'The Inchcape Rock' is a narrative poem based on a Scottish legend. In it a pirate inadvertently brings about his own death. It can be used to teach the concept of theme and of the need for readers to fill the gaps in narratives. Below you can download a lesson plan for 'The Inchcape Rock' and a copy of the poem.
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July 2008
July 29, 2008
'Jabberwocky'
Lewis Carroll's poem 'Jabberwocky' is a perennial favourite and works with students of all ages. It appears in the novella Through the Looking Glass. Alice finds the poem in a book in the looking-glass house. At first she thinks it is in some language she does not know, but then realises it must be a looking-glass book, in which the writing is backwards. When she holds the book up to a mirror, Alice finds she can read the poem.
'Jabberwocky' is a great poem for teaching the role of intertextuality and decoding skills in comprehension.
'The Monkey's Paw'
' The Monkey's Paw' is a classic horror story which both challenges and entertains students. Below you can download a lesson plan for 'The Monkey's Paw' and a copy of the story. There is also an amazing number of video versions of the story available on YouTube. Two of the better ones are 'The Monkey's Paw' and 'The Curse of the Monkey's Paw'.
'Flannan Isle' Lesson Plan
Looking for a narrative poem which will engage students in Years 7 to 10? 'Flannan Isle' is based on an incident in 1900 when three men mysteriously disappeared without trace from a lighthouse off the coast of Scotland.
Told from the point of view of one of the discoverers of the disappearance, this 'spooky' poem is open-ended, leaving it up to the reader to come up with a solution to the mystery. Great for generating discussion and teaching the skill of inferential reading.
Below you can download a lesson plan for 'Flannan Isle', teachers background notes and a copy of the poem itself.
English Teachers
- Resources for English teachers are available on our companion website English Curriculum which you can access by clicking the link below.
Help for Students
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