"In Mrs Tilscher's class" Carol Ann Duffy

• Engels
• Upper Secondary (Key Stage 4)
• GCSE

Goals for today 

Completion "Stealing" 

Consideration of another poem by Carol Ann Duffy 

Exploration of some authorial choices made by the poet 

The poetic persona guiding question 

Visualising the poetic persona 

AWL

WWW and EBI

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ups and downs 

heavy 

to stick to 

build up of 

giving off a ...tone

Put into words 

zoomed out perspective 

Picking apart this quote 

get across 

play with emotions 

big of an effort 

accumulation of 

exploration of this quote 

convey

to influence

extensive effort 

tension 

extreme effort 

arduous 

distanced/objective tone 

emotional tension 

pursue  

A smell that evokes your experience at primary school 

A sound that evokes your experience at primary school 

A tactile experience that evokes your experience at primary school 

A  taste that evokes your experience at primary school 

A  sight that evokes your experience at primary school 

Goals for today 

Reading to the punctuation "In Mrs Tilscher's class" 

See, think and wonder 

Describing tone 

Using questions to guide your reading 

Rate the word 1 to 4

1. I do not know the word, and I have never seen it before. 

2. I've heard or seen the word before, but I'm not sure what it means. 

3. I know the word and can recognise and understand it while reading, but I probably wouldn't feel comfortable using it in writing or speech. 

4. I know the word well and can use it correctly in writing or speech. 

Laconic 

Word of the day

Laconic (adj) - using very few words to express what you mean

From the Greek "lakonikos", meaning 'of or from Laconia. Laconia was the name of the region in which the ancient Greek city-state of Sparta was situated. The Spartans were known for, amongst other things, their brevity and abruptness of speech.

"I might,” was the laconic reply.

"In Mrs Tilscher's Class" 

Reading to the punctuation 

On the sticky notes, write down in your groups something you see in the poem, something you think and something you wonder about. 

See, think, wonder 

Goals for today 

Revisiting see ...think ...wonder 

Exploring imagery in "In Mrs Tilscher's class" 

Exploring "In Mrs Tilsher's class" using guiding questions 

Considering the poem  "Valentine" 

chalky pyramids 

Blue Nile 

sugar paper 

coloured shapes 

Brady and Hindley 

gold star 

bell

I SEE ...

 books 

pencil

tadpoles 

three frogs 

Playground 

Reports 

• happy thoughts at the beginning towards the end it turns gloomy. 
  
• It is wrong to combine obscene topics with a poem about children. 
  
• The innocence of a child can disappear as quickly as the weather changes. 
  

I THINK 

• it is a typical experience of a young child in school.
  
• Learning about the world as you grow up. 
  
• Children having fun in the classroom. 
  
• it is summer
• it is a geography classroom 

• If they are planning a sort of trip? 
  
•  geography class? 
• what this has to do with murders?
• who is the poetic persona? 
• why is the classroom the setting? 

I WONDER

• what does the last line entail? 
  
•  how old are the children? 
• what is the context behind Brady and Hindley? 
• why is the concept of a classroom crucial to a horrific story and how it is relevant?

• your finger (tactile) 
  
• chanted (auditory) 
  
• Chalky ... dust (tactile) 
  
• laugh ... bell (auditory) 
  
• glowed like (visual) 
  
• sugar paper ... coloured (visual) 
  
• smudge (tactile) 
  

Imagery 

• scent of a pencil (olfactory) 
  
• xylophone's nonsense (auditory) 
  
• croaking (auditory) 
  
• feverish (tactile) 
  
• tasted of electricity (gustatory) 
  
• tangible alarm (tactile & auditory) 
• thunderstorm (auditory) 
  

Find all the instances in the poem where Carol Ann Duffy has used imagery that appeals to the different senses. 

Visual

Tactile

Auditory 

Olfactory 

Gustatory 

There seems to be changes in tone and mood in this poem as it progresses. 

Pick two to three tone/mood descriptors that you feel apply to some points of the poem. 

Write a single paragraph response to the guiding question: 

How has the author used mood in this poem to support the main message? 

Tone and mood 

What concepts?

What main message?

• 1. Who is the speaker in this poem? What kind of person is he or she?
  
• 2. To whom is the speaker speaking, or in other words, who is the audience?
  
• 3. What are the situation and setting in time (era) and place?
  
• 4. What is the purpose of the poem?
  
• 5. State the poem’s central idea or theme in a singular sentence.
  
• 6. Describe the structure of the poem. How does this relate to content?
  

Using questions to guide your understanding

• 7. What is the tone of the poem? How is it achieved?
  
• 8. Notice the poem’s diction. Discuss any words which seem especially well-chosen.
  
• 9. Are there predominant usages of figurative language? What is the effect?
  
• a. Metaphors
  
• b. Similes
  
• c. Imagery
  
• d. Allusions
  
• e. Personification
  
• f. Symbols
  
• 10. Explain the use of any sound devices and whether or not they aid in conveying tone or theme.
  

Using questions to guide your understanding

1. How does Duffy use imagery to evoke a sense of nostalgia or innocence?
   
2. What metaphors or similes can you find, and how do they enhance the poem’s themes?
   
3. How does the tone of the poem shift, and what language contributes to these changes?
   

Using questions to guide your understanding

"Valentine" 

1. What literally is happening in this poem? ​
   
2. (Look stanza by stanza first for paraphrase, then make a summary for the whole poem that is no longer than a tweet - 280 - characters) 
   
3. ​What is the poem really about? How do you know?​
   
4. ​What is the importance of the title?​
   
5. ​Find three literary devices or aspects that you think are important to understanding the poem. Make notes on the poem. Be ready to discuss your choices.​
   

Write your own "Valentine" 

On the paper given to you, write a "Valentine" poem inspired by this poem.