Study type: Poetry Study |
Status: Mandatory
Concepts
This study delivers 1 primary concept and 3 secondary concepts.
Primary concept: Identifying themes and literary conventions (EN-Y5-C016)
Type: Skill |
Teaching weight: 4/6
A theme is a central idea or concern that runs through a text (e.g., loss, heroism, justice, identity). A convention is a feature characteristic of a genre or form (e.g., the quest structure in an adventure, the first-person voice in autobiography). At upper KS2 mastery, pupils can identify and name themes and conventions in individual texts and compare them across multiple texts.
Teaching guidance: Explicitly name themes when discussing texts and ask pupils to provide evidence for their identification. Teach pupils to distinguish between a theme ('the story is about heroism') and a plot event ('the character rescues the child'). Use the same theme to compare across different texts read during the year. Teach genre conventions explicitly as part of reading and as models for writing.
Key vocabulary: theme, convention, genre, motif, symbol, quest, heroism, loss, identity, pattern
Common misconceptions: Pupils often confuse themes with subjects or plot summaries. They may identify themes without providing textual evidence. Some pupils cannot distinguish between a convention of a genre and a feature of a specific text.
Differentiation
| Level | What success looks like | Example task | Common errors |
| Entry | Beginning to identify what a story is 'about' beyond the plot, with teacher modelling of how to name a theme. | We have just read Charlotte's Web. The plot is about a spider who saves a pig. But what is the story really about? What bigger idea does it explore? | Retelling the plot instead of identifying the theme ('It is about a spider who writes words in her web'); Confusing the subject with the theme ('It is about animals') |
| Developing | Identifying themes in texts with supporting evidence and recognising common genre conventions. | Name one theme in the class novel and find two pieces of evidence from the text that support your choice. | Naming a theme but providing evidence that relates to a different theme; Choosing a theme that is too vague ('good versus evil') without making it specific to the text |
| Expected | Identifying and discussing themes and conventions across a range of texts, providing textual evidence, and comparing how the same theme is treated differently by different authors. | The theme of 'belonging' appears in both The Arrival by Shaun Tan and Kensuke's Kingdom by Michael Morpurgo. How does each text explore this theme? What conventions does each use? | Discussing each text separately rather than comparing their treatment of the theme; Confusing a convention of the genre with a feature unique to the text |
| Greater Depth | Analysing how themes develop across a text and evaluating how authors use literary conventions to reinforce thematic ideas, using appropriate metalanguage. | Choose a novel you have read this year. Explain how the author develops a theme across the whole book, not just in one scene. How do they use character, setting or structure to build the theme? | Analysing a single scene rather than tracing the theme across the whole text; Naming conventions without explaining how they serve the theme |
Model response (Entry): The story is really about friendship and loyalty. Charlotte is loyal to Wilbur even though she is very different from him.
Model response (Developing): A theme in Goodnight Mister Tom is the power of kindness to overcome harm. Evidence: Mr Tom is gruff at first but slowly shows William care, which helps William become confident. Also, when William draws pictures for the first time, it shows that a safe, kind environment has allowed him to express himself.
Model response (Expected): In The Arrival, belonging is shown through a man arriving in a strange country where he does not understand the language or customs. Tan uses the convention of a wordless picture book so the reader feels the same confusion as the character. In Kensuke's Kingdom, Michael is shipwrecked on an island and has to learn to belong in a completely unfamiliar place. Morpurgo uses the adventure genre convention of a survival story. Both explore belonging through displacement, but Tan focuses on cultural displacement while Morpurgo focuses on physical isolation.
Model response (Greater Depth): In Street Child by Berlie Doherty, the theme of resilience develops across the book. At the start, Jim is helpless when his mother dies and he is sent to the workhouse. The dark, enclosed settings of the workhouse mirror his lack of freedom. As Jim escapes and meets new people, the settings become more open. By the end, Jim's resilience leads to the founding of a school for poor children. Doherty uses the convention of a historical novel to show that one person's resilience can change things for many. The structural pattern of repeated escapes and setbacks reinforces the idea that resilience means trying again after failure, not just being brave once.
Secondary concept: Cross-text comparison (EN-Y5-C017)
Type: Skill |
Teaching weight: 4/6
Cross-text comparison involves making substantiated links between characters, settings, themes, viewpoints or techniques across more than one text. At upper KS2 mastery, pupils can identify meaningful similarities and differences between texts, considering different accounts of the same event and multiple viewpoints, within texts and across more than one text.
Differentiation
| Level | What success looks like | Common errors |
| Entry | Identifying a simple similarity or difference between two texts when guided by the teacher. | Describing each poem separately without making a direct comparison; Comparing only surface features like length rather than content or style |
| Developing | Making comparisons between two texts on the same topic or theme, noting similarities and differences in how the authors present ideas. | Summarising each text rather than comparing their approaches; Not recognising that different text types serve different purposes for presenting information |
| Expected | Making substantiated comparisons across texts, considering viewpoint, theme, technique and authorial purpose, and structuring comparative discussion using appropriate language. | Comparing at a surface level ('both books have bullies') without analysing technique or viewpoint; Failing to use comparative language ('whereas', 'in contrast', 'similarly') |
| Greater Depth | Evaluating how different authors, genres or text types present the same subject matter, and explaining why the differences matter for the reader's understanding. | Stating a preference without evaluating the effectiveness of each text's approach; Not recognising that different texts achieve different things and a single 'most effective' answer oversimplifies |
Secondary concept: Authorial language analysis (EN-Y5-C021)
Type: Skill |
Teaching weight: 4/6
Language analysis at upper KS2 involves identifying how authors use language (including figurative language such as metaphor, simile, analogy and imagery), understanding the structural and presentational choices they make, and evaluating the impact of those choices on the reader. Mastery means pupils can name the technique, describe its effect and evaluate whether it is effective, using appropriate metalanguage.
Differentiation
| Level | What success looks like | Common errors |
| Entry | Identifying a language feature in a text (such as a simile or descriptive word) when prompted by the teacher. | Identifying the simile but not naming the technique; Confusing simile with metaphor |
| Developing | Identifying language features and beginning to describe their effect on the reader, using some technical vocabulary. | Identifying the technique but describing the effect vaguely ('it makes it more interesting'); Listing techniques without explaining how they work |
| Expected | Analysing how authors use language including figurative language, explaining the impact on the reader using appropriate metalanguage, and evaluating whether the technique is effective. | Identifying the metaphor but not explaining how each part of it contributes to meaning; Evaluating with vague praise ('it is a good metaphor') rather than specific analysis |
| Greater Depth | Analysing authorial language choices with precision, comparing how different authors achieve similar effects through different techniques, and evaluating effectiveness with reference to purpose and audience. | Stating a preference without analysing the specific techniques each author uses; Not considering how the intended audience affects which technique is more effective |
Secondary concept: Performing compositions (EN-Y5-C034)
Type: Skill |
Teaching weight: 3/6
Performing their own and others' writing with appropriate intonation, volume and movement so that meaning is clear to an audience. At upper KS2 mastery, pupils understand that performance is an act of interpretation and that choices about voice and movement convey meaning. This connects reading aloud, drama and composition, reinforcing the relationship between writing and speech.
Differentiation
| Level | What success looks like | Common errors |
| Entry | Reading own writing aloud with basic clarity, projecting voice so that listeners can hear. | Reading too quietly for the listener to hear; Rushing through the text without pausing at punctuation |
| Developing | Performing compositions with some variation in intonation, volume and pace to convey meaning, with preparation time. | Reading in a flat monotone without varying pitch or pace; Over-performing so dramatically that the meaning is obscured |
| Expected | Performing compositions using appropriate intonation, volume and movement so that meaning is clear to the audience, with evidence of rehearsal and deliberate interpretive choices. | Reading directly from notes rather than using them as prompts; Not varying delivery to highlight the most important points |
| Greater Depth | Performing with confidence and artistry, making interpretive choices that enhance meaning, and evaluating own and others' performances with reference to specific techniques. | Giving vague feedback ('it was good') rather than identifying specific techniques; Not connecting performance choices to the meaning of the text |
Thinking lens: Perspective and Interpretation (primary)
Key question: Whose perspective is this, what shapes it, and what might be missing?
Why this lens fits: Public speaking and debate require pupils to consider audience perspective explicitly: what will convince this audience, and how does the opposing side's viewpoint differ from their own?
Question stems for KS2:
Who wrote or made this, and why?
What might they have left out?
How does this account compare to another version of the same event?
What experience or belief might have shaped this person's view?
Secondary lens: Evidence and Argument — Formal debate is a structured form of evidence-based argumentation — pupils must construct claims, anticipate counter-arguments, and deploy evidence in real time to persuade an audience.
Session structure: Creative Response
Creative Response
A creative arts or writing sequence that develops technique through exposure to exemplary work, guided exploration of techniques, structured planning, independent creation, and peer critique. Balances creative freedom with technical skill development.
exemplar_exposure →
technique_exploration →
planning →
creating →
critique
Assessment: Final creative outcome (artwork, design, written piece) accompanied by a reflective evaluation discussing techniques used, influences, and areas for development.
Teacher note: Use the CREATIVE RESPONSE template: share exemplar artworks or texts and guide pupils to identify specific techniques used. Provide structured opportunities to experiment with those techniques. Support planning and creating an original response that demonstrates conscious technical choices. Include time for constructive peer critique focused on the effectiveness of specific techniques.
KS2 question stems:
What technique has the artist or writer used here?
How could you use this technique in your own work?
What choices have you made, and why?
What feedback would help improve this piece?
Text type and features
Text type: Poetry
Features to teach: comparison of poetic styles across time periods, effect of word choice on mood and tone, structural features (enjambment, caesura introduced informally), poetic voice and perspective
Writing outcome: Write a poem responding to or inspired by a classic poem, using figurative language and structural choices to create a specific mood, then perform it with expression
Grammar focus: figurative language (extended metaphor), relative clauses for added detail, punctuation for effect
(from Y5 Appendix 2)
Literary terms: enjambment, caesura, mood, tone, extended metaphor, voice, perspective
Suggested texts
The Lost Words by Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris — Spell poems about vanishing nature words — rich vocabulary and imagery
A Poem for Every Night of the Year by Allie Esiri (ed.) — Classic and contemporary poems for comparison
Genre
Poetry: Literature using rhythm, imagery, and condensed language to convey meaning and emotion. Poetry is continuous across all key stages with no progression break, but expectations increase: from recitation and simple pattern-following (KS1) through multiple forms and figurative language (KS2) to analysis of poetic conventions and unseen poetry comparison (KS4).
Why this study matters
At Y5, poetry study introduces comparison across time periods and styles — a skill directly required for KS3 and GCSE. Comparing a classic poem with a contemporary response develops critical awareness that poetry exists in dialogue across time. The writing task (responding to a classic poem) gives pupils a scaffold while demanding original expression.
Pitfalls to avoid
Comparison stays at surface level (one is old, one is new) without analysing how language and form create different effects
Pupils' own poems imitate the classic too closely rather than responding with their own voice
Performance is flat and rushed — insufficient rehearsal time allocated
Reading and writing skills (KS2)
These disciplinary skills should be woven through teaching, not taught in isolation:
Analysing vocabulary choices and their effects — Analyse how authors select and deploy vocabulary for effect, examining connotation, register, etymology and ambiguity, and evaluating how these choices position the reader or shape the meaning of the text.
Language choices and their effects — Identify and explain how the author's choice of specific words and phrases enhances or shapes meaning, considering the connotations, imagery and deliberate effects created by those linguistic choices.
Evaluating and synthesising information across a text — Retrieve, select and evaluate information and evidence from across extended and complex texts, synthesising material from different sections to construct a coherent and comprehensive response.
Noticing interesting words and phrases — Identify and discuss words and phrases that capture attention or create an effect, beginning to explain what makes them interesting, surprising or effective in the context of the text.
Retrieval of information and key details — Retrieve and record specific information and key details from both fiction and non-fiction texts, locating relevant sections and selecting the precise evidence required to answer a question.
Inference with textual evidence — Make inferences about characters, events, settings and authorial viewpoint that go beyond what is stated explicitly, and justify those inferences by citing evidence from the text.
Vocabulary word mat
| account | A written or spoken description of events, told from a particular perspective. |
| across texts | Comparing themes, characters, or techniques between two or more different texts. |
| analogy | A comparison between two things that are alike in some way, used to explain or persuade. |
| audience |
| authorial choice | A deliberate decision made by a writer about language, structure, or technique. |
| comparison | Examining similarities and/or differences between texts, characters, themes, or techniques. |
| contrast |
| convention | An agreed rule or standard in writing, such as capital letters for names or new lines for new speakers. |
| difference | A point of contrast between texts, characters, or techniques being compared. |
| effect | The result or impact of something; in writing, the response a technique creates in the reader. |
| emphasis |
| figurative language | Words or expressions that create imagery by going beyond their literal meaning (simile, metaphor, personification, hyperbole). |
| genre | A category or type of text with shared features and conventions (e.g. adventure, myth, report, diary). |
| heroism | The qualities of courage and bravery shown by a hero, often a theme in myths, legends, and narratives. |
| identity | A sense of who someone is; in texts, how characters define themselves or are defined by their background. |
| imagery | Descriptive language that appeals to the senses and creates vivid pictures in the reader's mind. |
| impact | The effect a text, technique, or word choice has on the reader. |
| intonation |
| loss | A common theme in literature involving the experience of losing something or someone valued. |
| meaning |
| metaphor | A figure of speech that describes something as if it actually were something else, without using 'like' or 'as'. |
| motif | A recurring element, image, or idea that runs through a text and contributes to its themes. |
| movement | Physical actions or gestures used to enhance performance, drama, or spoken presentation. |
| pace |
| pattern |
| perform |
| performance | Presenting a text, poem, or drama to an audience using voice, expression, and movement. |
| quest | A journey or mission undertaken by a character, often involving challenges and a goal. |
| similarity | A point of likeness between texts, characters, themes, or techniques being compared. |
| simile | A figure of speech comparing two things using 'like' or 'as' (e.g. 'as brave as a lion'). |
| style | A writer's distinctive way of using language, including vocabulary, sentence structure, and tone. |
| symbol | An object, character, colour, or image that represents a deeper meaning or abstract idea in a text. |
| technique | A specific method or approach used by a writer to achieve a particular effect. |
| theme |
| tone |
| viewpoint |
| volume |
| enjambment |
| caesura |
| mood |
| extended metaphor |
| classic |
| contemporary |
| perspective |
Prior knowledge (retrieval plan)
Pupils should already know the following from earlier units:
| Prior knowledge needed | For concept | Description |
| Audible and fluent speech with Standard English | Identifying themes and literary conventions | Pupils speak audibly and fluently with an increasing command of Standard English, understanding w... |
| Advanced inference and evidence-based reasoning | Authorial language analysis | Inference at upper KS2 involves not simply deducing what a character feels but explaining why, id... |
| Public speaking and formal debate | Performing compositions | In Years 5 and 6, pupils' confidence, enjoyment and mastery of language should be extended throug... |
Scaffolding and inclusion (Y5)
| Reading level | Fluent Reader (Lexile 450–650) |
| Text-to-speech | Available |
| Max sentence length | 22 words |
| Vocabulary | Academic vocabulary expected. Technical domain vocabulary accessible with in-context clues. Figurative language (metaphor, personification) appropriate. |
| Scaffolding level | Light To Moderate |
| Hint tiers | 4 tiers |
| Session length | 20–30 minutes |
| Worked examples | Required — Text-based. Child completes partial worked examples (fading). Not fully narrated. |
| Feedback tone | Peer Like Respectful |
| Normalize struggle | Yes |
| Example correct feedback | You recognised that 1/2 is larger than 2/5, and used the common denominator method correctly. The visualiser confirms it — the bar for 1/2 is noticeably longer. |
| Example error feedback | The reasoning does not quite hold: you said both fractions are the same because the numerator in 2/5 is double the numerator in 1/2. But the denominator changed too — the pieces got smaller. Converting to tenths: 1/2 = 5/10 and 2/5 = 4/10. Which is larger now? |
Knowledge organiser
Key terms:
enjambment
caesura
mood
tone
extended metaphor
classic
contemporary
perspective
Core facts (expected standard):
Identifying themes and literary conventions: Identifying and discussing themes and conventions across a range of texts, providing textual evidence, and comparing how the same theme is treated differently by different authors.
Graph context
Node type: EnglishUnit |
Study ID: EU-EN-Y5-003
Concept IDs:
EN-Y5-C016: Identifying themes and literary conventions (primary)
EN-Y5-C017: Cross-text comparison
EN-Y5-C021: Authorial language analysis
EN-Y5-C034: Performing compositions
Cypher query:
``cypher
MATCH (ts:EnglishUnit {unit_id: 'EU-EN-Y5-003'})
-[:DELIVERS_VIA]->(c:Concept)
-[:HAS_DIFFICULTY_LEVEL]->(dl)
RETURN c.name, dl.label, dl.description
``
Generated from the UK Curriculum Knowledge Graph — zero LLM generation.