Christmas Poetry Unit - Lesson 4 - Theme and Structure PowerPoint

In Lesson 4 of the Christmas Poetry Unit, the focus is on exploring the theme and structure of poetry, using a PowerPoint presentation to facilitate the learning. The lesson begins with an interactive 'Name that tune!' activity where students listen to various pieces of music and attempt to identify them, understanding that these theme tunes set the mood for television shows. This activity is designed to draw parallels between the mood conveyed by music in TV shows and the themes found in literature. The class then delves into the concept of 'theme', discussing its definition and importance in literature, including how it serves as the underlying message or subject that runs through a piece of writing.

The lesson continues by examining the themes of well-known movies through their posters, encouraging students to deduce the main themes from visual cues. Subsequently, the class reads an extract from "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" by Dr. Seuss, analyzing the tone, mood, and theme of the poem. The teacher guides the students in identifying the techniques used by the writer to convey the theme, such as alliteration, repetition, short sentences, and punctuation. The session concludes with a plenary where students read their P.E.E. (Point, Evidence, Explanation) paragraphs aloud, offering and receiving constructive feedback on how to improve their analysis and understanding of the poet's use of literary devices to enhance the theme of the text.