Subject: A collection of Poems & Short Stories

Class/Grade:
Term:
No. of Period(s):
Unit: 2
Topic: Poem:
The Inchcape Rock
_ Robert Southey

Students will engage in:

____ Whole Group Instruction
____ Independent Activities
____ Cooperative Learning
____ Lecture
____ Study Materials Exercise
____ Hands On/ Additional Class Work
____ Technology Integration

Objectives/ Aims of Lesson:

To sensitise the learners to the interpretative value of poetry
To enhance their sense of literary appreciation
To familiarise the students with the Ballad form of poetry
Enhancing skills of Summarising, Line by Line analysis, Annotation

Procedure Followed
1. Class Starter: Introductory interaction with the class. Time: 5-8 mins.
2. Review Previously Learned Materials/ Lesson Connections: Review and Feedback of
previous class assignment. Proceedings of the topic at hand.
3. Statement of Lesson Objectives
4. Introduction to the Topic:
Brief discussion on Poetry genre: Ballad and Romanticism.
Elements of a ballad and that of romanticism are highlighted before delving into the poem.
Familiarising the students with the locale of the poem, i.e. the Inchcape Rock resembling the
Bell Rock in Scotland.
Theme of the poem poetic justice or karma
Filling gaps Engagement Write on board: You reap what you sow Ask students to
suggest what it means and to give examples from own experience or from texts?
Explicit teaching: Explain that sometimes stories and poems illustrate ideas like that in the
quote; these ideas are called themes.
"The Inchcape Rock" is a ballad written by English poet Robert Southey. Published in 1802, it
tells the story of a 14th-century attempt by the Abbot of Arbroath ("Aberbrothock") to install a
warning bell on Inchcape, a notorious sandstone reef about 11 miles (18 km) off the east coast
of Scotland. The poem tells how the bell was removed by a pirate, who subsequently perished
on the reef while returning to Scotland in bad weather some time later.
Like many of Southey's ballads "The Inchcape Rock" describes a supernatural event, but its
basic theme is that those who do bad things will ultimately be punished accordingly and poetic
justice done.
5.

About the Poet, important works: Robert Southey (12 August 1774 21 March 1843) was
an English poet of the Romantic school, one of the so-called "Lake Poets", and Poet
Laureate for 30 years from 1813 to his death in 1843. Although his fame has long been
eclipsed by that of his contemporaries and friends William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor
Coleridge, Southey's verse still enjoys some popularity.
Southey was also a prolific letter writer, literary scholar, essay writer, historian and biographer.
His biographies include the life and works of John Bunyan, John Wesley, William Cowper, Oliver
Cromwell and Horatio Nelson. The last has rarely been out of print since its publication in 1813
and was adapted for the screen in the 1926 British film, Nelson. He was also a renowned
scholar of Portuguese and Spanish literature and history, translating a number of works from
those two languages into English and writing a History of Brazil (part of his planned History of
Portugal, which he never completed) and a History of the Peninsular War. Perhaps his most

enduring contribution to literary history is the children's classic The Story of the Three Bears,
the original Goldilocks story, first published in Southey's prose collection The Doctor.
Background of the poem: Southey wrote the poem between 1796 and 1798 for The Morning
Post, but it was not published until 1802. His inspiration was the legend of a pirate who
removed a bell on Inchcape placed there by the Abbot of Arbroath to warn mariners of the
reef. The poem was reprinted in the Edinburgh Annual Register for 1810, published in 1812.
6. Recitation and Guided Discussion:
Literature: The Inchcape Rock
The Inchcape Rock Lesson Plan Teaching focus Theme poetic justice or karma Filling gaps
Engagement Write on board: You reap what you sow Ask students to suggest what it means and
to give examples from own experience or from texts?
Explicit teaching: Explain that sometimes stories and poems illustrate ideas like that in the quote;
these ideas are called themes. Scaffolding the reading scaffold reading purpose Going to read a poem:
want you to work out how it illustrates the idea that you reap what you sow. Scaffold background
knowledge Setting: Scotland, about 400 years ago Scaffold the language Rover: a pirate Reading
Exploration Discuss how the story illustrates the theme.
Explicit teaching: Stories sometimes leave gaps for us to fill in. In this story there are a number of
gaps: Why Sir Ralph cut the bell What happened between Sir Ralph cutting the rope and returning:
this is mentioned but only briefly What he was thinking when he returned: looking to spend his new
wealth? Had he forgotten cutting the rope?
Application: Set the task: Ask students to write the thoughts going through Sir Ralphs mind as he
drowns. Scaffold the task Has to be more detailed than I wish I hadnt cut the bell. Has to be more
dramatic. Prompt: they say when people drown their whole life flashes before their eyes like a movie:
What might flash before his eyes? Supervise the task Teacher walks around monitoring work, praising
good efforts and occasionally interrupting class to read out good examples. Sharing the Results
Volunteers read their work aloud to class. Review Point out that there are many poems like The
Inchcape Rock which require readers to fill in the gaps. This can add to the enjoyment of reading
because it allows us, the readers, to contribute to making the poem make sense. If parts of a poem do
not seem to make sense, it might be because the reader has to fill in the gaps.
7. Learners interaction with the poem
Following steps are involved: Guided & Independent Practice:
(a) Reading the poem (b) Learning to appreciate and enjoy the poem (c) Reciting the
experience
(a) Reading the poem
(b) Learning to appreciate and enjoy the poem:
Annotations of the lines in the poem are discussed.
Study the words glossed and read the poem silently. Now answer these questions*2
8. Class Assignments *2
9. Home Assignments *2
10. Concluding the Session
11. Teacher Notes