on a physical and allegorical level. &s it about a flight of fancy during a literal wal+ on a beach or is there more sinister symbolism present8 !he narrator presents herself as something small 3a mouse4 6 a leitmotif of ,ic+inson"s poems is that she presents her narrative persona as smallAchildish 3see, for e%ample, poem B24. !here are clear se%ual overtones present in this stan?a, with the male #ea submersing the female narrator. !he references to intimate items of clothing suggest that a theme of 0*2 is se%ual threat. !he narrator e%presses a fear of being completely covered by the #ea yet chooses a gentle simile to e%press this 6 again, her attitudes towards the #ea could be seen as contradictory. !he #ea could also represent the force of 5ature or ,eath. !he pronouns 3particularly the repetition of D1e"4 accentuate the narrator"s fear of being caught by the #ea and yet the simple ad ectives Dsilver" and Dpearl" imply that there are elements of the #ea that she finds attractive. !he le%ical choice of the word D#olid" implies that the town represents safety or reality. !he ambiguous attitude towards the #ea remains 6 he has pursued the narrator in a terrifying manner yet behaves with chivalry at the end.

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ConsolidationA5e%t steps
Suggestions 1omewor+ tas+ Retention tas+ 'urther reading $etails #tudents could finish the written tas+, 91ow does ,ic+inson present the #ea in poem 0*28: as a homewor+ assignment. #tart the ne%t lesson by recapping from the plenary of this lesson and as+ing students to recall the five things they identified as emblematic of ,ic+inson"s style of writing. Eou could distribute other ,ic+inson poems to the students that use waterA#ea imagery and as+ students to compare them to 0*2. =%amples of poems that you might show them are< B(, )(*, *7F, *0*, ))FG and )*22.

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2130 Emily $i%&inson

GCE English Literature H071 H471 Unit F661 - Poetry an Prose 1!00-1"4# Emily $i%&inson' #(0 ) *+ starte Early ) ,oo& my $og )& started =arly / !oo+ my ,og / $nd visited the #ea / !he >ermaids in the -asement Came out to loo+ at me / $nd 'rigates / in the @pper 'loor =%tended 1empen 1ands / Presuming >e to be a >ouse / $ground / upon the #ands / -ut no >an moved >e / till the !ide Went past my simple #hoe / $nd past my $pron / and my -elt $nd past my -odice / too / $nd made as 1e would eat me up / $s wholly as a ,ew @pon a ,andelionCs #leeve / $nd then / & started / too / $nd 1e / 1e followed / close behind / & felt 1is #ilver 1eel @pon my $n+le / !hen my #hoes Would overflow with Pearl / @ntil We met the #olid !own / 5o One 1e seemed to +now $nd bowing / with a >ighty loo+ / $t me / !he #ea withdrew 6

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1esour%e 1 GCE English Literature H071 H471 Unit F661 - Poetry an Prose 1!00-1"4# Emily $i%&inson' #(0 ) *+ starte Early ) ,oo& my $og )-

#(0 & started =arly / !oo+ my ,og / $nd visited the #ea / !he >ermaids in the -asement Came out to loo+ at me 6 $nd 'rigates / in the @pper 'loor =%tended 1empen 1ands / Presuming >e to be a >ouse / $ground / upon the #ands / -ut no >an moved >e / till the !ide Went past my simple #hoe / $nd past my $pron / and my -elt $nd past my -odice / too 6 $nd made as 1e would eat me up $s wholly as a ,ew @pon a ,andelionCs #leeve / $nd then / & started / too 6 $nd 1e / 1e followed / close behind / & felt 1is #ilver 1eel @pon my $n+le / !hen my #hoes Would overflow with Pearl / @ntil We met the #olid !own / 5o One 1e seemed to +now $nd bowing / with a >ighty loo+ / $t me / !he #ea withdrew

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2130 Emily $i%&inson

1esour%e ( GCE English Literature H071 H471 Unit F661 - Poetry an Prose 1!00-1"4# Emily $i%&inson' #(0 ) *+ starte Early ) ,oo& my $og )#(0 & started =arly / !oo+ my ,og / $nd visited the #ea 6 !he >ermaids in the -asement Came out to loo+ at me 6 $nd 'rigates / in the @pper 'loor =%tended 1empen 1ands / Presuming >e to be a >ouse 6 $ground / upon the #ands / -ut no >an moved >e / till the !ide Went past my simple #hoe 6 $nd past my $pron / and my -elt $nd past my -odice / too 6 $nd made as 1e would eat me up $s wholly as a ,ew @pon a ,andelionCs #leeve / $nd then / & started / too 6 $nd 1e / 1e followed / close behind / & felt 1is #ilver 1eel @pon my $n+le / !hen my #hoes Would overflow with Pearl / @ntil We met the #olid !own 6 5o One 1e seemed to +now $nd bowing / with a >ighty loo+ 6 $t me / !he #ea withdrew

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1esour%e 7 GCE English Literature H071 H471 Unit F661 - Poetry an Prose 1!00-1"4# Emily $i%&inson' #(0 ) *+ starte Early ) ,oo& my $og )8hat o 9/U thin&: +4 10 is *strongly agree- an 1 is *%ompletely isagree-; ho< 4ar o you agree <ith the 4ollo<ing opinions a=out $i%&inson>s poem #(0 an <hy: ,HE1E +S 6/ *1+GH, .6S8E1-; ?U, 9/U @US, EAPL.+6 +6 . SE6,E6CE ?EL/8 E.CH S,.,E@E6, 8H9 9/U H/L$ ,H., 2+E83 !his is simply a poem about a wal+ down to the sea and has no deeper meaning. ) * . 7 0 ( B G F )2

!his is a poem about a woman feeling se%ually threatened. ) * . 7 0 ( B G F )2

!he #ea is portrayed in a wholly negative way. ) * . 7 0 ( B G F )2

!he narrator presents herself as being small and vulnerable. ) * . 7 0 ( B G F )2

!he simile in the fourth stan?a is apt as it reflects the narrator"s fear of being completely engulfed by the #ea. ) * . 7 0 ( B G F )2

!his is a poem about the fear of mortality. ) * . 7 0 ( B G F )2

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Sample Lesson Plan GCE English Literature H071 H471 Unit F661 - Poetry an Prose 1!00-1"4# Emily $i%&inson' 1#"7 ) *,here %ame a 8in li&e a ?ugle-Lesson Plan
OCR recognises that the teaching of this qualification above will vary greatly from school to school and from teacher to teacher. With that in mind this lesson plan is offered, as a possible approach but will be sub ect to modifications by the individual teacher. !he set list of poems by each poet is available on OCR"s webpage for the specification. !hese lesson plans for teaching poetry for #ection $ of the e%am deliberately use poems outside the required list. !his is to preserve the integrity of OCR"s e%aminations and so that no candidate is disadvantaged. &n the '(() e%amination candidates are e%pected to refer to other poems by the poet from the set list, but may also refer to their wider reading by the same poet. Lesson length is assumed to be one hour.

Learning Ob ectives for the Lesson

Ob ective ) Ob ective * !o encourage students to develop methods of cross/referencing between different poems. !o enable students to identify and write about ,ic+inson"s use of imagery.

Recap of previous e%perience and prior +nowledge

!his lesson plan assumes that you will have covered poem *0G from the selection.

-rea+down of Lesson
Se%tion &ntroduction and discussion $etails 1and out a copy of poem )0F. 39!here came a Wind li+e a -ugle/:4, emphasising to students that it is not part of the selection but that they can refer to it in essays as conte%tual material 3$O74. $s+ the class to read it through once in silence. !hen, split the class in two and as+ half of the students to ma+e detailed annotations based on how sound is presented in the poem and the other half to focus on how sight and movement is presented. ;ive students five minutes to ma+e their notes. #pend a further five minutes on a whole/class discussion to feed bac+ on the above. @seful guiding questions might include< why might ,ic+inson have compared the wind to a bugle in particular 6 what does a bugle do8 What sound are the 9panting: trees ma+ing8 What can the tolling of a bell represent outside of this poem8 1ow has ,ic+inson used language to help us imagine something that is invisible in a visual way8 ./ $O* $O7

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Se%tion $etails Consolidation Remind the class what imagery is. Eou may find it useful here to pro ectAhand tas+ out a summary of The Penguin Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary Theory here 3or a similar wor+4, which emphasises that imagery is when all five senses are appealed to and is not merely visual. Point out to students that they have ust been considering auditory imagery 3sound4 and visual imagery 3sight4. Lay seven $. pieces of paper out on the des+s and provide pupils with pencils. !ell students that they are going to 9storyboard: the poem as if a very short film or cartoon is to be made of it. $s+ them to wor+ together to decide what in the poem can be represented visually and which images are going to appear on the pages. !hey should write the poem out at the bottom of the sheets, with the relevant lines appearing at the foot of the relevant drawing, and lightly s+etch what ,ic+inson describes. 'or e%ample, the first sheet might show a bugle ma+ing some grass move, and another might show a moccasin with lightning bolts around it. #tudents are li+ely to remember the images more fully from having attempted to s+etch them. !he pieces can be used as a temporary display over the ne%t few wee+s to consolidate this poem. $s+ students to return to their seats. Pro ect the following wordsAphrases 3alternatively, hand them out on a sheet4< !o compare< 9&n comparison,H:, 9!his poem has an analogue in %,H:, 9$ similar use of imagery can be found in %H:, 9#imilarly,H:, 9!his type of simile is also seen inH:, 9Li+ewise,H:, 9!his corresponds to poem %H: !o contrast< 9@nli+e %, yH:, 9Conversely,H:, 9!his technique is used differently in y,H:, 9&n contrast,H:, 9$ distinction can be drawnH:, 91owever,H: Pupils may thin+ of other 9comparing and contrasting phrases:. $s+ them to copy the above down. $s+ students to loo+ bac+ at poem *0G 39!here"s a certain #lant of light,:4, which you have already taught. $s+ them to write a response comparing and contrasting how ,ic+inson presents the natural world in )0F. and *0G. !his can either be a short, two/paragraph tas+ or set as an e%tended essay to complete for homewor+. !he idea is that the students become used to ma+ing cross/ references between the poems. $s+ each student to draw a comparison or contrast between any of ,ic+inson"s poems that you have taught using the phrases covered earlier. 'or e%ample, a student might say, 9-oth .*G and FG( describe an animal in detail. 1owever, the narrator of FG( is much more wary of the sna+e then the narrator of .*G is of the bird.:

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5ote tas+ing to facilitate students developing the ability to find connections between poems and articulate them clearly. Writing tas+ to encourage students to lin+ )0FG conte%tually bac+ to the selection. Plenary

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,e5t' !hen add the poem or section3s4 of te%t with annotationsA details to draw out. Poem or se%tions o4 te5t !here came a Wind li+e a -ugle 6 &t quivered through the ;rass $nd a ;reen Chill upon the 1eat #o ominous did pass We barred the Windows and the ,oors $s from an =merald ;host 6 !he ,oomCs electric >occasin !hat very instant passed 6 On a strange >ob of panting !rees, $nd 'ences fled away $nd Rivers where the 1ouses ran !hose loo+ed that lived 6 that ,ay 6 !he -ell within the steeple wild !he flying tidings told. 1ow much can come $nd much can go, $nd yet abide the worldI 6otes $ bugle is an instrument that is used to announce or to give an orderJ the wind heralds the change in weather in this simple simile. !he u%taposition of 9Chill: and 91eat: suggests that the change in weather is dramatic. !he idea of the wind being 9;reen: and 9=merald: arguably portrays the wind as representative of the forces of 5ature and gives the invisible, 9;host: wind a visual image for us to fasten on. !he idea that people are afraid of the wind in some way is stressed by 9ominous: and 9doom: as well as the image of people barring their doors and windows. $ll the trappings of human e%istence 6 fences and houses 6 are affected by the weatherJ the hypallage of 9steeple wild: stresses how uncontrolled the wind is. !he final three lines are more of a contemplation of the nature of impermanence than the description of the natural world that preceded them.

ConsolidationA5e%t steps
Suggestions 1omewor+ tas+ Retention tas+ 'urther reading $etails #tudents could finish the writing tas+ started in the lesson 3comparing )0F. and *0G4. !he display they made as part of the consolidation tas+ could remain on the wall for some wee+s, encouraging students to remain mindful of the presentation of 5ature in )0F. as they study other ,ic+inson poems. Eou could direct students to other ,ic+inson poems not part of the selection that portray weather and the natural world. .)), .)7 and .7* are e%amples.

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GCE English Literature H071 H471 Unit F661 - Poetry an Prose 1!00-1"4# Emily $i%&inson' 1#"7 ) *,here %ame a 8in li&e a ?ugle--

!here came a Wind li+e a -ugle / &t quivered through the ;rass $nd a ;reen Chill upon the 1eat #o ominous did pass We barred the Windows and the ,oors $s from an =merald ;host / !he ,oomCs electric >occasin !he very instant passed / On a strange >ob of panting !rees $nd 'ences fled away $nd Rivers where the 1ouses ran !hose loo+ed that lived / that ,ay / !he -ell within the steeple wild !he flying tidings told / 1ow much can come $nd much can go, $nd yet abide the WorldI

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