Exploring Parenting Emotions

Overview

This 60-minute lesson is designed for Year 11 students (age 15-16) to explore how the poet presents the speaker's feelings about parenting in the unseen poem Make the Ordinary Come Alive. Aligned with the National Curriculum for England, it focuses on developing students' analytical skills in approaching unseen poetry, addressing key reading and comprehension objectives.

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National Curriculum Links

English - Reading (KS4):

• Understand and explore how writers use linguistic and structural devices to achieve effects and influence readers.
• Analyse/evaluate how language, structure and form contribute to meaning.
• Develop independent reading and critical thinking skills applied to unseen texts.

Assessment objectives covered:

• AO1: Read, understand and respond to texts; maintain a critical style and develop an informed personal response.
• AO2: Analyse the language, form and structure used by a writer to create meanings and effects, using relevant subject terminology.

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Learning Objectives

By the end of the lesson, students will:

1. Analyse how the poet communicates feelings about parenting through language, structure and form.
2. Develop confidence in responding to unseen poems with structured and supported paragraphs.
3. Use subject terminology accurately to discuss poetic techniques.
4. Formulate and express a personal critical interpretation supported by textual evidence.

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Resources

• Copies of Make the Ordinary Come Alive poem (printed for each student)
• Whiteboard and markers
• Student note sheets with scaffolded question prompts
• Lined paper or exercise-books for writing practice
• Projector (optional, for displaying example annotations)

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Lesson Breakdown

0-10 minutes | Introduction & Context (Whole class)

• Starter: Write “Parenting” on the board. Ask students to brainstorm words or feelings they associate with parenting. Record responses visibly.
• Briefly introduce the poem title and poet’s likely intention (to question societal expectations on parenting and highlight valuing everyday life).
• Explain the task: how does the poet present the speaker’s feelings about parenting? (AO1 & AO2 focus).

Engagement tip: Make explicit links to students’ own experiences or observations of family life to build personal connection.

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10-25 minutes | First Reading and Vocabulary Focus (Paired work)

• Students read the poem silently, then aloud in pairs.
• Identify and annotate any unfamiliar words or phrases (e.g., “strive,” “marvel,” “extraordinary”).
• Discuss connotations of key words as a whole class, focusing on emerging tone and mood.

National Curriculum focus: Develop understanding through spoken language strategies, building vocabulary for literary analysis.

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25-40 minutes | Guided Analysis (Small groups)

• Divide class into 3 groups. Provide each group with 1-2 stanzas to analyse.
• Prompt questions:
  • What feelings about parenting does the speaker express here?
  • What language techniques are used (imagery, repetition, imperatives)?
  • How does the structure (line length, enjambment) affect meaning?
• Groups prepare short presentations of their findings.

Teacher support: Circulate, guiding use of terminology (e.g., metaphor, imperatives, enjambment), encouraging deeper reasoning.

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40-50 minutes | Group Sharing and Class Discussion

• Groups present their analysis (3-4 mins each).
• Whole class discusses how these parts combine to present the speaker’s feelings (nurturing, valuing simplicity, realism).
• Teacher models writing a brief paragraph response to the question, demonstrating integration of evidence and terminology.

National Curriculum emphasis: Building coherent, well-structured responses demonstrating understanding.

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50-60 minutes | Independent Writing and Plenary

• Students write a concise 2-paragraph answer to: “In ‘Make the Ordinary Come Alive’, how does the poet present the speaker’s feelings about parenting?” (Approx. 150 words, 24 marks style).
• Volunteers read aloud paragraphs for peer feedback focused on clarity of interpretation and use of evidence/technical terms.
• Summarise key takeaways: how language and structure reveal nuanced feelings and the importance of valuing everyday experiences.

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Assessment & Feedback

• Formative assessment via group presentation and paragraph writing.
• Provide written or verbal feedback highlighting effective quotations, use of terminology, and explanation.
• Identify aspects for improvement (e.g., deeper exploration of form or more accurate terminology).

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Extension Ideas (Homework or Additional Lessons)

• Compare Make the Ordinary Come Alive with another poem on parenting or childhood from the GCSE anthology.
• Creative task: Write their own short poem celebrating “the ordinary” in family life using similar poetic features.

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Differentiation

• Support lower-ability students with sentence starters and vocabulary banks; encourage higher-ability to explore subtle shifts in tone or use of imperatives.
• Visual and verbal scaffolds to support learners with EAL or SEN.

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This lesson plan offers an engaging, scaffolded approach to unseen poetry analysis, firmly grounded in the National Curriculum. It encourages personal connection and critical thinking, aiming to develop exam-ready confidence and skills in interpreting poetry on complex themes like parenting.