lesson
Explain the image before naming the device
1 · Learn
Original lines: 'Rain stitched silver threads across the square; / the gutters whispered what the clouds could spare.' Stitching and whispering describe rain and water figuratively. Repeated sounds can connect words and shape the reading.
Identifying metaphor or personification is a starting point. Explain the image, sound or association it creates. Do not claim a device has the same fixed effect in every poem.
2 · Worked example
'Stitched silver threads' suggests many fine visible lines of rain crossing the scene. The description makes the movement seem patterned rather than random splashes.
3 · Your turn
Is 'gutters whispered' a literal account of human speech? What might it suggest?
Check your answer
No. It personifies the water's quiet sound and may make the scene seem subdued.
4 · Apply your learning
Read the lines aloud, mark repeated sounds and write two original lines with a deliberate sound choice.
Adult guidance and safety
Discuss interpretations using the words actually supplied. Give feedback on complete drafts and spoken contributions. These original short models must be accompanied by sustained whole-text study and a diverse reading programme; they do not fulfil author-in-depth or Shakespeare requirements by themselves.
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