Home learning – Lesson 1

Monday 8th March 2021

Outcome: Can I unpick the poetic devices used in poetry?

This unit will be about WW2 poetry. We’ve seen lots of poetry linked to WW1 in Year 5 and will now be exploring some of the poetry written both during and after WW2.

Task 1:

Using the poetry toolkit, write an example of each of the poetic features to show you understand what the feature is. Try and summarise the poetic device in your own words.

Task 2:

Once you’ve done this, begin creating your own ‘glossary’ of poetic terms – you can present this however you wish, but you should give a definition for the term and an example.

Home learning – Lesson 2

Tuesday 9th March 2021

Outcome: Can I unpick the poetic devices used in poetry?

Task 1:

A while ago, we read the poem ‘The Tyger’ by William Blake – read the poem once through using the powerpoint we have provided to remind yourself of the language that has been used. Work through the powerpoint, which shows you how to ‘annotate’ or label a poem with the different poetic features and vocabulary. This is just an example, you will be choosing one of the WW2 poems provided in the anthology and annotating this to unpick it. There is a twinkl sheet called ‘Activity Sheet – The Tyger’ below. You may use this to help you if you need to.

Pick a poem and annotate it in as much detail as you can.

Task 2:

As you annotate, write down any words that are unfamiliar to you. Read around the word, read in context and think about synonyms you could swap for the word and write down what you think they could mean. Then, define them using dictionary. Add any words you really like to a magpie notebook to use throughout the unit in your other writing tasks

Task 3:

Summarise what the poem is about and why the poet may have written it.

Home learning – Lesson 3

Wednesday 10th March 2021

Outcome: Can I understand complex vocabulary and imagery included in war poetry?

Task 1:

Draw how you imagine the scene. Focus on the five senses. Think about how you could compare things in the scene to other things – this will help you creating metaphors/similes.

Read this information:

'Blackout' regulations came into force as the war began. These meant that families had to cover up all windows at night to ensure that no light escaped that could aid enemy bombers to find their targets. Street lamps were also switched off and car headlights covered except for a narrow slit. Not surprisingly, accident statistics rapidly increased and after some months concessions had to be made - for example, allowing pedestrians to walk with torches at night. Each street had an ARP ('Air Raid Precaution') warden. They were mostly volunteers with day jobs whose responsibility it was to police the blackout. In the event of an air raid they needed to know where people were sheltering so that the emergency services could be directed as necessary. The most intense period of bombing - from September 1940 onwards - is known as the 'Blitz' (from the German word 'blitzkrieg', meaning 'lightning war'). When enemy planes were spotted air raid sirens would sound. People would make their way to shelters - either communal shelters in their street or place of work, or Andersen shelters in the garden or perhaps a London tube station. Many of the bombs dropped were incendiary devices - bombs intended to start fires. A large fire in a city made the blackout irrelevant, so it became compulsory for men aged 16 to 60 to take on fire spotting duties, so that fires could be dealt with as quickly as possible.

Now you know about this extra information, is there anything you would like to add to your drawing? What really stood out to you or became the focus of your drawing?

Task 2:

Tomorrow we will use the video/poems we have been reading as inspiration for 2 setting descriptions – a ‘blitz’ or battle scene and one which shows a peaceful scene after war/bombing.

First, re-read poems about fighting – write down the key phrases that stood out to you and vocabulary that you liked. You will be using this word bank for your writing this week.

Second, for both descriptions, write down the following in note form (this will be your plan for tomorrow)

1. Describe 3 things you can SEE
2. Describe 3 things you can HEAR
3. Write down at least one simile, metaphor or other type of figurative language that you will use in your description.
4. One sentence which contains a semi-colon
5. At least one word from your word bank.

Home learning – Lesson 4

Thursday 11th March 2021

Outcome: Can I write a description based on poetry I have read?

Task 1: Complete the attached semi-colons/colons activity so you have had a chance to work on this before you write. Don’t forget to mark this using the answers provided.

Task 2: Read through the example description we have started for you. We have highlighted some of the success criteria features we would like you to include. Write your ‘raid’ description using your plan from yesterday.

I crouched on the clay-filled floor of the Anderson shelter as the popping shells danced on the corrugated metal roof, almost bursting my ear drums.  All around me was immense darkness – there was no light in the shelter and the once bright street lights were forbidden at night; this was a way to stop the Germans from finding us, although it never seemed to work. The ground was rough like sandpaper and sopping wet; every time I moved another limb became submerged and the cold ran through me like ice on a Winter’s day. 

Success Criteria

Use powerful vocabulary to…

1. Describe what you can SEE
2. Describe what you can HEAR
3. Use similes, metaphors or other figurative language.
4. Include semi-colons in your description
5. Include words off the 5/6 word list where possible.

Other things you may want to describe:

• temperature
• feeling of being huddled together
• smell of smoke/gunpowder.
• metallic taste in the air

You can use the WW2 word mat below to help if you need to.

Task 3:

Using your plan from yesterday and the model above as an example of the success criteria features to include, write your contrasting peaceful description. Remember, although peaceful, the people experiencing this kind of scene may still be worried or nervous and they may know that another raid is going to happen soon so they wouldn’t necessarily be ‘happy’ and therefore the description may not be either.

You can use this image as inspiration if you would like to:

Home learning – Lesson 5:

Friday 12th March 2021

Outcome: Can I choose appropriate vocabulary to describe how a WWII soldier would feel when on the frontline?

Today you will be writing 2 or 3 diary entries (from a WW2 soldier). Time conjunctions are really important when writing diary entries because they signpost when things have happened and show that time has passed.

Task 1: Write as many time conjunctions as you can think of in 1 minute. Once finished, check the time conjunctions word mat and add any extras to your list that you think you may like to include in your diary entries.

Task 2: Re-read the poem anthology – what feelings are mentioned? Underline them/jot them down as notes.

Create an events ‘splat’ to consider things the soldier may be writing about. Then, add (in a different colour) the feelings associated with the event. In another different colour add interesting vocabulary you may want to include. Can we magpie any vocabulary mentioned in the poems for our diary entries today?

Look at the 5/6 spelling list as well and see if there are any words from there that could be used when describing the events of the day – see Year 5/6 spelling list attached.

Add any extra words you would like to include and add to your splat. You’re going to use your splat as a word bank for your writing.

Task 3:

Read the two diary entry examples we have given to you.  See if you can spot the success criteria features below in these examples. This may inspire you for your own writing.

Diary entry success criteria:

• past tense
• first person
• informal although still writing in the style of a WW2 soldier
• detail of events
• thoughts
• feelings
• reactions
• worries
• adverbials of time/place

Task 4:

Write 2 or 3 short diary entries from the perspective of a WW2 soldier. Don’t forget to think about signposting when the events happened using time adverbials, e.g.

• today, the day before yesterday, tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, the other day, during the winter, here, down, there, up, back, up front, near the (place), away from, around the corner, in the box