A Poison Tree (exemplar).pdf

8/18/2019 A Poison Tree (exemplar).pdf

1/7

1

“A Poison Tree”

About this set of materials…

This set of materials is based on the experience of Holy Trinity College. It illustrates how

teachers can make use of the poem “A Poison Tree” to encourage learners to think critically about

what “friends” and “enemies” are. The thought-provoking questions employed by the teacher help

promote higher-order thinking.

Texts and materials used in this exemplar

Strand Targets

• To converse and exchange points of view about feelings, ideas and experiences (ISb, KS3)

• To understand how different texts are organised and expressed and apply this understanding to

one’s learning and use of the language (KSf, KS3)

• To respond to characters, events, issues and themes in imaginative and other narrative texts

through oral, written and performative means (ESb, KS4) such as:

- making predictions and inferences

- analysing the actions and motivation of characters and the significance of events

- relating to one’s experiences

- putting oneself in the imaginary roles and situations in the text

- participating in dramatic presentations and reflecting on the way in which authors uselanguage to create effects

Learning Targets/ Objectives

• Text-type: poems

• Language features: rhymes, imagery

• Language skills:

Listening:

Listen for intended meanings, feelings and attitudes

−

Understand and interpret different kinds of spoken texts− Establish and infer meanings from clues

Reading:

Understand, interpret and analyse different written texts

− Understand different feelings, views and attitudes

− Use linguistic and contextual clues and general knowledge to determine the meaning of the

written text

− Interpret how linguistic and structural devices achieve certain effects

− Understand hidden intentions of the writer

Speaking:

Present information, ideas and feelings clearly and coherently

− Convey ideas and information in conversations or discussions

− Express, elicit and respond to ideas, opinions and feelings in a group discussion

A Poison Tree

http://a%20poison%20tree%20%28poem%29.doc/http://a%20poison%20tree%20%28poem%29.doc/


2/7

2

− Use appropriate intonation and stress, and vary volume, tone of voice and speed to convey

intended meanings and feelings

• Generic skills:

− Creativity

− Critical thinking skills

−

Communication skills

− Self-management skills

• Values and Attitudes: tolerance, justice


3/7

3

Learning and Teaching Process Impact on Learning

1. The teacher asked the learners a series of questions,

motivating them to think and talk about their enemies,

e.g. why they regarded them as enemies and how they

treated them.

2. The teacher modelled the desired way of sharing by

telling the learners a trick she and her friend played on

a classmate they did not like when they were in S.5.

3. After giving the learners some time to talk about their

enemies, the teacher invited some of them to tell thewhole class who their enemies were and why. She

also helped learners to elaborate by asking a few

follow-up questions.

Learners

develop their speaking skills by

conversing and exchanging points

of view and feelings about their

enemies

cultivate and adopt free and open

attitudes towards different

opinions, ideas and values

develop their speaking skills of

expressing opinions and feelings

by relating to their past

experiences with their enemies

http://resources.emb.gov.hk/cd/eng/Language_Arts_sec/poison_5_25_to_5_56.mpghttp://resources.emb.gov.hk/cd/eng/Language_Arts_sec/poison_7_03_to_8_30.mpghttp://resources.emb.gov.hk/cd/eng/Language_Arts_sec/poison_1_22_to_3_00.mpghttp://resources.emb.gov.hk/cd/eng/Language_Arts_sec/poison_3_02_to_4_46.mpg


4/7

4


4. The teacher had invited two learners to act the poem

out when she read it aloud. Pictures were drawn on

the blackboard as a backdrop.

5. Then the teacher checked learners’ understanding of

the dramatization of the poem by asking them a

series of exploring questions.

6. The teacher showed the learners the poem and taught

them the structure of a poem, including the

development of stanzas and the ideas and feelings in

each of them.

7. The teacher also offered explanations of the meaning

of difficult words and the use of images.

Learners

develop a response to the

characters, events and issues in the

poem through oral and performative

means such as:

• putting themselves in the

imaginary roles and situation in

the poem

• participating in the dramatic

presentation of the poem

understand how the poem is

organised and

expressed by:

• comprehending the thoughts and

feelings conveyed by the author

•understanding the language

through which the thoughts and

feelings are expressed

• finding out the encoded values

(tolerance, justice etc)

Teaching Extract

A Poison Tree

Learners’

Comments 1

Learners’

Comments 2

http://poison_t%20extract%201.doc/http://a%20poison%20tree%20%28poem%29.doc/http://poison_ss%20comments%201.doc/http://poison_ss%20comments%201.doc/http://poison_ss%20comments%202.doc/http://poison_ss%20comments%202.doc/http://resources.emb.gov.hk/cd/eng/Language_Arts_sec/poison_16_08_to_23_05.mpghttp://a%20poison%20tree%20%28poem%29.doc/http://poison_ss%20comments%202.doc/http://poison_t%20extract%201.doc/http://poison_ss%20comments%201.doc/http://resources.emb.gov.hk/cd/eng/Language_Arts_sec/poison_8_31_to_12_37.mpg


5/7

5

Learning and TeachingProcess

Impact on Learning

8. The teacher arranged

learners to discuss in

groups and suggest a title

for the poem.

9. The teacher walked around

and helped learners focus

their thoughts by posing

stimulating questions.

10. Groups wrote their titles

on the board.

11. A representative from each

group explained the title

they proposed. The

teacher might guide them

in refining or making

further elaboration on the

title.

12. After the presentations,

learners voted for the best

title and the teacher

revealed the original title.

Learners

are actively involved in collaborative learning and

benefit from their peers during group discussions, by

being• open and responsive to others’ ideas; and

• active in exchanging and rethinking ideas

strengthen their creative abilities such as• fluency (the ability to produce many ideas in response

to an open-ended problem, question or task)• originality

exercise critical thinking skills during the process of

creating and voting for a title for the poem by giving

evaluative comments based on reasoned judgment

reflect and improve on the effectiveness of their own

communication in presentation and elaboration of the

title proposed by their own group

Learners’

Comments 3

http://poison_ss%20comments%203.doc/http://poison_ss%20comments%203.doc/http://resources.emb.gov.hk/cd/eng/Language_Arts_sec/poison_32_00_to_32_31.mpghttp://resources.emb.gov.hk/cd/eng/Language_Arts_sec/poison_28_53_to_30_02.mpghttp://poison_ss%20comments%203.doc/http://resources.emb.gov.hk/cd/eng/Language_Arts_sec/poison_23_06_to_28_18.mpg


6/7

6


13. The teacher invited some learners to read

the poem aloud and encouraged them to

read expressively. Then she told them

the different feelings they should express

in different stanzas.

14. The teacher verified and clarified

learners’ understanding by asking them to

locate all the “it”s in the poem and foundout what they referred to.

15. The teacher asked learners to read aloud

together all the rhyming words in the

poem.

Learners

enhance their aesthetic experience in

imaginative literature (poem) by developing

personal responses or expression through

activities such as:

participating in the reading of the poem, and

appreciating the effect of sound patterns

including rhythm and rhyme

Learners’

Comments 4

http://poison_ss%20comments%204.doc/http://poison_ss%20comments%204.doc/http://poison_ss%20comments%204.doc/http://resources.emb.gov.hk/cd/eng/Language_Arts_sec/poison_46_57_to_49_27.mpghttp://resources.emb.gov.hk/cd/eng/Language_Arts_sec/poison_41_51_to_43_25.mpghttp://resources.emb.gov.hk/cd/eng/Language_Arts_sec/poison_40_31_to_41_37.mpghttp://resources.emb.gov.hk/cd/eng/Language_Arts_sec/poison_37_54_to_40_23.mpghttp://resources.emb.gov.hk/cd/eng/Language_Arts_sec/poison_43_26_to_44_35.mpg


7/7

7


16. The teacher asked learners to form groups

and discuss whether the writer of the poem

was:

• a man or woman

• poor or rich

• educated or not

She walked around to help develop learners’

discussions through questions which

promote higher -order thinking.

17. The teacher invited some learners to report

and justify their opinions about the identity

of the writer. And then the teacher gave a

conclusion to the discussions.

Learners

adopt creative attitudes such as:

• independent judgment, and

• open-mindedness to new and

unusual ideas

exercise critical thinking skills by

employing contextual clues to interpret the

voice in the poem

further enhance their reading skills whenthey search for the writer’s identity by:

• making use of knowledge of the world

• understanding different feelings, views

and attitudes

• identifying implied meanings through

inferencing

Learner Extract 1
http://poison_ss%20extract%201.doc/http://poison_ss%20extract%201.doc/http://poison_ss%20extract%201.doc/http://poison_ss%20extract%201.doc/http://resources.emb.gov.hk/cd/eng/Language_Arts_sec/poison_51_44_to_52_28.mpghttp://resources.emb.gov.hk/cd/eng/Language_Arts_sec/poison_49_53_to_51_30.mpg

Documents

A Poison Tree (exemplar).pdf