Objectives

• Analyse how Agard uses structural contrast between the 'Dem tell me' refrains and the italicised hero stanzas to convey the speaker's rejection of colonial education.
• Explain how Caribbean creole dialect — including 'me', 'dem' and dropped standard endings — functions as a political and identity statement.
• Identify and interpret the significance of specific named figures (Toussaint L'Ouverture, Nanny de Maroon, Mary Seacole) and what their inclusion argues about history and power.
• Write an evidenced analytical paragraph that embeds a quotation, names a technique, and links it to a theme of identity or resistance.
• Compare the poem's treatment of colonial education with its affirmation of selfhood in the closing line 'I carving out me identity'.

The sequence

1. Lesson 1: What Dem Tell Me and What Dem Didn't: Close Reading the Whole Poem

   55 min · ch. 1

   Do now

   On the board: jot down THREE things you learned in primary school that stand out in your memory. Next, note down ONE thing you believe was lacking in your education. You have four minutes — no discussions for now, just write.

   Teacher input

   Consider the opening refrain, "Dem tell me / Dem tell me / Wha dem want to tell me," alongside the stanza about Toussaint L'Ouverture: "Toussaint / a slave / with vision / lick back / Napoleon / battalion." As you reflect on this, notice how the flat, repetitive structure of the refrain mirrors the mechanical and unquestioning approach of colonial education. In contrast, the Toussaint stanza features shorter, more dynamic lines that convey energy and pride. This difference in form emphasizes the speaker's point: what has been suppressed holds far more significance than what has been imposed.

   Independent task

   Students annotate their own copy of the full poem by highlighting each 'Dem tell me' moment in one color and each hero stanza (Toussaint, Nanny de Maroon, Mary Seacole) in another color. Next, they write three bullet-pointed observations: one focusing on rhythm or line length, another on a specific word choice in any hero stanza, and the last on what the contrast between the two sections reveals about power. They’ll be ready to share these insights at the beginning of Lesson 2.

   Exit ticket

   On a sticky note or in their book, students complete this sentence in their own words: 'Agard uses the contrast between the 'Dem tell me' sections and the hero stanzas to show that…' — the answer must include at least one word from the poem.

2. Lesson 2: Carving Out an Argument: Writing About Identity and Resistance

   55 min · ch. 1

   Do now

   On the board: take a moment to re-read the final two lines of the poem — 'I carving out me identity' — without glancing at your notes. In one sentence, explain what the word 'carving' implies about how we shape our identity. You have four minutes.

   Teacher input

   To build a complete analytical paragraph using the stanza about Mary Seacole, start by illustrating the Point–Evidence–Technique–Effect structure. First, make a claim regarding how Agard portrays Seacole as intentionally overlooked. Then, include the quotation 'nurse Nightingale / never hear tell / of Mary.' Next, identify the technique used, which is ironic juxtaposition coupled with enjambment that isolates 'of Mary.' Finally, explain the effect: the line break creates a sense of abruptness in Seacole's erasure, making it feel intimate and personal, reflecting the colonial silencing that the poem critiques.

   Independent task

   Students should compose a complete exam-style paragraph (at least 120 words) addressing the question: "In what ways does Agard convey the notion that reclaiming history serves as an act of resistance?"

   Exit ticket

   Checking Out Me History

Activities

Assessment

• Lesson 1 do-now: teacher scans responses to check whether students can articulate a personal sense of educational gaps — this primes empathy with the speaker's position before the poem is read.
• Lesson 1 annotation task: teacher circulates to check that students have correctly identified all 'Dem tell me' refrains and all three hero stanzas, and that their bullet points move beyond plot summary to comment on form or language.
• Lesson 1 exit ticket: teacher reads sticky notes to assess whether students can articulate the structural contrast in their own words and have embedded at least one word from the poem.
• Lesson 2 do-now: teacher reads responses aloud and probes whether students understand 'carving' as a metaphor for active, effortful self-construction rather than passive discovery.
• Lesson 2 paragraph draft: teacher conducts a mid-task check by asking two or three students to read their topic sentence aloud, assessing whether claims are specific to Agard's poem rather than generic statements about identity.

Standards covered

Common Core 11 12

• RL.11-12.1 — cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
• RL.11-12.4 — determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyse the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone.
• RL.11-12.5 — analyse how an author's choices concerning how to structure specific parts of a text contribute to its overall structure and meaning.
• W.11-12.9 — draw evidence from literary texts to support analysis, reflection and research.

AP Literature

• Literary Argumentation (LAN-1) — write a thesis that interprets a literary text and requires a line of reasoning.
• Figurative Language (FIG-1) — explain the function of specific words and phrases in a literary text, including dialect and imagery.
• Structure (STR-1) — explain how the arrangement of the parts of a text contribute to its overall meaning, including the contrast between the refrain stanzas and the italicised hero stanzas.
• Character (CHR-1) — explain the function of a character, including how the speaker's voice and dialect construct identity and resistance.

AQA

• AO1 — read, understand and respond to texts, maintaining a critical style and developing an informed personal response with references to support interpretations.
• AO2 — analyse the language, form and structure used by a writer to create meanings and effects, using relevant subject terminology.
• AO3 — show understanding of the relationships between texts and the contexts in which they were written and received, including Agard's Caribbean-British identity and the colonial education system.

Edexcel

• AO1 — respond to texts critically and imaginatively, selecting and evaluating relevant textual detail to illustrate and support interpretations.
• AO2 — explain how language, structure and form contribute to writers' presentation of ideas, themes and settings, with reference to subject terminology.
• AO3 — demonstrate understanding of the significance and influence of the contexts in which literary texts are written and received.

Eduqas

• AO1 — read, understand and respond to texts, developing an informed personal response and using textual references to support interpretations.
• AO2 — analyse the language, form and structure used by the writer to create meanings and effects, using appropriate subject terminology.
• AO4 — show understanding of the relationships between texts and the contexts in which they were written, including post-colonial and Caribbean cultural contexts.