Aims:

1. To develop an understanding of the poem • To develop awareness of how contrast is used in poetry. Aims: C ontent A ttitude Atmosphere or T echnique Key Skills: Communication Working with others Improving own learning and performance S uccess

2. Biography • Born: 1878, London, Welsh parents • Oxford University • Journalist • Enlisted: 1914 • Died: 1917 – Arras battlefield Edward Thomas

3. As the Team’s Head Brass This refers to the horse brasses on a team of horses, pulling a plough.

4. ontent C Match up these words to their meanings: Fallow Charlock Furrow Clods Bough • Branch • lumps of earth • a field left uncultivated for a year • a yellow flowered weed • a narrow trench left by a plough Briefly explain what happens in this poem.

5. A ttitude • Highlight all the words with agricultural/natural associations. • Highlight all the parts of the poem that refer to the war. • Group work • Discuss whether or not this is a war poem.

6. S uccess • What do you think is the message of this poem? • Life goes on during the war • Events in France effect what happens in rural Britain • The catastrophic events of the war are reflected in nature. • How effectively does this poem convey this?

7. T echnique • In the men’s conversation we find out that two important events have occurred on the same night. • What are they? • What is the significance of this? What is the rhyme scheme of this poem? Why do you think the poet used this scheme? Clue: it’s a conversation