Imagery and Mood

Overview

This 45-minute session is Lesson 2 of 8 in the unit Highwayman: Poetry in Action. It focuses on deepening students' understanding of imagery and mood as used by Alfred Noyes in The Highwayman. Students aged 9-10 will engage with the poem through close reading, discussion, and creative visualisation, aligning with the ie_curriculum’s standards for English Language comprehension and literary appreciation.

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Learning Objectives (ie_curriculum)

• LIT.EN5.2: Identify and explain the use of figurative language, including imagery, in poetry.
• LIT.EN5.4: Analyse how descriptive language creates mood and atmosphere.
• SPK.EN5.1: Collaborate in group discussions, using appropriate vocabulary to express ideas about texts.
• WRT.EN5.3: Represent textual ideas creatively through visual or written forms.

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Success Criteria

• Students can find and explain examples of imagery in The Highwayman.
• Students articulate how imagery contributes to the poem’s mood.
• Students create a visual representation that captures the mood evoked by selected stanzas.

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Resources

• Copies of The Highwayman poem excerpt (focus on stanzas 1-3)
• Whiteboard or flip chart and markers
• A4 paper and coloured pencils/markers for each student
• Projector or screen (if available) for showing examples of mood boards or illustrated poetry
• ‘Mood and Imagery’ handout summarising key terms (imagery, mood, atmosphere, sensory language)

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Lesson Structure

1. Introduction & Recap (5 minutes)

• Begin with a brief recap of Lesson 1: the narrative and characters of The Highwayman.
• Display the learning objectives and success criteria explicitly.
• Introduce today’s focus: imagery and mood — key tools poets use to make readers feel and picture scenes vividly.

2. Exploration of Imagery (10 minutes)

• Read aloud the first three stanzas of The Highwayman with expressive intonation.
• Ask students to listen carefully for descriptive language (sights, sounds, smells).
• In pairs, students underline or highlight examples of imagery in the poem excerpt.
• Regroup to discuss:
  • What images stand out? (e.g. “The moon was a ghostly galleon...”)
  • What senses do these images appeal to (visual, auditory, tactile)?
• Use the whiteboard to create a shared list of imagery examples from students’ findings.

3. Mood Analysis through Guided Discussion (10 minutes)

• Define mood with students using the handout and interactive questioning: “How does this description make you feel?”
• Facilitate discussion on how the imagery contributes to the mood of suspense, mystery, or tension.
• Ask: “How would the poem feel if these images were different?” to encourage critical thinking on mood construction.

4. Creative Visualisation Activity (15 minutes)

• Students receive A4 paper and art supplies.
• Task: Create a visual representation (drawing or collage) capturing the mood and imagery of one stanza, either individually or in small groups (2-3).
• Encourage creativity: use colour, symbols, or abstract shapes to show mood and sensory detail.
• Circulate to support and question students about their artistic choices to encourage metacognitive reflection.

5. Sharing and Reflection (5 minutes)

• Invite volunteers to show and explain their work, describing which imagery and mood elements they included.
• Summarise key takeaways: how imagery paints a mental picture and helps create a poem’s mood.
• End with a formative assessment question: “Can you now spot imagery in other poems or stories you read?”

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Assessment Opportunities

• Formative: Observation of group discussion participation and ability to identify imagery.
• Peer assessment: Students express what mood the peer’s visualisation communicates and refer to imagery used.
• Self-assessment: Quick exit ticket—students write down one new thing they learned about imagery and mood.

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Differentiation

• Support learners by offering sentence starters for discussion (e.g., “I think the image of… makes me feel…”).
• Challenge more able learners to find examples of figurative language beyond imagery (similes, metaphors) within the same stanzas.
• Provide pre-printed visual symbols (moon, horse, wind) to assist EAL learners in visualisation.

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Extension Ideas

• For homework, students can write a few lines of descriptive poetry rich with imagery that creates a mood of their choice.
• Create a collaborative class mood board over the unit using images, words, and colours to explore mood development across the poem.

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Teacher Notes

• Maintain an enthusiastic tone when reading aloud to model how voice reinforces mood.
• Encourage use of specific vocabulary from the handout during explanations, helping embed curriculum literacy standards.
• Link back to previous and forthcoming lessons to show progression through the unit and develop cumulative understanding of the poem’s themes.

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This detailed, interactive lesson offers a multisensory approach that invigorates literary analysis, ensuring students both intellectually and creatively engage with Alfred Noyes’ The Highwayman in accordance with the IE Curriculum.