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Ros Barber Material

PowerPoint lesson on Ross Barber's poem 'Material' for the Pearson Edexcel International A Level Post-2000 Poetry unit, centered on a mother's handkerchief as a symbol of vanished domestic life.
Grades
Grades 9–12, High School
File type
Microsoft PowerPoint
Use
Digital activity

Updated Oct 26, 2026

Subject
ELA, Literature, Poetry
Topic
poetry lesson, starter activity
Resource types
Teacher Tools, Lesson Plans
Use
Digital activity

About this resource

What's inside this resource

A Level Poetry: ‘Material’ by Ross Barber

Barber’s ‘Material’ is a dynamic text that explores nostalgia through the now absent or obsolete people, places and objects. It remains a significant text for our post-modern society. I have taught this text a number of times, and I have used this specific resource (revised in 2021), to lead my teaching in class, as a distance learning material (Google Meet/Skype lessons), as a homework assignment and even as a tool for revision – all have worked well for the students.

This dynamically illustrated 30 slide PowerPoint lesson contains, a starter activity, a text overview, exploration tasks connected to content, summary and analysis questions connected to language and its devices, questions pertaining to structure and theme, an academic writing task, an extension task, a homework assignment and a plenary. No further work is required from the teacher. This is a complete resource. Enjoy!

In the classroom

Teaching tips & learning objectives

Learning objectives

  • Define symbolism and apply it to the poem
  • Analyze how the title shapes the poem's meaning
  • Annotate the poem for its treatment of nostalgia

Skills covered

  • Close reading — annotating the poem text during a first reading
  • Symbolism analysis — applying the starter's definition to examples and to the handkerchief in the poem

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Resource details

Concepts & topics

Core concepts

  • Symbolism
  • Nostalgia
  • Close reading
  • Post-2000 poetry

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