The Highwayman - Lesson 1 - Predictions and Setting Worksheet

The "Highwayman: Predictions and Setting Worksheet" is an educational resource designed to engage students with the classic narrative poem "The Highwayman". The worksheet prompts students to explore their preconceptions of a highwayman, encouraging them to visualise and discuss the historical figure of a highwayman and consider whether such characters have a place in the modern world. It serves as a pre-reading activity to stimulate interest and curiosity about the poem's content and themes.

Through a series of questions, the worksheet guides students to analyse the language and imagery used in the poem's opening lines. It asks students to reflect on the mood set by phrases such as "the wind was a torrent of darkness among the gusty trees," and to decipher metaphors like "ghostly galleon" and "ribbon of moonlight," prompting discussions on the atmosphere these images evoke. Additionally, the worksheet encourages students to identify and explore the effects of the poetic techniques employed, such as simile and metaphor, and to consider how these contribute to the overall impact of the poem's first verses. The final question invites students to form initial impressions of the poem's protagonist, the highwayman, and speculate on his motives for meeting Bess at night, thereby deepening their engagement with the narrative.