Create a news report

An Army commander mistook his orders.

Instead of retaking some guns, he told his

men to charge at the enemy’s cannons.

600 obeyed, 400 were killed or wounded.

In no more than 100 words create a news

report. How will you present the story?

To know the meaning of onomatopoeia.

To understand how language choices made by Tennyson create the sounds of war.

To be able to identify and describe the effects of Tennyson’s use of language when

presenting conflict.

‘The Charge of

the Light Brigade’

Objective:

To know the meaning of onomatopoeia.

To understand how language choices made by Tennyson create the sounds of war.

To be able to identify and describe the effects of Tennyson’s use of language when presenting conflict.

Success Criteria AO2 (Higher)Band Criteria

Band 6 * evaluation of writers’ uses of language and/or structure

and/or form and effects on readers

*convincing/imaginative interpretation of ideas/themes

Band 5 * analysis of writers’ uses of language and/or structure and/or

form and effects on readers

* exploration of ideas/themes

Band 4 * appreciation/consideration of writers’ uses of language and/or

structure and/or form and effects on readers

* thoughtful consideration of ideas/themes

Band 3 * explanation of effect(s) of writers’ uses of language and/or

structure and/or form and effects on readers

* understanding of ideas/themes/feelings/attitudes

Band 2 * identification of effect(s) of writer’s choices of language

and/or structure and/or form intended/achieved

* awareness of ideas/themes/feelings/attitudes

Band 1 * awareness of writer making choice(s) of language and/or

structure and/or form

* generalisation(s) about ideas/themes/feelings/attitudes

Success Criteria AO2 (Foundation)Band Criteria

Band 6 * appreciation/consideration of writers’ uses of language

and/or structure and/or form and effects on readers

* thoughtful consideration of ideas/themes

Band 5 * explanation of effect(s) of writers’ uses of language and/or

structure and/or form and effects on readers

* understanding of ideas/themes/feelings/attitudes

Band 4 * identification of effect(s) of writers’ choices of language

and/or structure and/or form intended/achieved

* awareness of ideas/themes/feelings/attitudes

Band 3 * awareness of writer making choice(s) of language and/or

structure and/or form

* generalisation(s) about ideas/themes/feelings/attitudes

Band 2 * simple identification of method(s)

* some range of explicit meanings given

Band 1 * reference to writers’ method(s)

* simple comment on meaning(s)

Keywords

repetition-words or phrases being said more

than once close together in a text for a

deliberate effect

imagery-vivid and descriptive language

which puts a picture in the reader’s mind

Poem based on newspaper reportJournalist W.H.Russell reported on the Charge in The Times:

At the minutes past eleven our Light Cavalry Brigade

advanced…They swept proudly past, glittering in the morning

sun in all the pride and splendour of war…At the distance of

1200 yards the whole line of the enemy belched forth, from

thirty iron mouths, a flood of smoke and flame. The flight was

marked by instant gaps in our ranks, by dead men and horse,

by steeds flying and wounded or rider less across the

plain…They flew into the smoke of the batteries; but before

they were lost from view the plain was strewn with their bodies.

Through the clouds of smoke we could see their sabres

flashing as they rode between the guns, cutting down the

gunners as they stood… The flank fire of the batteries on the

hill swept them down…at thirty five minutes past eleven not a

British soldier, except the dead and the dying, was left in front

of the Russian guns.

To know the meaning of onomatopoeia.

To understand how language choices made by Tennyson

create the sounds of war.

To be able to identify and describe the effects of Tennyson’s

use of language when presenting conflict.

Keywords:

repetition, imagery

The Charge of the Light Brigade

Click on the image below to watch a film clip of the Charge

of the Light Brigade.

To know the meaning of onomatopoeia.

To understand how language choices made by Tennyson create the sounds

of war.

To be able to identify and describe the effects of Tennyson’s use of language

when presenting conflict.

“Half a league, half a league,

Half a league onward,”

Is there a sense of rhythm to

these lines?

What does this sound like to you?

Does this continue throughout the

poem?

To know the meaning of onomatopoeia.

To understand how language choices made by Tennyson create the sounds of war.

To be able to identify and describe the effects of Tennyson’s use of language when

presenting conflict.

Order and Obey

‘Forward the Light Brigade!’

Was there a man dismay’d?

Not tho’ the soldier knew

Some one had blunder’d:

Theirs not to make reply,

Theirs not to reason why,

Theirs but to do and die:

Into the valley of Death

Rode the six hundred.

The commander had made a disastrous mistake.

Why didn’t the men question the order to charge at the Russian guns?

To know the meaning of onomatopoeia.

To understand how language choices made by Tennyson create the sounds

of war.

To be able to identify and describe the effects of Tennyson’s use of language

when presenting conflict.

Which words suggest the

sounds of war?

Cannon to the right of them,

Cannon to the left of them,

Cannon in front of them

Volley’d and thunder’d;

Storm’d at with shot and shell,

Boldly they rode and well,

Into the jaws of Death,

Into the mouth of Hell

Rode the six hundred.

Flash’d all their sabres bare,

Flash’d as they turn’d in air

Sabring the gunners there,

Charging the army, while

All the world wonder’d:

Plunged in the battery-smoke

Right thro’ the line they broke;

Cossack and Russian

Reel’d from the sabre-stroke

Shatter’d and sunder’d.

Then they rode back, but not

Not the six hundred.

To know the meaning of onomatopoeia.

To understand how language choices made by Tennyson create the

sounds of war.

To be able to identify and describe the effects of Tennyson’s use of

language when presenting conflict.

Flash’d all their sabres bare,

Flash’d as they turn’d in air

Sabring the gunners there,

Charging the army, while

All the world wonder’d:

Plunged in the battery-smoke

Right thro’ the line they broke;

Cossack and Russian

Reel’d from the sabre-stroke

Shatter’d and sunder’d.

Then they rode back, but not

Not the six hundred.

Sounds of war

Cannon to the right of them,

Cannon to the left of them,

Cannon in front of them

Volley’d and thunder’d;

Storme’d at with shot and shell,

Boldly they rode and well,

Into the jaws of Death,

Into the mouth of Hell

Rode the six hundred.

The REPETITION of the

word ‘cannon’ with its short

syllable sounds explosive

The monosyllabic words after ‘cannon’

sound like a fast-paced, relentless

bombardment of shells

The ONOMATOPOEIC words

‘volleyed’, ‘thundered’ and ‘stormed’ all

have high energy and evoke the

sounds of anger, of aggression, of war

To know the meaning of onomatopoeia.

To understand how language choices made by Tennyson create the

sounds of war.

To be able to identify and describe the effects of Tennyson’s use of

language when presenting conflict.

Cannon to the right of them,

Cannon to the left of them,

Cannon in front of them

Volley’d and thunder’d;

Storm’d at with shot and shell,

Boldly they rode and well,

Into the jaws of Death,

Into the mouth of Hell

Rode the six hundred.

Sounds of war

Flash’d all their sabres bare,

Flash’d as they turned in air

Sabring the gunners there,

Charging the army, while

All the world wonder’d:

Plunged in the battery-smoke

Right thro’ the line they broke;

Cossack and Russian

Reel’d from the sabre-stroke

Shatter’d and sunder’d.

Then they rode back, but not

Not the six hundred.

The REPETITION of the ONOMATOPOEIC

word ‘flashed’ with its quick sounding vowel

sound gives us a sense of the speed of the

attack and of death

The drawn out vowel sound of

the ONOMATOPOEIC word

‘plunged’ help us to imagine

the utter despair of the men as

if consumed by smoke

The ONOMATOPOEIC word

‘shattered’ helps us to imagine the

men and valley as broken

Throughout these stanzas there

are harsh short vowel sounds, ‘o’,

‘u’ and ‘a’ (as in ‘plunged’ and

‘wondered’, ‘Cossack’ and

‘volleyed’ and ‘cannon’ and

‘flashed’). The harsh landscape of

war is evoked by these

aggressive sounds.

To know the meaning of onomatopoeia.

To understand how language choices made by Tennyson create the sounds of war.

To be able to identify and describe the effects of Tennyson’s use of language when presenting

conflict.

Tennyson’s Voice – Stanza Six

When can their glory fade?

O the wild charge they made!

All the world wonder’d.

Honour the charge they made!

Honour the Light Brigade,

Noble six hundred!

What does

Tennyson think

of the soldiers?

What do you

think that he

felt about the

Charge?

To know the meaning of onomatopoeia.

To understand how language choices made by Tennyson create

the sounds of war.

To be able to identify and describe the effects of Tennyson’s use of

language when presenting conflict.

Language

How does Tennyson use

language to give the reader a

sense of how terrifying and

violent the battle was?

Remember to use PETER to

structure your paragraph.

To know the meaning of onomatopoeia.

To understand how language choices made by Tennyson create the sounds of war.

To be able to identify and describe the effects of Tennyson’s use of language when

presenting conflict.

How does Tennyson use language to give the reader a

sense of how terrifying and violent the battle was?

Tennyson uses a range of language devices to draw the reader into violent battle to help them empathise with the soldiers’ terrifying situation. “Cannon in front of them Volley’d and thunder’d”. The onomatopoeic words “volley’d” and “thundered” all have high energy and evoke the sounds of anger, of aggression, of war. The repetition of the word “cannon” with its short syllable sounds explosive, and emphasises that the Light Brigade were surrounded by cannons in an increasingly hopeless situation. Tennyson is trying to not only describe the violent battle but to help the reader imagine what it would be like to be in the soldier’s place, and use the

senses to help them better understand their terrifying situation.

To know the meaning of onomatopoeia.

To understand how language choices made by Tennyson create the sounds of war.

To be able to identify and describe the effects of Tennyson’s use of language when

presenting conflict.

The Learning Journey

What have I learnt about

imagery?

What have I learnt about

improving my analytical

answer?

To know the meaning of onomatopoeia.

To understand how language choices made by Tennyson create the sounds of war.

To be able to identify and describe the effects of Tennyson’s use of language when

presenting conflict.

Rehearse a reading of the poem in groups of 2 or 3

to read to the class. Take into account the things

we have covered – strong rhythm, onomatopoeia,

the sounds of war in vowel choices and Tennyson’s

own feelings for the plight of the soldiers. Make

notes on what you must consider when reading

the poem.

OR Write a paragraph answering the question

“Some poems must be read aloud to be fully appreciated why is this true of ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’?”

Extension - The dramatic effect

of Tennyson’s Poem

To know the meaning of onomatopoeia.

To understand how language choices made by Tennyson create the sounds of war.

To be able to identify and describe the effects of Tennyson’s use of language when

presenting conflict.