The Highwayman - Lesson 3 - Description Dialogue Action Worksheet

In this worksheet, students are encouraged to delve deeper into the narrative poem "The Highwayman" by exploring the use of description, dialogue, and action. The first task requires pupils to connect terminology with their definitions, enhancing their understanding of literary devices. They must match the term 'Description' with how a character looks, feels, and behaves, 'Dialogue' with what a character says, and 'Action' with what a character does. This exercise helps students differentiate between the ways characters can be portrayed and how each method contributes to storytelling.

The second part of the worksheet directs students to revisit specific verses of the poem, focusing on the characters of the highwayman and Bess. They are tasked with extracting quotations and determining whether they are examples of description, dialogue, or action. Students must then analyze what these excerpts reveal about the characters. For instance, the phrase "His eyes were hollows of madness" would be categorized as a description, and students would interpret what this suggests about the highwayman's state of mind. Similarly, the dialogue "One kiss my bonny sweetheart" and the subsequent action of Bess and the highwayman kissing would be examined for their implications on the relationship between the characters and their emotional states. This activity is designed to refine students' analytical skills and deepen their appreciation of the poem's rich literary elements.