This narrative poem, written in 1913, tells a tragic tale of love, jealousy and bravery. With evocative language, a powerful rhythm and strong patterning, it is ideal for performance.

It is important to read the poem to and with the class several times during this unit. Teachers should read the poem and the teaching sequence before starting work on the unit with the class. Sessions are for guidance only. The length of time each aspect of the sequence will take depends on the ways they are developed by the teacher, the amount of time allowed for different activities such as discussion and also the  prior experience of the class, for example, with drama techniques.

Phase 1

Phase 1 of the unit (sessions 1-5) introduces the children to the historical context of the poem and the characters and setting. They develop an understanding of the story told in the poem and plot the main events. Children also look closely at unfamiliar language and investigate word meanings.

Phase 2

Phase 2 of the unit (sessions 6-10) focuses on exploring the characters through drama and storytelling, thinking about their viewpoints and motivations. Story writing in role is the writing outcome for this phase of the unit.

Phase 3

Phase 3 of the unit (sessions 11-15) focuses on the language and rhythm of the poem. The children perform the poem, look closely at the language and experiment with writing in a similar style. The unit finishes with group presentations of information that the children have discovered about highwaymen from the poem, class discussions and additional research

Guided reading

Although the unit is designed for use with the whole class, teachers could also select aspects of it to use with guided reading groups. Alternatively, individual sessions could be followed up during guided reading sessions with a closer look at particular sections of the text - looking, for example, at the language or what has been revealed about plot or character.

All children will benefit from regular opportunities for small-group reading, discussion and writing with a teacher or teaching assistant.