7. You be the teacher! - Education for Leasure

We are working in taking the fear out of poetry at the moment in class in preparation for your Unseen Poetry section of the Literature exam paper you will take in the summer. You are all coming along well but we still have a way to go.

You have said as a class that you learn best when a teacher respects you, is relaxed and connects with you as an individual, is passionate about their subject, enthusiastic, allows you to discuss things (e.g. circle time), makes it practical (doing stuff) and is knowledgable. I could not agree more, these are great things for you to focus on in this task. 

So I have challenged you to teach a poem to the class that you have never seen before. This task was met with responses ranging from "Yeah, whatever! That is easy" to "Oh me god...how do we do that?". You will be great, you are the experts as you see teachers all the time and know what works well.  Think about how you will get them interested (starter), what you will do in the main section of the session and what you want the class to know at the end of you session and how you will assess this. No pressure then guys! 

You have finished 45 minutes group planning in class and will have some time to finish off at the start of the lesson on Thursday and we will then begin the student lead lessons.  We will have a class discussoion on your poem after you teach it so be ready for questions.

Megan, Martine, Lewis, Hannah, Josh , Lauren and Leah - over to you!

Education for Leisure

           Today I am going to kill something.  Anything.

I have had enough of being ignored and today

I am going to play God.  It is an ordinary day,

a sort of grey with boredom stirring in the streets.

5     I squash a fly against the window with my thumb.

We did that at school.  Shakespeare.  It was in

another language and now the fly is in another language.

I breathe out talent on the glass to write my name.

       I am a genius.  I could be anything at all, with half

10   the chance.  But today I am going to change the world.

Something’s world.  The cat avoids me.  The cat

knows I am a genius, and has hidden itself.

I pour the goldfish down the bog.  I pull the chain.

I see that it is good.  The budgie is panicking.

15   Once a fortnight, I walk the two miles into town

for signing on.  They don’t appreciate my autograph.

There is nothing left to kill.  I dial the radio

and tell the man he’s talking to a superstar.

He cuts me off.  I get our bread-knife and go out.

20   The pavements glitter suddenly.  I touch your arm.