This fully-resourced lesson is designed for A Level English Literature students studying the Poems of the Decade anthology for the Edexcel 9ET0 specification. Focused on U.A. Fanthorpe’s A Minor Role, the lesson enables students to explore character, voice, and the metaphor of performance, while encouraging reflection on illness, identity, and emotional resilience.
Lesson Stages and Features:
- Conceptual Starter: Students consider the value of background roles in life and performance, sparking personal engagement with the poem’s extended theatrical metaphor.
- First Reading: A series of bespoke images are provided to guide students through the poem’s literal meaning and imagery.
- Summary: A paraphrased, prose version of the poem.
- Thematic Discussion Groups: Students work collaboratively to analyse how Fanthorpe presents key themes such as the portrayal of illness, role-playing in social contexts, and living an ordinary life. Each group is guided by structured prompts encouraging detailed textual analysis.
- Analytical Writing Task: Learners develop an extended, essay-style paragraph in response to one theme, with emphasis on independent interpretation, precise subject terminology, and the confident exploration of language, form, and structure.
- Plenary: Students write a short reflection in response to questions on the poem’s central themes.
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