Responding to Unseen Poetry at GCSE and elsewhere...

How can students develop their ability to respond to unseen poetry?

It's a part of the GCSE English Literature exam and many people just don't know where to start.  As an English tutor, I am sometimes specifically asked to help with this part of the GCSE exam.

It helps to understand there is a difference between prose (normal writing like this) and poetry, but unfortunately this is not often taught or even talked about!

This series of posts will be looking at a poem which appears quite simple but is actually put together in a very creative and imaginative way - so there is lots for students to write about!

But before we look at the poem, here are some different sentence types, all about a rainbow, in prose,  (and yes, the poem is also about a rainbow - so read on...!):

1. A rainbow!

2. I like to see a rainbow

3. There’s a rainbow and it makes me happy

4. When I see a rainbow, it makes me happy.

5. When I see a rainbow, it makes me happy, and I remember how rainbows have always made me happy, since I was very young.

If you can identify the five different sentence types, you are doing very well!

If not, you might be interested in my ebook: The Five Sentence Types Workbook, which I use extensively in my English tutoring work.

How do each of the 5 different sentences about rainbows have a slightly different impact on you?

Start to think about that and you will be ready to respond to the poem in my next post...

I am a specialist at stretching able students to achieve high grades in English Language and English Literature, GCSE, A Level, and Years 6-9. I offer a free 30 minute online introductory session if you would like to know more.  Contact me via the Contact Form here.