Alfred Lord Tennyson's Poetry: A Comprehensive Guide for A Level

An intelligent collection of study notes and student activities exploring all 23 poems contained in the selection of Everyman’s Poetry, edited by Michael Baron. This pack has been written specifically to encourage students to explore these poems in line with the requirements of the AQA A Lit examination.

The detail in the analysis is a godsend

A May, Teacher & Peer Reviewer
  • Detailed notes relate Tennyson’s writing to its specific cultural and historical contexts and offers analysis which takes into account elements of style and form, and how these relate to meaning and content.
  • Engaging and encouraging activities prompt students to read around the poems and think about individual interpretations.

Plus useful essay questions and exam-style AQA A Lit practice questions for the perfect preparation!

The level of detail on each poem is superb and it would save members of our department a huge amount of research time

H Harvey, Teacher & Peer Reviewer

What do teachers say about this resource? (4904)

I learnt a heck of a lot through reading it! This is a very thorough, intelligent, and helpful resource which will make teaching Tennyson much easier for me! I loved the thoroughness of the introduction and cultural contexts of the poems; I also really appreciated the links to other poets and the sense of an overview of the role of poetry in the period. I also appreciated the detail in the analysis which is a godsend to someone starting a new specification with no notes and not much help on these poems! Its a fabulous resource which will be really useful for anyone teaching Tennyson.

A May, Teacher & Peer Reviewer

I was impressed by the comprehensive nature of the resource and the way in which teaching notes were included for guidance. The biographical overview is very thorough and links well with other themes from the AQA A syllabus.

C Webb, Teacher & Peer Reviewer

Well researched and useful to both teacher and student. I like the cultural context section, which is useful to students in terms of relating Tennyson to their wider reading of other writers - both fiction and non-fiction - and the age in which Tennyson produced his poetry. The questions that accompany each poem lend themselves to individual homework tasks or group discussions. They also prompt students to make links to other poems in the collection, both stylistically and thematically.

J Tovey, Teacher & Peer Reviewer

Overall a very useful resource for teachers preparing to teach this new text. I liked the level of detail about each poem - clear explanations and a good focus on AO2 throughout. Will be especially useful to give teachers a sense of authority and understanding of each text. For students the notes are clearly very useful. The discussion questions would certainly be very useful to help focus lessons / discussions of individual poems. the level of detail on each poem is superb and it would save members of our department a huge amount of research time.

H Harvey, Teacher & Peer Reviewer

The activities encourage students to think about the socio-historic context of Tennysons poems and to read around them.

There is also a list of activities at the end which asks students to discuss further issues which is useful in getting students to work independently. It also would be beneficial for their revision as it encourages students to compare and contrast poems.

The analysis of the poems is very detailed: it covers contents, form, metre, structure, and it looks in detail at the subtle changes within the poems. It also uses sophisticated language which will help students to integrate it into their own essays. The analysis also embeds quotations from the poems which not only helps students to understand the poem, but it also shows them how to make full use of quotations.

K McCord, Teacher and Peer Reviewer