This week, we're learning about sonnets, and English Literature's best-known purveyor of those fourteen-line paeans, William Shakespeare. We'll look at a few of Willy Shakes's biggest hits, including Sonnet 18, "Shall I compare thee to a...

This video discusses elements used in Romantic poetry.

This video explores the world of sonnets, a form of lyric poetry known for its brevity and musicality. It delves into the four main types of sonnets - Petrarchan, Shakespearean, Spenserian, and Miltonic - each with its own unique...

This video explores the differences between haiku and free verse poetry, highlighting how haiku captures natural images with deeper symbolism while free verse offers unlimited creative freedom.

This video, entitled "Odes," explains the format and purpose of an ode.

The most common meter in poetry, iambic pentameter is famously associated with William Shakespeare. Here's how you can rhyme like a modern-day bard.

For those special occasions, say it with a sonnet -- a 14-line poem in iambic pentameter. You don't have to be Shakespeare, either, just follow these tips.

Pupil outcome: I can explore the impact of structural choices within unseen poetry. Key learning points: - The structure of a poem affects our journey, as the reader, through the poem. - The structure gives us our first and last...

Pupil outcome: I can perform the poem ‘The Tyger’ by William Blake. Key learning points: - ‘The Tyger’ is a fixed verse poem; each verse has a rhyme scheme of AABB & a clear syllable pattern when reading aloud. - Understanding a poem,...

Pupil outcome: I can explore how Lemn Sissay presents pride for his region in ‘Anthem of the North’ and use this to inspire my own writing. Key learning points: - An anthem is an upbeat song that has importance for a particular group of...

Pupil outcome: I can analyse how Brooke presents the relationship between the soldier and their country. Key learning points: - The main themes of the poem are patriotism and nationhood - Whilst the speaker fears death, he believes that...

Pupil outcome: I can explain how the prologue sets up the theme of fate in ‘Romeo and Juliet’. Key learning points: - In Elizabethan England, most people believed that their lives were controlled by fate. - Romeo and Juliet’s fate is...

Pupil outcome: I can explain how Rossetti uses language, form and structure to express her viewpoint. Key learning points: - The poem takes the form of a dramatic monologue. - It also uses many traditional ballad conventions. -...

Pupil outcome: I can explore how Day-Lewis uses language and structure to show the complexities of a father-son relationship. Key learning points: - Day-Lewis uses a simile to show the overwhelming pain he feels initially at the...

Pupil outcome: I can explore how Shelley uses language and structure to convey his key messages about power. Key learning points: - Breaking the sonnet form reflects the way that human power and man-made structures can be disrupted and...

Pupil outcome: I can explain how Wordsworth uses language and structure to present the beauty of nature and the imperfection of mankind in 'Lines Written in Early Spring'. Key learning points: - Wordsworth presents nature as beautiful...

Pupil outcome: I can explain how Brontë uses language and structure to express ideas of nostalgia and melancholia in ‘Mild the Mist Upon the Hill’. Key learning points: - We might interpret Brontë’s poem as evoking either nostalgia or...

Pupil outcome: I can explain how Landon uses language and structure to express ideas of childhood in ‘Captain Cook (To My Brother)’. Key learning points: - Landon uses euphony and symbolism to create an idyllic view of childhood. -...

Pupil outcome: I can analyse how Brooke uses language, form and structure to express his patriotism. Key learning points: - Brooke uses personification to portray England as a mother figure, who has nurtured and cared for him his whole...

Pupil outcome: I can analyse the presentation of power and conflict in Blake’s ‘London’. Key learning points: - Rigid structure of four quatrains written in octosyllabic lines mirrors the idea that people have no freedom in the city -...

Pupil outcome: I can explain how Wordsworth uses language and structure to present an idyllic view of nature and arguably suggest that mankind belongs in nature in ‘To My Sister’. Key learning points: - Arguably, Wordsworth uses...

Pupil outcome: I can explain how Bridges uses language and structure to express his viewpoint. Key learning points: - Personification also helps to create a connection between the poet and the river - creates a sense of belonging. - The...

Pupil outcome: I can explain how Shelley uses language, structure and form to critique powerful institutions and express the concept of the suffering of ordinary people. Key learning points: - Shelley may have used figurative language to...

Pupil outcome: I can explore how Heaney presents the admiration found in a parental relationship and how this changes over time. Key learning points: - Heaney uses imagery to convey the sense of wonder, awe and admiration felt towards a...