Teaching Blake

Teaching Blake

I love “The tyger” because it is such a visual poem.
The learning objective would be to find the words that the author uses to make the images really clear. I think that I would read the poem out to the class, discussing the images in each stanza. I would divide the children into mixed ability groups and ask the children to draw and colour an image on A2 paper of what they can see in the words of each verse. For example in the first verse:

Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

The image in my mind is of a dark forest with deep greens and browns and a terrible tiger burning bright orange, stalking and leaping out of the picture. It might be a good idea to leave some images of tigers up on the white board for the children to look at or have some pictures where each group is working. The children would discuss their ideas in the group and explain to each other what colours and forms to use. The children would choose colour chalks so that they could blend colours and make colours of their own choosing. After this was done each group could show their poster to the class and explain their image and particularly what words in the poem that stuck out to make them see the image in their minds.