1. The most unusual thing I ever stole…

2. When? What did it look like? (list of 3) Why did you steal it? How did it feel? (simile/ metaphor) What is your view about how the people you stole from might feel? How did you feel as you took it? Have you stolen again/ would you? Why?

3. Read the poem and underline any words or phrases which stand out to you, or any techniques which the poet uses which you think are effective.

4. The rhetorical question at the start makes it seem like the speaker is repeating a question and then answering it. The whole poem is the petty thief speaking. Who could he be speaking to?

5. To make the speaker’s words& the whole scenario seem real, punctuation is used so that certain phrases stand out. Read the poem aloud in pairs, varying the length of the pauses. Can you see why Duffy has done this? Can you appreciate the skill& thought she has put into the punctuation to make the speaker seem real?

6. Learning objective: 1.To gain an insight into the persona in ‘Stealing’. 2.To identify& evaluate the speaker’s attitudes& feelings.

7. Answer the following questions: 1.List the things the thief admits to stealing. What do you think these things tell us about the mind of the thief? 2.Why does he say he steals? 3.Why did he take the snowman? What pleasure did he get out of it? 4.Do you have any sympathy for the thief? 5.Underline any slang phrases the speaker uses. What effect do they have on the reader? Do they make it easier for us to imagine what kind of person the thief is? 6.How old do you think the speaker is? How could this speaker represent a certain age group in today’s society?

8. Learning objective: Imagine you are a psychologist or social worker. What advice could you offer to the speaker?

9. Using the snow angel template, make an angel and label it with the most effective quotes from the poem.