English: Poems from Different Cultures: Rationale
Poems from Different Cultures form part of the KS4 syllabus and offer a good setting for Citizenship discussion.
Following are roughly 5 or 6 lessons based on the Poems from Different Cultures and Traditions. The lessons have a focus on raising issues of Citizenship. The main strand being addressed in the first few lessons is that of ‘The origins and implications of the diverse national, regional, religious and ethnic identities in the United Kingdom and the need for mutual respect and understanding’. Thus the lessons are focused on raising awareness of different cultures, and how people from these cultures feel about issues concerning their lives. Students learn to respect and understand these attitudes and feelings through empathetic activities such as tableaux’s and diary entries, as well as through class and group discussions.
Later on, students begin to think other Citizenship strands: the opportunities for individuals and voluntary groups to bring about social change locally, nationally, in Europe and internationally and: Human Rights and responsibilities underpinning society and how they relate to citizens. Here students begin to explore their place in the world and responsibilities they may have towards other people. It also gives them an opportunity to address social issues they have concerns about through creative writing.
Over the course of the lessons there are a series of activities which have been planned, and can be used as evidence of the English/Citizenship partnership; these include:
- A Culture Collage labelled with key words (School Display)
- A diary entry reflecting an imagined experience of having to encounter a new culture (Original Writing practice)
- A Tableaux activity used to understand the implications of having a diverse culture
- A class debate on issues surrounding regional differences with regards to speech (EN1 Speaking &Listening assessment)
- Group and class discussion on social responsibility and opportunities for social change (EN1 Speaking and Listening assessment)
- Writing a poem on a relevant social issue (School Display)
Some practical considerations:
- The lessons have been roughly planned at around 100 mins. These lessons can be modified to extend over two periods or shortened to fit into a lesser time.
- As the focus has been on citizenship issues, the lessons have been planned with this in mind. As such the more significant aspects of the lessons regarding teaching the poems with reference to English criteria have not been included. Instead it has been simply suggested to teach the poem and its technical aspects as you normally would. However, the citizenship activities themselves serve as good support for students to aid in their understanding of the poems for the exam.