1. In Mrs Tilscher’s Class
Carol Ann Duffy

2. First Stanza
You could – anything seems possible, addresses reader directly, puts us in the place of the naïve child
Chalky pyramids rubbed into dust – persona seems to think Mrs T is magical and wonderful: naïve/innocent
The laugh of a bell - personification reflecting the persona’s happiness,
minor sentence – images flashing into the persona’s memory

3. Stanza 2
Classroom glowed like a sweetshop - simile, the child sees the classroom like treasure
Like the faint, uneasy smudge of a mistake – simile, the child feels scared of Brady and Hindley, and after Mrs T has tried to make them forget it she cannot completely
Mrs Tilscher loved you. - statement, - the persona sees it as a fact

4. Stanza 3
Over the Easter – one part of their life has finished, the structure suggests change, E suggests rebirth. Turning point
Inky tadpoles changed from commas into exclamation marks – change, growing up, metaphor/symbol, comma – continuation, exclamation marks – extreme emotion
Appalled - disappointed, disgusted by sex, persona is not ready for adolescence

5. Stanza 4
That feverish July/feverish …untidy,hot,fractious – the persona is uncomfortable physically and also uncomfortable emotionally with growing up
Then turned away. - she can’t help, she can’t guide the persona, persona needs to be independent
Ran through the gates impatient to be grown – now they are ready to grow up and face the world, they have left ‘Mrs Tilscher’s’ class to go into the real world

6. Paragraphs Relevant – theme of growing up, reaching adolescence
Vivid memory – persona, reader
Clear structure, moving towards a desire to embrace changes
Senses
How they felt, how we felt
In the first stanza it is clear to the reader that the innocent child feels happy and secure in the class. …
This stanza makes the reader reminisce about their own time in Primary school.

7. Topic sentence Should include: A link A reference to the question
Evaluation
Second stanza:
Duffy continues to evoke powerful memories in the teenage reader with the second stanza. These lines clearly show the child’s naivety becoming mixed with an awareness of the world beyond the classroom.

8. Final sentence/s Should include:
A summary of the points you have made in the paragraph
Reference to the question
Evaluation
Something to link forward
So, in this stanza we relate to the persona preserving their innocence while becoming aware of the darker side of the adult world which contributes to her unwillingness to grow up in the next stanza.

9. Peer Assessment
Question
Evaluation
Analysis

10. 2005, Q13
Choose a poem which you feel is particularly relevant to a teenage audience.
Make clear why you think the poem is so relevant to this age group and show how the poetic techniques used in the poem help to achieve this.

11. Question:
“relevant to a teenage audience”
Memory – clear, emotional, relate, empathise
“poetic techniques help this”
Second person, senses, minor sentences, imagery

12. Analysis and Evaluation
Analysis – recognising technique, comments about what the writer is doing, how describe character, theme, style
Evaluation – your opinion, “we”, “our”, “the reader”, “in my opinion”, “empathise”, “relate to”

13. First to Second Stanza
Finish two paragraphs
Link to next