Lesson Objective Island Man To be able to

Lesson Objective: Island Man • To be able to empathise with the poem’s speaker. STARTER: What do these three characters have in common? Complete their speech bubble in your books: _____________

“Island Man” – Grace Nichols (for a Caribbean Island Man in London who still wakes up to the sound of the sea) Morning muffling and island man wakes up his crumpled pillow waves To the sound of blue surf island man heaves himself In his head The steady breaking and wombing Another London day. Wild seabirds And fishermen pushing out to sea The poem is set in TWO The sun surfacing defiantly locations. Can you From the east guess where they are? Of his small emerald island He always comes back Groggily groggily Comes back to sands Of a grey metallic soar to surge of wheels To dull North Circular roar

Island Man Lesson Objective: • Starter: To be able to empathise with the poem’s speaker. What would the differences be between life on a Caribbean island life in London? Think about sounds and smells as well as images and feelings

The poet, Grace Nichols: Background information Grace Nichols was born in Guyana in 1950. After university, she worked in the Caribbean as a journalist and reporter until she moved to Britain in 1977. She now lives and writes in Sussex. In an interview she said: “ I feel at home now both in Guyana and in England. When I’m in Guyana, or another part of the Caribbean – because I see myself as coming from the wider Caribbean also – I feel I belong there because I spring from that landscape. But partly because I have children in England, I also feel at home in this culture, with their dreams and aspirations. So I embrace both. England is where I live, where I make my living, but when I’m in England I’m always looking back. Both as a writer and as an individual, I’m always looking at both worlds. ” Do you have anything in common with Nichols? Is there a place you miss?

Alliteration… Soothing and calm Morning And island man wakes up To the sound of blue surf In his head The steady breaking and wombing He can only hear the sound in his head. Why?

Can you spot any more alliteration? wild seabirds and fishermen pushing out to sea the sun surfacing defiantly from the east of his small emerald island he always comes back What does this word suggest about the way he feels about the island?

The second part of the poem is a contrast. Why? Comes back to sands Of a grey metallic soar to surge of wheels To dull North Circular roar Can you spot any negative or depressing vocabulary?

So where is the speaker? What has he been doing? muffling his crumpled pillow waves island man heaves himself Another London day Try saying this line aloud. How does he feel?

Hot-Seating: If you could ask the Island Man questions, what would you like to know? Brainstorm at least 5 questions you could ask a volunteer Island Man. Another London day…

L. O. : To be able to empathise with the poem’s speaker. Plenary Complete these sentences to demonstrate that you have met today’s lesson objective: In this poem the speaker is feeling… because… The two locations in the poem, (_______ and _______) are very different because: Challenge: Name one way that the poet uses her words (language) to make the reader feel a certain way.