Presentation - Singh Song! PDF - EAL Nexus

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EAL Nexus resource
Singh Song!
Presentation – Singh Song!
Subject:
English
Age groups:
12–14, 15–16
Topic:
GCSE Poetry
Licence information | This resource is free to use for educational purposes.
Source | This resource was originally developed by EAL Nexus.
©British Council 2015
Learning
Objective:
To look at how
character and voice
are created in Singh
Song! by Daljit Nagra
Who is Mr Singh?
Our new poem is called Singh Song! Think
by yourself for a minute ...
Mr Singh is the narrator of this poem.
Where do you think he is from?
What will his voice be like?
Who is Mr Singh?
 Look at the pictures on the following
slides or on your cards.
 Do they give you any more clues about
Mr Singh and the background to his
character?
Our own experiences
What do you already know about
families from the Punjab region of India
living in Britain?
Are there cultural similarities between
the Punjabi community in the UK and
other migrant communities that you
know about?
Mr Singh’s voice
Why has the poet used non-standard
English in his spelling and grammar?
How does this use of language help us to
understand Mr Singh’s character and
voice?
Mr Singh’s voice
Look at the poem Singh Song! How do
you think it should be read? Why?
Now listen and follow on your copy as
the poem is read to you.
Non-standard English
 How does the poet write these standard
English words and phrases?
 Find the words and phrases in the poem and
write the standard English terms next to them.
want
you
this
of
with
that
when the
things you
when nobody is in, I lock the door
where have you been?
she is swearing
because upstairs is my new bride
love
where
Other vocabulary
Work in pairs. Look at the vocabulary
sheet.
Find and highlight the words on your
sheet in the poem.
Find the meanings in English or your first
language and write them on the sheet.
Use dictionaries or computers.
You could draw or find an image
to help show the meaning.
Characters and voices – jigsaw activity
Work in small groups.
Your group will look at one of three
characters: Mr Singh, Mr Singh’s wife or
the shoppers.
Look at the poem, using your vocabulary
sheet to help you if you need it.
Answer the questions on your card
together. At least one person in the group
should make notes on your answers.
Sharing our answers
The groups will now be mixed up, so you
are working with people who have looked
at the other characters.
Share what you have learnt with the
others in your new small group.
Revising poetic techniques
Think back to your previous lessons …
Which poetic techniques can you remember?
 repetition
 metaphor
 rhyme
 alliteration
 narrator
 enjambment
Revising poetic techniques
 Work with a partner.
 Look at Stanza 9, which begins ‘Late in di
midnight hour’.
 Find three poetic techniques used by Daljit
Nagra. Highlight and annotate them on your poem.
Extension:
 Explain the effect of these techniques. To help
you, think about what was mentioned in your
discussions earlier about the characters in the
poem.
Revising poetic techniques –
whole class feedback
Did you find these techniques? What was
their effect?
rhyme
personification
alliteration
metaphor
enjambment
Extension:
What is the overall
effect of this stanza?
How does it show us
what is really important
to Mr Singh?
The tone of the poem
 Nagra has said that he wanted to make Singh
Song! like an ‘Indian Music Hall Song’ – he
wanted it to be playful and light-hearted.
 How does the poem resemble a song? (Look
at the structure and language.)
 Do you think Nagra has achieved a playful,
humorous tone? How has he done this?
 Extension: explain the significance of, and
techniques used in, the title of the poem.
Plenary
Think of one sentence to describe Mr
Singh.
Share your sentence with a partner.