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This resource contains a fully planned 3-lesson sequence introducing students to the poetry of Elizabeth Bishop, with a focus on her famous poem “The Fish.”

Lesson 1 – Context

Engaging starter research task on Bishop’s life and work

Exploration of her background, early challenges, writing style, and themes

Discussion prompts on childhood trauma, confessional poetry, and selective publishing

Plenary questions to consolidate knowledge

Lesson 2 – Creative Pre-Teaching of The Fish

Quick recap of Bishop’s style and themes

Pre-reading creative task: imagining and describing a fish

Guided reading of the poem with visual annotation task (draw, label, and annotate a fish using quotations)

Discussion on symbolism of survival and release

Homework questions to reinforce understanding of imagery, similes, and tone

Lesson 3 – Analytical Breakdown of The Fish

Vocabulary starter introducing key terms

Step-by-step analysis of the poem’s structure, imagery, symbolism, and tone

Follow-along annotation activity for close reading

Exploration of Bishop’s transformation from control to humility, with focus on poetic techniques (first person, simile, metaphor, repetition, free verse)

Plenary discussion on the poem’s deeper meaning

What’s included:
✔ 3 PowerPoint lessons (context, creative response, detailed analysis)
✔ Student worksheets and annotation templates
✔ Homework questions for independent study
✔ Discussion tasks, plenary activities, and key vocabulary